Research & reports

Nhamo Makhuwa · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Mozambique

A 2013 study presented a theoretical framework underpinning the impact of school gardens on nutrition and academic outcomes in developing countries like Mozambique, where school gardens are recognized as a potential intervention. This framework, built upon existing literature on environmental education, agriculture-based interventions, and their impact on nutritional status and cognitive development, emphasized the need for further empirical research to validate these insights and inform policy recommendations for integrating school gardens into educational curricula.

Marijke D’Haese, Nick Vink, Tharcisse Nkunzimana, Ellen Van Damme, Johan van Rooyen, Anne-Marie Remaut, Lotte Staelens, Luc D’Haese · Development Southern Africa · South Africa

Food insecurity remains high in rural KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa. This study collected data from 390 beneficiary households in 2010 to assess the perceived impact of the Empowerment for Food Security Programme, launched in 2007, on food security. Findings confirmed that experience-based food insecurity levels were still high, despite the agricultural support program and government income transfers. However, respondents attributed improved dietary diversity and better access to resources to the program.

Franklin Obeng‐Odoom · Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems · Africa

Data from living standards and demographic health surveys and poverty trend studies in various African countries indicate that urban agriculture substantially contributes to food production and farmers' incomes. The article argues that urban agriculture empowers rather than limits, but to realize its full potential for food security in African cities, it must be understood within a broader socioeconomic and political reality. Factors like food safety, access, and distribution require careful attention.

Messay Mulugeta · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Ethiopia

This study assessed the need for a policy framework for urban/peri-urban agriculture (UPA) in Ethiopia. It was based on a desk review of other countries' experiences and policy frameworks, supplemented by primary and secondary data from Ethiopia and interviews with legislators, experts, urban farmers, and urban planners. The study's synthesis indicates that formulating a policy framework and by-laws for UPA in Ethiopia is imperative for the country to fully utilize the sector's potential.

Doreen Atkinson · African Journal of Range and Forage Science · South Africa

This paper critiques the assertion that commercialization of smallholder agriculture poses dangers for sustainable rangeland management in South Africa. It argues that a range of policy options are required, including commercialization and subsistence farming, large-scale and smallholder farming, various land tenure options, rural and peri-urban farming, and part-time farming. The case of municipal commonage land is used to demonstrate the effectiveness of flexible policy options regarding land ownership, farming scale, and the social nature of farming, but it is noted that effective institutional development is a key requirement in all cases.

Roseline J. Akinlade, Olubunmi Lawrence Balogun, Adekemi A. Obisesan, Akinlade, Roseline J., Balogun, Olubunmi L., Obisesan, Adekemi A. · AgEcon Search (University of Minnesota, USA) · Nigeria

This study analyzed the determinants of commercialization among 230 urban vegetable farmers in Oyo and Lagos states, southwest Nigeria, using primary survey data and a Tobit model. It found that farmers' participation in domestic and regional markets remains low due to various constraints, notably poor market access. The average farm size was 0.05ha, and the average market participation index was 0.73. Factors influencing commercialization included age, farm size, association membership, education, distance to market, and input costs. The study concluded that social capital significantly affects market participation, and recommended proactive support from governments and NGOs to facilitate farmer organizations and market linkages.

Dick Foeken · Journal of Geography and Regional Planning · East Africa

This paper, discussing the role of urban agriculture in the development of middle-sized towns using three East African cases (Nakuru, Morogoro, Mbeya), argues that urban agriculture can be transformed into a thriving sector contributing to employment, income, and food provision. It describes the current situation, focusing on resource allocation, benefits, and environmental challenges, and concludes that a favorable legal and policy setting, support and education, and improved market conditions, led by both government and the private sector, are necessary to achieve this.

Diana Lee-Smith · City · Africa

This paper reviews a synthesis from late 2010 on Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture (UPA) data from East and Central Africa, identifying major issues such as UPA's relationship to food security and poverty, its waste recycling effectiveness, and policy responses. The analysis is updated with data from Southern Africa, suggesting UPA's capacity to recycle nutrients, particularly on efficient crop-livestock backyard farms, signifies its potential role in making cities sustainable.

Dominique Rossi Breetzke, Christina Breed · Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir kunsgeskiedenis · South Africa (Pretoria)

This paper explores using abandoned urban land for allotment community gardening in Sunnyside, Pretoria, South Africa, through a case study along the Walker Spruit. It tests the hypothesis of increasing food security and social capital through urban ecology design. Findings suggest that allotment culture and permaculture can reconnect people with urban nature, proposing a design concept to unite neighborhoods and provide social and biophysical services sustainably.

