Research & reports

Yasmin Y. Coovadia · · South Africa

Large cities and metropolitan areas in South Africa are experiencing increasing urbanization and urban poverty. Residents of informal settlements secure shelter with minimal resources, create income-earning opportunities in the informal sector, and make efforts to supplement household food supplies through direct production within the city. Urban agriculture serves as a survival strategy for these residents.

Adeolu B. Ayanwale · Ife Journal of Agriculture · Nigeria

Data from 100 urban-based and 100 rural-based farms in Ogun State, Nigeria, were analyzed to identify determinants of farm size. Farming expenditure was the main determinant common to both urban and rural farming areas. Mode of land acquisition (allocation from family land) was an additional determinant in urban farming areas, while years of farming experience and mode of acquisition (customary tenancy) were additional determinants in rural farming areas.

Kenneth Lynch · Sustainable Development · Africa

This paper examines Agenda 21's Chapter 7 on sustainable human settlements and surveys the growing body of publications on food supply to urban areas in the less developed world, with a particular focus on fruit and vegetables, urban agriculture, and food marketing. It discusses the main aspects of Agenda 21's Chapter 7 relating to sustainable human settlements and the role emerging research on urban food systems can play in establishing sustainable development in cities of less developed countries, with particular attention paid to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

P. Anyang’ Nyong’o, Donald B. Freeman · Canadian Journal of African Studies / Revue canadienne des études africaines · Kenya

This study by Donald Freeman examined informal urban agriculture in Nairobi, Kenya, through on-site surveys of 618 small-scale cultivators in ten different areas. It describes urban farmers, their land use practices, and crops, and discusses the development and significance of urban agriculture within Kenya's social and economic development. The findings suggest a need to redefine urban productive activities in the Third World to include basic food production in cities.

David Drakakis‐Smith · Geografiska Annaler Series B Human Geography · Africa

This paper focused on the impact of structural adjustment programs on the urban poor in Africa, specifically examining the urban food system in Harare, Zimbabwe. In Harare, food retailing is largely structured through supermarkets, which keeps costs high for the poor. While the informal sector has expanded, it remains relatively restricted and unorganized compared to Asian cities. Consequently, urban agriculture has grown extensively in house-gardens and illegally in the urban periphery, yet there is little coordinated or positive policy response from urban authorities.

Chris Lovell, M. Murata, M. W. Brown, C.H. Batchelor, Douglas Thompson, Timothy Dube, A. J. Semple, P.J. Chilton · NERC Open Research Archive (Natural Environment Research Council) · Sub-Saharan Africa

This is the fourth progress report (April-September 1994) on an ODA technical-cooperation pilot project for small-scale irrigation using collector wells in Zimbabwe, begun in October 1992. Six project schemes are now complete, with 1,319 families obtaining domestic water from ODA-funded schemes and about 577 families holding allotments on the community gardens; water shortage was the principal problem reported at all sites, while the Chivi District scheme, completed in 1991, recorded an average gross margin of Z$19,900 per hectare per year over three years, with Muzondidya (Z$18,204) and Gokota (Z$25,444, based on less than a full year) also showing high gross margins.

Christian M. Rogerson · Development Southern Africa · South Africa

This paper argues that urban agriculture is an important issue for South African policymakers, noting an increase in urban food gardening and cultivation of vacant land in South Africa's metropolitan peripheries. It reviews research on informal agriculture in Asian and African cities to offer suggestions for policy debates and research in South Africa.

Pyar Ali Memon, Diana Lee-Smith · Canadian Journal of African Studies / Revue canadienne des études africaines · Kenya

Based on a recent survey by the Mazingira Institute in Nairobi, this article analyzes the nature of urban agriculture in Kenyan cities, focusing on food supply as part of the informal urban economy. Urban agriculture, involving crops and livestock, is a common activity in African urban centers and a key element of poor households' economies, despite being often overlooked by urban planners. The article argues that African urban theory must incorporate this vital aspect of urban reality.

Lee M · PubMed · Ethiopia

In Ethiopia, urban agriculture faces significant challenges due to government disapproval of public land use for farming and difficulty in obtaining credit. A 1983 survey in Addis Ababa found that 17% of 1352 households produced their own food on less than 25 sq. meters, with 90% of non-farmers citing lack of land. Despite urban agricultural cooperatives demonstrating 70% higher member income, their lack of government legalization prevents access to loans for productivity improvement.

