Research & reports

Adeyemi Israel Atanda · Open MIND · Nigeria

This study examines how socioeconomic characteristics influence residents practicing sack farming in Ibadan, Nigeria, using a cross-sectional survey and mixed methods with 1,288 respondents proportionally allocated across high- (182), medium- (708) and low-density (398) residential areas. It found benefits including efficient use of space, increased crop yields and reduced soil erosion; the 31-40 age bracket showed the highest engagement (31.3%, chi-square=41.791, p=0.003, a significant association), while participation was 34.5% male versus 65.5% female with no statistically significant gender difference (chi-square=8.035, p=0.090).

Tinashe P. Kanosvamhira · Geo Geography and Environment · South Africa

This study examines how community gardens in Cape Town's marginalised Cape Flats area enact spatial justice through everyday practices, drawing on Henri Lefebvre's social production of space and its spatial triad -- perceived, conceived and lived space. Based on semi-structured interviews with representatives of 34 community gardens and state actors, supplemented by documentary analysis of planning and policy frameworks, it finds that gardeners physically transform neglected land into perceived spaces of cultivation despite insecure tenure and limited infrastructure (water access, soil quality), negotiate and subvert top-down planning by repurposing school grounds and municipal reserves as conceived space, and sustain memory and identity as lived space through crops, seed exchanges and collective action -- while persistent challenges of tenure precarity, resource scarcity and competing land-use pressures threaten each garden's longevity.

Valentine Opanga · Urban Political Ecology · Kenya

A study examines how green urbanism is imagined, politicised and contested in two informal settlements in Nairobi, Kenya, Korogocho and Pumwani-Majengo, using a mixed-methods approach combining Feminist Urban Political Ecology, Postcolonial Urbanism and Travelling Models, drawing on 45 semi-structured interviews, six focus group discussions and a review of policy documents. It shows that international greening agendas are selectively interpreted, reworked or resisted rather than adopted as a unified global sustainability narrative. Findings reveal that state-led greening initiatives, even when aligned with global frameworks, can reinforce spatial inequality, displace low-income residents and obscure colonial-era land injustices. At the same time, grassroots actors engage in context-specific greening practices such as urban farming and dumpsite reclamation driven by survival and care, representing forms of environmental agency that challenge dominant models.

Endalkachew Getu, Bereket Ayenew, Kanchan Singh, Mitiku Adisu Worku · Frontiers in Climate · Ethiopia

A random-sample survey of 364 urban farmers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, grounded in protection motivation theory (PMT), used structural equation modeling (SEM) to analyze relationships among nine constructs. Selecting new crop varieties, water management practices, adjusting sowing dates and planting drought-resistant crops were identified as the main adaptation practices. Perception of climate change indicators, perceived effects, incentives, subjective norms, adaptation efficacy and self-efficacy positively and significantly influenced farmers' intention to adapt, whereas farmers exposed to maladaptive behaviors showed lower intention to adapt. The survey recommended strengthening local institutions, farmer training, climate information dissemination such as early warning systems, access to extension services, and access to finance.

Moçambique MANI TESE, Franscisco Monteiro Chimote, Paulo Xavier Tebulo · Revista fisio&terapia. · Mozambique

This study examined the challenges and opportunities in formulating and implementing urban food policies in Mozambique, focusing on the city of Quelimane, drawing on literature review, official document analysis, and observations from multisectoral training that involved the municipality's departments, nutritionists from the health and agriculture ministries, industry and commerce representatives, district services from Quelimane, Maganja da Costa, Mocuba, and Nampula, an Agrofood-link Mozambique representative, urban planning and infrastructure staff, and a Shoprite supermarket. It identified institutional fragmentation, precarious infrastructure, and climate change impacts as factors compromising urban food security, alongside opportunities linked to urban agriculture, participatory governance, and international cooperation.

Ermias Debie · City and Environment Interactions · Ethiopia

A study in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia examined the integration of urban agriculture (UA) and green infrastructure (GI) through surveys and interviews with 99 stakeholders, supplemented by participatory observation. The main barriers to integration, based on multiple-response data, were a lack of supportive policies and regulatory frameworks (87%), limited awareness (57%), and space constraints (51%). Multicriteria decision analysis ranked integrated practices as the most effective strategy (score 16.81), followed by edible tree planting at garden centers (16.18), small gardens (13.83), and fence-edge greening (11.46). Structural equation modeling identified thermal regulation and access to fresh food as critical factors for planning sustainable urban systems.