Chikwendiu Okechukwu, Femi Adekunle, Sunday Nwokolo · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Nigeria

A three-year mixed-methods study in selected urban areas of Nigeria assessed the impact of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) among gardeners. Community members' understanding of IPM principles significantly improved, with 20% initially reporting successful pest management strategies, increasing to 75% over the three years. The findings suggest that sustained education and support are crucial for effective IPM adoption in urban gardening communities.

Romborah Simiyu, Dick Foeken · Gender Place & Culture · Kenya

The study examined labour divisions between men and women in urban crop cultivation in Eldoret, Kenya. Divisions were shaped by social constructs of masculinity and femininity, gendered differences in entitlements and farming knowledge, and intra-household power relations, and showed up in which crops each gender took responsibility for, which tasks they performed, and spatial separation of activities. Traditional gender-related labour boundaries were being challenged and reworked. Women's labour contributed more directly to household food security, while men's growing involvement in subsistence farming held prospects for improved productivity and food security.

Carol Posthumus · SABI Magazine - Tydskrif · South Africa

This article traces the history of Oranjezicht City Farm near Cape Town, South Africa. In the 1700s, the farm Oranje Zigt on the site supplied ships on the trade route with fresh fruit and vegetables. A bowling green was built on the site in the 1950s, which over time fell into disuse and became derelict. That site has since been reincarnated as Oranjezicht City Farm, a neighbourhood non-profit project celebrating local food and community.

Nsikak-Abasi A. Etim, Glory Emmanuel Edet · · Nigeria

A study of 80 peri-urban farming households in Uyo, Nigeria, sampled through a two-stage procedure with a structured questionnaire, using the Foster-Greer-Thorbecke weighted poverty measure to decompose poverty into sub-groups. Among peri-urban farming households, 0.48 were found to be impoverished, with the poorest of the poor at 0.29. Male-headed households were poorer than female-headed households. The incidence of poverty increased with the household head's age and household size, and decreased with years of formal education.

Evaristo Mwaba Kapungwe · Open Journal of Metal · Africa

Water, soil, and crop samples were analyzed by atomic absorption spectrometry for lead, copper, cobalt, nickel, and chromium at two peri-urban wastewater-irrigation farming sites in Zambia: New Farm Extension in Mufulira Town, Copperbelt Province, and Chilumba Gardens in Kafue Town, Lusaka Province. Heavy metal levels in wastewater, soil, and food crops exceeded acceptable limits at both sites, confirming contamination and a potential human health risk from consuming the crops grown there.

Jane Battersby · Geography Compass · Sub-Saharan Africa

A critical review (Geography Compass, 2013) traces the historical and political trajectory of urban food security research in sub-Saharan Africa, arguing the field has often been narrowly framed as a developmental rather than political problem. It links the rise of urban agriculture as a research and policy focus to the region's experience of structural adjustment, and discusses emerging "repoliticized" research trajectories, concluding these could enable synergies between urban food research in the global North and South.

Léon W. Nitièma, Boubacar Savadogo, Dramane Zongo, Aminata Kaboré, Poda Jean Noël, Alfred S. Traoré, Dayéri Dianou · Journal of Environmental Protection · Africa

This study examined the microbial quality of wastewater used for truck farming in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, testing for bacterial and parasitological fecal indicators during the dry-hot season (May) and the wet season (July) of 2012. Wastewater from three water reservoirs and two canals intensively used for truck farming was analyzed, and the same indicators were tracked through waste stabilization ponds at three treatment plants in the city. Concentrations of microbial indicators were significantly higher in the dry-hot season than the wet season across all sampling sites, with levels reaching up to 53,800 CFU/100ml for E. coli, 8,200-108,400 CFU/100ml for fecal coliforms, 650-45,000 CFU/100ml for fecal streptococcus, and 0-2.4 eggs/l for helminths. Through the waste stabilization ponds, significant microbial concentration drops of 82-100%, 78-98%, 60-100%, and 82-88% respectively were recorded between the anaerobic and maturation ponds. The results indicate that improving the refining performance of waste stabilization pond technology could help reduce the health risks associated with wastewater reuse in urban agriculture in developing countries.

Dominique Rossi Breetzke, Christina Breed · UpSpace Institutional Repository (University of Pretoria) · South Africa

A landscape architecture study centered on Sunnyside, Pretoria, South Africa, using an abandoned stretch of land along the Walker Spruit as a case study to test the hypothesis that allotment-style community gardening designed around urban ecology can increase food security and social capital. It examines Guerrilla Gardening and allotment cultures in Britain, Canada, and Switzerland, and applies the green infrastructure concept of a "Continuous Productive Urban Landscape," concluding that allotment culture and permaculture can be ways of reconnecting people with urban nature. It proposes a "three natures" design concept intended to unite the neighboring Clydesdale and Sunnyside East areas. The work is a design proposal and case study rather than a study with measured outcome data.

