Agriculture in Urban Planning: Generating Livelihoods and Food Security

This volume on urban agriculture in Africa and Latin America gathers primary research from 12 graduate students, who were supported by the International Development Research Centre’s AGROPOLIS programme. Urban agriculture is increasingly recognized as a livelihood activity that can contribute to food security, although the authors highlight the need for greater acceptance among policy makers. Following up on a 2005 volume by other AGROPOLIS researchers, this collection explores urban food systems, urban planning, wastewater use and the links between environment and health. Through participatory action research programmes and interdisciplinary methods, the authors examine gender considerations, health impacts and farmers’ perceptions of risk. Study locations range from Harare and Rosario to Kinshasa and Zaria, cities that have received less attention in the urban agriculture literature. The collection helps illuminate some new dimensions and research directions in an emerging field.

A general introduction and overview by Mark Redwood is followed by the 12 individual studies. While topics are wide ranging, three share a focus on wastewater, two examine health risks and two others look at food security. A 2006 survey found that 26 per cent of households who farmed in Harare were food-secure, nearly double the rate of households that did not practice urban agriculture. Some important policy contrasts emerge: where Nigeria’s development control measures have a negative impact on urban agriculture, in Congo DR there is a national support service for urban and peri-urban horticulture. Gender differences are also explored in several studies. In Malawi, urban agriculture represented the main livelihood strategy for low-income and female-headed households (but not male-headed households). Ghanaian cities are featured in two studies on urban compost and wastewater, with Philip Amoah arguing for the World Health Organization’s “multiple barrier approach” to help reduce the risks from contaminated water.

Redwood’s closing chapter identifies some remaining research questions, including peri-urban food production and the economic contribution of urban agriculture. The conclusion recognizes that urban agriculture generates positive effects as well as health risks, and urges researchers to synthesize the abundant grey literature on urban agriculture. And as national policy programmes on urban agriculture emerge in Peru, Brazil and China, there is a need for more nuanced recommendations about the practice.