IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jfpoli/v103y2021ics0306919220302050.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Barriers to urban agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa

Author

Listed:
  • Davies, Julia
  • Hannah, Corrie
  • Guido, Zack
  • Zimmer, Andrew
  • McCann, Laura
  • Battersby, Jane
  • Evans, Tom

Abstract

Trends in urbanization and urban food insecurity in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) have stimulated critical debates around the potential benefits of urban agriculture (UA) to urban livelihoods. Some scholars suggest that UA can contribute to the food quantity, food quality and income needs of urban households. However, much of the evidence cited comes from single case studies, with particular attention paid to large cities and high-income countries. There is a resulting gap in understanding regarding what role UA plays in the food security of households in smaller African cities and towns. These smaller urban areas are likely to house a large fraction of SSA’s urban population in future and are important sites for early intervention by policymakers. Our analysis is based on survey data collected from 2,687 low- and low-middle income households in 18 urban areas with populations of less than 200,000 across Zambia and Kenya. We perform statistical analyses to investigate the association between UA and household food security and assess which types of households are engaged in UA. We found that 33% of households in our sample are engaged in UA and there was limited statistical significance in terms of the relationship between UA and household food security. Our results reveal three key barriers to UA, namely settlement formality, property rights, and distance from food retailers. These barriers imply the need for urban planners and policymakers to revisit how decisions are made about issues such as residential development, land tenure, transport infrastructure, and the use of space in cities, as these affect the ability of households to produce, sell, and access food. Policy and planning mechanisms should further recognize the embeddedness of UA within African urban food systems, in which traditional markets, informal trading, and modern food retail also play an integral role.

