Research & reports

Steven Masvaure · Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems · Africa

A mixed-methods study of 103 households in Glen Norah Township, Harare, Zimbabwe used semi-structured interviews, questionnaires and observations to examine urban agriculture as a poverty coping mechanism. Poor households were found to spend more than 60% of their income on food alone. The research proposed an Urban Livelihoods Coping Model (ULCM), which attributes the emergence of urban agriculture to necessity, ability and opportunity shaped by the socio-historical context of Western-leaning development policies, modernization and Structural Adjustment Policies in Zimbabwe and other African countries, framing urban agriculture as a critical coping mechanism for the urban poor against food poverty.

Frayne B., McCordic C., Shilomboleni H. · Urban Forum 25(2):177-189 · Southern Africa

Using data from 11 Southern African cities, this study questions whether urban agriculture meaningfully contributes to household food security, finding its impact limited and often a last resort rather than a choice for poor households.

O. A. Odusina, C. A. Afolami, S. Momoh · · Nigeria (Ibadan)

This study in Ibadan, Nigeria, assessed household food access and diversity across 180 households during harvest and hunger periods using structured questionnaires. Findings indicated significantly better food access during harvest (HFIAS 5.23-7.01) compared to hunger periods (HFIAS 9.75-11.77), though adequate access was maintained in both. Dietary diversity also decreased from an average of 3 food groups during harvest to 2.54 during hunger periods, a significant difference (p<0.01).

Otu W. Ibok, Idiong C. Idiong, Nsikan Edet Bassey, Ekaette S. Udoh · Agricultural Science · Nigeria

This study investigated the effect of urban food crop farming household productivity on household food security in Cross River State, Southern Nigeria. Data was collected from 217 urban food crop farmers using a two-stage sampling technique and analyzed with food security index, food insecurity/surplus gap index, head count index, productivity index, and logistic regression. Results showed that 53.5% of households were food insecure, while 46.5% were food secure. Logistic regression revealed that urban farming household productivity had a significant positive effect on household food security status.

Marike Brits · Farmlink Africa · South Africa (Cape Town)

Oranjezicht City Farm (OZCF) in Cape Town, South Africa, was established in response to rising crime in surrounding neighborhoods. According to Sheryl Ozinsky, one of the project's founders, the idea for the farm originated as a response to increasing crime in the vicinity.

J.F.Y.A. Knegtel, Sershen Naidoo · · South Africa

This article describes the findings of a recent study conducted in the low-income area of Cato Manor, eThekwini, South Africa. The study investigated whether climate-smart urban agriculture could improve the livelihoods of people in urban environments affected by climate change and globalization.

Emmanuel O. Adu · Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences · South Africa

A study of urban agriculture's relationship to students' life satisfaction in Eastern Cape, South Africa, identifies nutrition, self-employment, food security and poverty eradication as components of that satisfaction, alongside economic benefits such as income distribution and small-scale business. It recommends that South Africa's government make agriculture education compulsory for grades 10 and 11, with practical components making up at least half of overall marks, while noting challenges including limited available space, damage to crops from stray animals, pests and diseases, and unreliable access to inputs such as soil, manure, seedlings and water.

Workineh Ayenew · Developing Country Studies · Ethiopia

A study of 50 women selected by systematic sampling in Arba Minch town, Ethiopia, used logistic regression (maximum likelihood estimation) to examine determinants of women's saving behavior. Education attainment and age showed a negative influence on saving, but this was not statistically significant. Ownership of urban agriculture and income level had a significant positive effect on saving behavior, while access to credit and family size had a significant negative influence. Goodness-of-fit tests confirmed the model fit the data, and a robust heteroscedasticity test found no problems with model specification.

Gallaher C. M., Kerr J. M., Njenga M., Karanja N. K., WinklerPrins A. M. G. A. · Agriculture and Human Values 30(3):389-404 · Kenya

Studying sack gardening in Nairobi's Kibera slums, this paper shows vegetable production enhances household food security and, especially for households farming in groups, builds social capital among the urban poor.

Asadu A. N · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Nigeria (Imo State)

A study investigated gender roles in urban crop production in Imo State, Nigeria. Data were collected from 60 respondents via interview schedules, revealing that 60% of urban farmers were female with an average age of 40 years. Mixed cropping was the most common system, with cassava, maize, and Telfaria as major crops. Both men and women were involved in securing plots, and all family members participated in fertilization and harvesting. Weeding and processing were primarily done by women and girls, while men mostly handled chemical spraying.