G. N. Egwu, John O. Agbenin · Archives of Agronomy and Soil Science · Nigeria

A study in northern Nigeria assessed cadmium, lead, and zinc contamination in soils and leaf vegetables (amaranthus, lettuce) irrigated with untreated wastewater. Total cadmium and zinc concentrations in soils exceeded safe limits, and lead and cadmium in edible portions of amaranthus and lettuce exceeded safe limits for human consumption by 7–17 times. The permissible limit for lead established for agricultural lands may not be suitable to ensure produce safety in urban and peri-urban agriculture in Kano.

Amy E. Thom, Beatrice Conradie · Open University of Cape Town (University of Cape Town) · South Africa (Cape Town)

This study, focused on Cape Town, South Africa, proposes social enterprise fresh produce box schemes as a sustainable business opportunity for urban agriculture to contribute to development. The research compared three existing box scheme models, analyzed a consumer survey to explore the consumer market, and investigated poor producers' agency through cross-case analysis. This analysis yields suggestions for key characteristics of an "ideal" social enterprise box scheme that is both financially sustainable and contributes to improvements in poor producers' agency.

Kgosi Khumalo, Siyabonga Xaba, Mpho Motshekga, Thabo Tshabalala · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · South Africa (Johannesburg)

This systematic review examined eco-friendly urban gardening practices for youth in Johannesburg slums, analyzing 34 studies from multiple databases. The review found a trend towards community-led initiatives combining horticulture with sustainable living education. These practices positively impacted household food insecurity, reducing it by an average of 20%, and enhanced youth engagement in environmental stewardship.

A. Yusuf · · Nigeria (Lagos State)

This study assessed the attitudes of 50 women farmers towards urban agriculture in the Somolu local government area of Lagos State, Nigeria. Findings indicated that the women's attitude towards urban agriculture was extremely negative. Statistical analysis revealed a significant relationship between attitude and age, marital status, educational level, years of experience, and access to loans. However, farm size, annual income, access to labor, and access to inputs were statistically insignificant.

Ubokudom E. Okon, Anselm A. Enete, Taofeq A. Amusa · Outlook on Agriculture · Nigeria

This study identified factors influencing enterprise choice decisions among urban smallholder farmers in Akwa Ibom state, Nigeria. Based on farm-level data from 160 randomly selected farmers and analyzed using a multinomial logit model, marital status and household size were negatively and significantly related to choosing pepper over waterleaf, while choosing garden egg was positively related to marital status. Farmers' formal education level and farm size were positively and significantly related to choosing cassava, maize, pepper, or garden egg over waterleaf, but income was negatively and significantly related to choosing these other crops.

Nancy Karanja, Mary Njenga, G.K. Mutua, Carl Johan Lagerkvist, E. Kutto, JJ Okello · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · Kenya (Nairobi)

A study in three peri-urban sites in Nairobi, Kenya, assessed heavy metal, nitrate, and pesticide residue levels in wastewater-irrigated kale. Elevated levels of boron, cobalt, chromium, copper, lead, zinc, and nickel were found in vegetables at two sites, with high soil loadings of nickel, arsenic, lead, chromium, copper, and zinc attributed to chicken manure. Pesticide residues of diazinon, cypermethrin, biternol, and profenofos exceeded permissible limits in kale at one site, suggesting consumers may ingest significant amounts of contaminants.

Godwin Arku, Paul Mkandawire, Nathaniel Djanmah Aguda, Vincent Kuuire · · Africa

The history of urban agriculture in Africa dates back to the colonial era, when farming flourished in urban areas primarily to meet the consumption needs of bureaucrats, settlers, and other elites. Urban agriculture is considered a potentially viable policy response to the complex challenge of feeding a growing urban population amidst declining food production in rural areas.

Mary Caesar, Jonathan Crush, Trevor Hill · Scholars Commons (Wilfrid Laurier University) · South Africa (Msunduzi Municipality)

A study on food security in Msunduzi Municipality, South Africa, was part of AFSUN's baseline survey across eleven Southern African cities. The survey found that urban poor in Msunduzi are significantly worse off than those in Cape Town and Johannesburg, with one-third of households reporting frequent food shortages. Urban agriculture is not particularly significant in Msunduzi, and while supermarket supply chains dominate the food system, they do not meet the needs of the poor.