Getachew Demissie Desta, Zeleke Gonfa Wordofa · International Review for Spatial Planning and Sustainable Development · Ethiopia

A study of the rate and direction of spatial expansion of Robe Town, Ethiopia, into surrounding rural kebeles, and its effect on the tenure security of peri-urban landholders. It combined socioeconomic data from 202 sampled household heads with spatial data from Landsat images taken in 1987, 2002, and 2020. The town grew annually by 18.6% (1984–1994), 11.3% (1994–2007), and 9.3% (2007–2020), with its total area rising from 5.1 km² in 1984 to 80.2 km², a 40.9% overall increase. Over the 33-year period, built-up area expanded fastest southward, reaching 9.91 km from the town's mean center, and grew from 4.38 km² in 1987 to 27.9 km² in 2020; about 10.2 km² of farmland was converted to built-up land between 1987 and 2020. In peri-urban areas of Robe town, 48.9% of landowners lost around half of their farmland, leaving peri-urban landowners feeling insecure about their tenure due to fear of eviction and expropriation at minimal compensation.

Getinet, Abate · National Academic Digital Repository of Ethiopia · Ethiopia

A mixed-methods, cross-sectional descriptive study of urban agriculture in Gulele sub-city, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, examining perceptions, opportunities, and challenges. It combined a survey of employees and farmers, in-depth interviews with farmers, key informants, and experts, and a focus group discussion with civil service employees. The study identified scarcity of urban farmland, scarcity of water for irrigating vegetables, and constraints on various agricultural inputs as core problems, alongside market accessibility issues for selling produce and limited transportation availability, even as vegetable consumption and demand among urban dwellers were rising and government policy treated urban agriculture as a current priority. It also found a negative social attitude among urban dwellers toward urban agriculture, who regard it as old-fashioned work and view urban farmers as backward and uneducated. The study concludes that the Addis Ababa City Administration's urban agriculture development sector needs to work with research institutions to address pest and insect problems and to improve vegetable yield per unit of land.

Baltazar M.L. Namwata · African Quarterly Social Science Review · Africa

A cross-sectional survey using multistage sampling across 15 neighborhoods (mitaa) in eight wards of Dodoma City, Tanzania, examined types, spatial distribution and gender dynamics of urban agriculture among 300 urban farmers in squatter and non-squatter settlements, using structured questionnaires, focus groups, key informant interviews and field observation. Crop-only farming was the most common of the observed typologies (crop-only, mixed, and livestock-only), with homestead farming linked to more informal cultivation on floodplains and government land in violation of land-use policy. Men dominated farming decision-making overall, though a trend toward joint and female-headed farming emerged among female-headed households, and squatter and non-squatter areas differed in tenure security, rule enforcement and infrastructure access.

· Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems, Wiley Online Library · Sub-Saharan Africa

2024 analysis of urban farming systems and food security in Sub-Saharan Africa. Examines role of agriculture in improving urban food security, necessity of public-private partnerships, informal sector positioning, and prospects for addressing urban food insecurity in Africa.

Kanosvamhira T. P. · Area · South Africa (Cape Town)

Analyses how the state institutionalises Cape Town's community gardens along neoliberal lines. Argues state support cultivates neoliberal subjectivities and regulates production, diminishing the gardens' potential to advance food justice in historically disadvantaged communities.

Ashagrie Gibtan, Wondwosen Abera, Mekuria Delelegn, Molla Maru, Adamu Emiru · Ochrana prírody Slovenska/Ekológia · Ethiopia

Land Use/Land Cover (LULC) dynamics were analyzed in four Ethiopian cities—Addis Ababa, Hawassa, Bahir Dar, and Adama—over 17 years from 2006 to 2022. SPOT 5 and Sentinel satellite imagery, key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and field observations were used. Findings revealed a rapid expansion of urban built-up areas, primarily at the expense of peri-urban horticultural lands, which has an adverse impact on the sustainability of urban agriculture.

Goshu Desalegn, Anita Tangl, Mária Fekete‐Farkas, Girma Gudisa, Anita Boros · Heliyon · Ethiopia

A study of micro and small enterprises in Ethiopia showed that government policies and regulations have an insignificant direct effect on urban agriculture. However, sustainable finance plays an important mediating role between urban agriculture and government policies, indicating that the impact of government policies and regulations on urban agriculture is indirect.