Teferi Daba Lemma, M. S. A. Rao, M Prasada Rao · Zenith international journal of business economics and management research · Ethiopia

This study assessed the economic sustainability of urban agriculture in central Ethiopia, collecting primary data from 280 urban and peri-urban vegetable farmers. Findings indicated that urban agriculture is a viable livelihood strategy from a financial perspective. However, city administrations and policymakers pay little attention to supporting this sub-sector, suggesting that legal recognition and support would make it a more reliable strategy.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Jonathan Crush, Bruce Frayne, Wade Pendleton · Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition · Sub-Saharan Africa

A paper on rapid urbanization and rising urban poverty shifting the historical locus of food insecurity from rural areas to the cities of Africa uses baseline survey data from the African Food Security Urban Network (AFSUN), carried out in 11 cities in 9 southern African countries in 2008-2009, to demonstrate extremely high levels of urban food insecurity. It finds that lack of access to food results primarily from household poverty, high unemployment, and limited income-generating opportunities rather than any absolute food shortages. The paper also shows the growing importance of supermarkets, and finds that urban agriculture plays a relatively insignificant role in the food sourcing strategies of the urban poor.

Enow Ajebe, Anna Granberg · · Sub-Saharan Africa

A study using qualitative data from 24 urban farming households in Kumba municipality, Cameroon, drawing on key informant interviews with the government agriculture delegate and questionnaires administered to farmers. Urban agriculture was found to have become an important source of fresh produce, employment, and income for those practicing it, but this activity and the livelihoods depending on it were found to be threatened by a number of problems. The study also finds that while urban agriculture contributes to household food supply, its magnitude in terms of utilization, availability, dietary diversity, and financial contribution should not be overemphasized. Suggestions are offered for improving the sector.

Adedayo Adebisi, Tunde Afolabi Monisola, Adebisi, Adedayo, Monisola, Tunde Afolabi · AgEcon Search (University of Minnesota, USA) · Nigeria

This study examines the motivations behind women's involvement in urban agriculture in small agro-towns of Kwara State, Nigeria. A total of 1,801 women farmers were selected from 13 settlements across 8 local government areas, and data were analyzed using simple percentages, graphic illustrations, charts, cross-tabulation, and stepwise multiple regression. The study identifies three factors — food security, income supplement, and accessibility to land — as the best predictors of women's involvement, together accounting for 98.6% of the explained variation. It recommends official recognition of urban agriculture and provision of financial resources to help women expand their farm plots.

Ferdinan Dos Santos · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Sub-Saharan Africa

This study examines the impact of school garden programmes on nutrition knowledge and food security among primary school students in rural Mozambique. While such programmes have been implemented across various regions with mixed results, this study used a mixed-methods approach combining qualitative interviews and quantitative surveys with primary school students and their parents or guardians. Students showed a statistically significant improvement (p<0.05) in nutrition knowledge, with an average score increase of 20% on the post-intervention survey compared with pre-test results. The findings indicate that the school garden programmes positively influenced students' nutritional knowledge and contributed to their families' food security in Mozambique's rural areas. The authors state that further studies should examine long-term impacts and potential barriers to implementation.

Luc Hippolyte Dossa, Andreas Buerkert, Eva Schlecht · Human Ecology · Sub-Saharan Africa

A study surveyed 700 randomly selected households across Kano (Nigeria), Bobo Dioulasso (Burkina Faso), and Sikasso (Mali) to explore the relationship between household socioeconomic status (SES) and participation in urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA). The results showed no significant differences in UPA participation rates across socioeconomic groups. Instead, UPA participation was significantly and positively related to household size.

Stephen Odede. Shisanya, Sheryl L. Hendriks · Development Southern Africa · South Africa

This study evaluated the contribution of community gardens to alleviating food insecurity for 53 community gardeners in Maphephetheni, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Using the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale, it was found that 89% of these households were anxious about food supplies, consumed insufficient food, and were severely food insecure. Additionally, 72% consumed poor quality food. Community gardens were unable to solve the problem of food insecurity, but their contribution to consumption cannot be entirely ignored.

M. Tshitangoni, A. Okorie, Joseph Francis · Scientific Research and Essays · South Africa

In Vhembe District, Limpopo Province, South Africa, the performance of 30 poverty alleviation projects (12 community gardens, 8 poultry, 2 piggery, 2 bakery, 6 other) was reviewed. Based on structured questionnaires with 108 respondents, project performance differed by type. All bakery projects were successful, poultry projects achieved 62% success, and community garden and other projects each achieved 33% success. In contrast, all piggery projects performed poorly.

Phumelelo Edwin Khomo · · South Africa (Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality)

An investigation was conducted into three urban agriculture projects in the townships of Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, South Africa, examining their role as a local economic development mechanism for poverty alleviation. Five project participants from each project and three municipal officials responded to structured questionnaires. The study aimed to determine the projects' impact on participants' livelihoods, their role in employment creation, and participants' views on project sustainability.

Jonathan Crush, Alice J. Hovorka, Daniel Tevera · Progress in Development Studies · Africa

This article examines the contemporary importance of household food production in poor urban communities across 11 Southern African Development Community (SADC) cities. It finds that urban food production is not particularly significant in most communities, with many more households relying on supermarkets and the informal sector for food access. Furthermore, few households derive income from selling produce, though the situation varies considerably by city.