Axumite G. Egziabher · Digital Library Of The Commons Repository (Indiana University) · Ethiopia

This paper summarized the character and role of urban agriculture in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and the organization of producers for whom urban agriculture is the sole means of survival. While urban agriculture contributes to food provision, employment, and income for producers, cooperatives face the challenge that concerned authorities cannot grant them legal status for credit access due to their urban location.

Donald B. Freeman · African Studies Review · Africa

The record consists only of the bibliographic citation for a 1993 article by Donald B. Freeman on the significance of urban agriculture for women's advancement in African cities, published in African Studies Review. No abstract text, study subject, method, or findings are provided.

Richard Gosnell Richard Gosnell · Waterlines · South Africa

This study assesses the performance of a photovoltaic (PV) pump installed at Sondela Community Garden in South Africa. The garden is a vegetable garden managed by 46 Zulu women in a semi-rural area. The research investigates whether solar-electric water pumping can provide water supplies in a region with abundant sunshine but limited water resources.

Christian M. Rogerson · Africa Insight · Africa

Professor C M Rogerson from the Department of Geography, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, assesses the role and potential of urban agriculture in sustaining Africa's rapidly growing cities.

· Canadian Geographies / Géographies canadiennes · Kenya (Nairobi)

This record contains reviews of two books: "The Geomorphology of Canada: An Introduction" by Alan S. Trenhaile and "A City of Farmers: Informal Urban Agriculture in the Open Spaces of Nairobi, Kenya" by Donald B. Freeman. The latter focuses on informal urban agriculture in Nairobi, Kenya.

J.M. Lusugga Kironde · Urban Studies · Africa

This paper argues that the various concepts, theories, and attitudes used to define and solve African urban problems reflect assimilated and acquired notions and standards rather than indigenous ones. Over roughly the past two decades, commentators and policymakers have been urged to change their approach, but many have yet to adopt new attitudes. It argues that concepts related to urban sanitation, water supply, urban agriculture, urban transport, and aspects of housing supply need to be redefined to reflect local circumstances.

François Villien · Cahiers d Outre-Mer · Central African Republic (Bangui)

Bangui, Central African Republic, exhibits significant inter-urban agricultural activity, reflecting population poverty. This agriculture is categorized as "inter-domain," practiced within concessions near houses, or "extra-domain," conducted outside family domains. Inter-domain agriculture includes small "jardin de case" (hut gardens) for diverse foodstuffs and larger "champ de case" (hut fields) for single crops like manioc, now also serving as income sources. Extra-domain agriculture utilizes empty land in peripheral districts for food, income, or temporary pioneer front crops, sometimes becoming permanent and hindering urban expansion. Urban agriculture is considered essential for the survival of many family units and for integrating the city into its food supply space.

C J van Vuuren · Development Southern Africa · South Africa

This article discusses the nature and functioning of community gardens in Ciskei, KwaZulu, and KwaNdebele, South Africa. It found that these community gardens are indigenous, acceptable to the local people, and are actively producing food, also demonstrating significant local expertise that should be recognized and developed by agencies. The article argues that these units have often been neglected by agricultural officers.

Pauline Raphaely · Birkhäuser Basel eBooks · South Africa

Food Gardens Unlimited is an educational project in South Africa that teaches disadvantaged urban populations to grow food in small areas using limited resources. The project provides five-day training courses, step-by-step directions, and subsidized seeds through existing institutions. It aims to deliver physical, emotional, and spiritual benefits to participants.

Abalimi Bezekhaya · Abalimi Bezekhaya · South Africa

The official site of Abalimi Bezekhaya, a non-profit founded in 1982 that provides urban agriculture training, affordable resources, irrigation and soil-building support, and market access in Khayelitsha and Nyanga, Cape Town. It states its Harvest of Hope programme generated R16 million in sales between 2008 and 2019, of which R10 million went directly to about 245 farmers (supporting 1,225 dependants) across roughly 70 gardens.

Jeff Garmany · The Journal of Modern African Studies · Africa

This article argues that many African countries, in their pursuit of rapid economic development, risk misaligning their strategies and priorities concerning the rural-urban and agricultural-industrial balance. It specifically advocates for increased research attention on traditional food farming, whether for subsistence or cash, which has been neglected despite its crucial and inevitable role in supporting growing populations over the long term.