Jeffrey Chiwuikem Chiaka, Gengyuan Liu, Hui Li, Wen Zhang, Mingwan Wu, Zhaoman Huo, F. Gonella · Environmental and Sustainability Indicators · Sub-Saharan Africa

This study evaluated land cover change and its drivers using spatial and statistical analysis in 22 designated protected areas (PAs) across the tropical coastal regions of sub-Saharan Africa. Results indicated that food production is prevalent in these protected areas regardless of their designation, and forest loss occurred in most PAs, suggesting weak conservation. Population density was the most significant driver of land cover change, and only 15 out of 22 protected areas showed an increase in their total ecosystem service value.

Sayeh Kassaw Agegnehu, Reinfried Mansberger, Moges Wubet Shita, Derjew Fentie Nurie, Ayelech Kidie Mengesha · Land · Ethiopia

This study in the East Gojjam Administrative Zone, Ethiopia, examined factors affecting land rental transactions using data from 353 household heads affected by expropriation. 58% of respondents participated in both renting and renting out land. 60% of female-headed households engaged in land rental transactions (14% renting in, 46% renting out), while 38% of male-headed households rented land (19% renting out). Sex, landholding size, number of oxen, participation in off-farm activities, and extension service were identified as significant determinants. Oral agreements and sharecropping were the most prevalent transaction methods.

Akuto Akpedze Konou, Kossiwa Zinsou-Klassou, Victoria M. Mwakalinga, Jean-Claude Baraka Munyaka, Armel Firmin Kemajou Mbianda, Jérôme Chenal · Sustainability · Africa

This perceptual study surveyed 733 urban farmers in Dar es Salaam and Greater Lomé to explore the psychosocial effects of urban agriculture on their well-being. Using the Mental Health Continuum–Short Form and bespoke questionnaires, the research found significant variations in urban agriculture-related happiness across city zones, with peripheral farmers reporting greater satisfaction than urban counterparts. Female farmers also reported higher levels of happiness.

Tinashe P. Kanosvamhira, Mohamed Deen Shade · Local Environment · South Africa (Cape Town)

This study examined how 34 urban community gardens in low-income neighborhoods of Cape Town, South Africa, contribute to environmental justice using a mixed-methods approach including remote sensing, interviews, and observations. Findings revealed an unequal distribution of green spaces between wealthier and less affluent neighborhoods. While current gardening benefits may not be widespread, the gardens offer advantages such as environmental education, promotion of agro-ecological practices, and land use for green purposes.

Arcadius Martinien Agassin Ahogle, Sammy Letema · Water International · Kenya (Nairobi)

This article examines the dynamics of irrigated urban agriculture (IUA) and its socio-technical arrangements in the Nairobi catchment, Kenya. The research identified five principal forms of IUA, differentiated by land size, water sources, technicality, actors, and market orientation. A critical finding is that city services do not provide hydraulic infrastructure or agricultural extension for IUA, and state agencies do not account for IUA practices, indicating a lack of governance support.

Tiegsti Hadush, Tarik Gebrekiros · Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems · Ethiopia (Mekelle)

In Mekelle city, Ethiopia, available open spaces were utilized for crop production after the Tigray siege. This study employed remote sensing and a household survey to assess the area of urban open spaces cultivated after the siege and their contribution to crop production. The open spaces in Mekelle city contributed 2687 hectares of newly cultivated land, producing 3825 tonnes of wheat and 880 tonnes of barley grain.

Emmanuel Olatunbosun Benjamin, Abiola Adegoke, Gertrud Buchenrieder · Land · Nigeria (Lagos)

This exploratory qualitative research, conducted in Lagos, Nigeria, used focus group discussions to compare the perspectives of private urban farmers and public sector representatives on innovative urban farming. Urban farmers identified a lack of public sector support for circular agri-food technologies, while public sector representatives attributed issues to farmers' behavioral and educational shortcomings, including poor coordination. These differing views highlight complex dynamics and a need for structural changes and stakeholder dialogues to develop effective urban farming policies in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Aristophane Djeufack Dongmo, Désiré Avom · Politics &amp Policy · Africa

This article examined the impact of urbanization and civil conflicts on food insecurity severity across 43 African countries from 2000 to 2020 using heterogeneous choice models. Findings revealed that both urbanization and civil conflict increase food insecurity, with a one-unit increase in urban growth rate raising the probability of high-risk food insecurity by over 0.6 times. The study recommends developing urban agriculture and controlling urbanization to mitigate food insecurity.

Legrand Cirimwami, Fabrice Kibingani, Clérisse M. Casinga · Journal of Environment · Africa

A study of Bukavu, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (more than 1.6 million inhabitants in 60 km², driven by rural exodus due to insecurity), examining residents' perceptions of deforestation to inform policy on urban forest restoration. Researchers sampled and interviewed 210 informants, 70 each in the communes of Kadutu, Ibanda, and Bagira. Findings show 85% of informants favour restoring green spaces, and at least 72.9% recognise green spaces as important for air purification, environmental improvement, ornamentation, erosion control, biodiversity conservation, and food production from fruit trees. 81.9% agreed that vegetation cover has decreased, especially since the 2000s, mainly due to rural exodus and unregulated housing construction. 87.1% see themselves as the main beneficiaries of green spaces and blame government as the main destroyer of green spaces that should also be the main actor in restoring them, while acknowledging some of their own responsibility, though less than government's. For restoration, 51.7% suggested tree-planting initiatives, favouring Eucalyptus, Cupressus lusitanica, and ornamental and medicinal trees, with awareness-raising and planned urbanisation also proposed as strategies.

Olivier Grünberger, Radhouane Hamdi, Manon Lagacherie, Hanène Chaâbane · Journal of Environmental Science and Health Part B · Africa

Two years of monthly water sampling and hydrological monitoring at the outlet of the Wadi Guenniche watershed (86 km², with rainfed cereal, legume and orchard cultivation and irrigated market gardening) in northern Tunisia, a tributary of the Bizerte coastal lagoon, tested for 469 pesticide active ingredients and metabolites. Twenty-nine pesticide active ingredients and 2 metabolites were detected in the water, 24 of which are authorized for use in Tunisia; 14 of the authorized substances had never before been mentioned in farmer surveys. The five most frequently detected herbicides and metabolites were AMPA (100%), glyphosate (94%), simazine (94%), 2,4-D (70%) and deisopropylatrazine (DIA, 47%). The detection frequency and concentration range suggest phytosanitary pressure and water contamination comparable to the northern Mediterranean shore, indicating a need for further study of pesticide use and fate on the southern shore, particularly in Tunisia.

Olalekan Tolulope B. Aduloju, Olumuyiwa Bayo Akinbamijo, Abdullateef Iyanda Bako, Abdulfatai Olanrewaju Anofi, Kolade Victor Otokiti · Local Environment · Nigeria

This study analyzed the practice of urban agriculture (UA) in open spaces within the Ilorin metropolis, Nigeria, combining primary and secondary data collected through questionnaires, an interview guide, digital cameras, a UA survey form, and GPS. Main findings showed that 14.34 hectares of land (31.4% of it in the city core) was dedicated to UA in Ilorin, an area estimated as capable of helping at least 1,500 families escape poverty. Average Nearest Neighbour Analysis (ANNA) revealed that UA sites were clustered rather than randomly distributed. Mean analysis showed the dominant food staples grown at Ilorin UA sites were vegetables (3.09), maize (2.86), cassava (2.64), millet/sorghum (2.46), and yam (2.31). Access to land, failed harvests from pests and disease, price collapse, and adverse weather events were identified as the leading challenges affecting UA practice. The study calls for city-level integration recognizing the rights of the urban poor and of UA within Ilorin's land-use plan.

Gizaw Ebissa, Aramde Fetene, Hayal Desta · City and Environment Interactions · Ethiopia

Treated wastewater from the plant serving Bole Lemi Industrial Park (BLIP) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia was sampled at the treatment plant's influent and effluent and analyzed using a treated wastewater quality index (TWWQI) to assess suitability for urban irrigation agriculture. The aggregate TWWQI classified the water as 'very poor' for urban irrigation agriculture, with heavy metals contributing 85% of that grade, nutrient load 4%, salinity 8%, and miscellaneous contaminants 4%. Discrete indices varied: heavy metals scored 'very polluted', nutrients 'excellent', salinity 'poor', and miscellaneous contaminants 'good'. Contaminant removal efficiency ranged from 30% to 100% (58% in aggregate), and some contaminants showed higher concentrations in the effluent than the influent, indicating the treatment plant failed to remove them. Cr3+, Cl− and TDS contributed most to the poor rating, and the plant was found to need upgrading to increase removal efficiency.