Suggested Citation

  • Davies, Julia & Hannah, Corrie & Guido, Zack & Zimmer, Andrew & McCann, Laura & Battersby, Jane & Evans, Tom, 2021. "Barriers to urban agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jfpoli:v:103:y:2021:i:c:s0306919220302050
    DOI: 10.1016/j.foodpol.2020.101999
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306919220302050
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.foodpol.2020.101999?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Courtney Gallaher & John Kerr & Mary Njenga & Nancy Karanja & Antoinette WinklerPrins, 2013. "Urban agriculture, social capital, and food security in the Kibera slums of Nairobi, Kenya," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 30(3), pages 389-404, September.
    2. David W Olivier, 2019. "Urban agriculture promotes sustainable livelihoods in Cape Town," Development Southern Africa, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 36(1), pages 17-32, January.
    3. Lourdes Diaz Olvera & Didier Plat & Pascal Pochet, 2008. "Household transport expenditure in Sub-Saharan African cities: measurement and analysis," Post-Print halshs-00264231, HAL.
    4. Diaz Olvera, Lourdes & Plat, Didier & Pochet, Pascal, 2013. "The puzzle of mobility and access to the city in Sub-Saharan Africa," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 32(C), pages 56-64.
    5. Jonathan S Crush & G Bruce Frayne, 2011. "Urban food insecurity and the new international food security agenda," Development Southern Africa, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(4), pages 527-544, October.
    6. Diaz Olvera, Lourdes & Plat, Didier & Pochet, Pascal, 2008. "Household transport expenditure in Sub-Saharan African cities: measurement and analysis," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 16(1), pages 1-13.
    7. Verpoorten, Marijke & Arora, Abhimanyu & Stoop, Nik & Swinnen, Johan, 2013. "Self-reported food insecurity in Africa during the food price crisis," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(C), pages 51-63.
    8. Erik Bryld, 2003. "Potentials, problems, and policy implications for urban agriculture in developing countries," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 20(1), pages 79-86, March.
    9. Poulsen, Melissa N. & McNab, Philip R. & Clayton, Megan L. & Neff, Roni A., 2015. "A systematic review of urban agriculture and food security impacts in low-income countries," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 131-146.
    10. Naudé Malan, 2015. "Urban farmers and urban agriculture in Johannesburg: Responding to the food resilience strategy," Agrekon, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 54(2), pages 51-75, June.
    11. David D. Mkwambisi & Evan D. G. Fraser & Andy J. Dougill, 2011. "Urban agriculture and poverty reduction: Evaluating how food production in cities contributes to food security, employment and income in Malawi," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 23(2), pages 181-203, March.
    12. Sean Fox, 2012. "Urbanization as a Global Historical Process: Theory and Evidence from sub-Saharan Africa," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 38(2), pages 285-310, June.
    13. Alana Siegner & Jennifer Sowerwine & Charisma Acey, 2018. "Does Urban Agriculture Improve Food Security? Examining the Nexus of Food Access and Distribution of Urban Produced Foods in the United States: A Systematic Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-27, August.
    14. Zezza, Alberto & Tasciotti, Luca, 2010. "Urban agriculture, poverty, and food security: Empirical evidence from a sample of developing countries," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(4), pages 265-273, August.
    15. Jane Battersby, 2019. "The Food Desert as a Concept and Policy Tool in African Cities: An Opportunity and a Risk," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-15, January.
    16. Joos-Vandewalle, S. & Wynberg, R. & Alexander, K.A., 2018. "Dependencies on natural resources in transitioning urban centers of northern Botswana," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 30(PC), pages 342-349.
    17. Warren, Emily & Hawkesworth, Sophie & Knai, Cécile, 2015. "Investigating the association between urban agriculture and food security, dietary diversity, and nutritional status: A systematic literature review," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 54-66.
    18. Lourdes Diaz Olvera & Didier Plat & Pascal Pochet, 2013. "The puzzle of mobility and access to the city in Sub-Saharan Africa," Post-Print halshs-00861105, HAL.
    19. Holden, Stein T. & Otsuka, Keijiro, 2014. "The roles of land tenure reforms and land markets in the context of population growth and land use intensification in Africa," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 88-97.
    20. Maxwell, Daniel, 1999. "The Political Economy of Urban Food Security in Sub-Saharan Africa," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 27(11), pages 1939-1953, November.
    21. Megan Horst & Nathan McClintock & Lesli Hoey, 2017. "The Intersection of Planning, Urban Agriculture, and Food Justice: A Review of the Literature," Journal of the American Planning Association, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 83(3), pages 277-295, July.
    22. Jane Battersby & Vanessa Watson, 2018. "Addressing food security in African cities," Nature Sustainability, Nature, vol. 1(4), pages 153-155, April.
    23. Gore, Christopher D., 2018. "How African cities lead: Urban policy innovation and agriculture in Kampala and Nairobi," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 169-180.
    24. Haysom, Gareth & Tawodzera, Godfrey, 2018. "“Measurement drives diagnosis and response”: Gaps in transferring food security assessment to the urban scale," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 117-125.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Leslie Gray & Laureen Elgert & Antoinette WinklerPrins, 2020. "Theorizing urban agriculture: north–south convergence," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 37(3), pages 869-883, September.
    2. Ivica Petrikova & Melvine Anyango Otieno & Gertrude Were & Mahmoud Eltholth & Ana Rodriguez Mateos & Seeromanie Harding & Victoria Moran & Odipo Osano & Jennifer Cole, 2024. "Peri-urban agriculture and household food and nutrition security around Eldoret, Kenya," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 16(5), pages 1235-1263, October.
    3. Andreasen, Manja Hoppe & Møller-Jensen, Lasse, 2017. "Access to the city: Mobility patterns, transport and accessibility in peripheral settlements of Dar es Salaam," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 20-29.
    4. Valenzuela-Levi, Nicolás, 2021. "The rich and mobility: A new look into the impacts of income inequality on household transport expenditures," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 161-171.
    5. Lourdes Diaz Olvera & Didier Plat & Pascal Pochet, 2015. "Assessment of mobility inequalities and income data collection. Methodological issues and a case study (Douala, Cameroon) [Evaluation des inégalités de mobilité et recueil des revenus. Questions mé," Post-Print halshs-01235185, HAL.
    6. Poulsen, Melissa N. & McNab, Philip R. & Clayton, Megan L. & Neff, Roni A., 2015. "A systematic review of urban agriculture and food security impacts in low-income countries," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 131-146.
    7. Mendiate, Classio Joao & Nkurunziza, Alphonse & Machanguana, Constancio Augusto & Bernardo, Roberto, 2022. "Pedestrian travel behaviour and urban form: Comparing two small Mozambican cities," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).
    8. Hernandez, Diego & Rossel, Cecilia, 2015. "Inequality and access to social services in Latin America: space–time constraints of child health checkups and prenatal care in Montevideo," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 24-32.
    9. Diaz Olvera, Lourdes & Plat, Didier & Pochet, Pascal, 2015. "Assessment of mobility inequalities and income data collection. Methodological issues and a case study (Douala, Cameroon)," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 180-188.
    10. Falavigna, Claudio & Hernandez, Diego, 2016. "Assessing inequalities on public transport affordability in two latin American cities: Montevideo (Uruguay) and Córdoba (Argentina)," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 145-155.
    11. Foley, Louise & Brugulat-Panés, Anna & Woodcock, James & Govia, Ishtar & Hambleton, Ian & Turner-Moss, Eleanor & Mogo, Ebele R.I. & Awinja, Alice Charity & Dambisya, Philip M. & Matina, Sostina Spiwe , 2022. "Socioeconomic and gendered inequities in travel behaviour in Africa: Mixed-method systematic review and meta-ethnography," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 292(C).
    12. Lourdes Diaz Olvera & Didier Plat & Pascal Pochet, 2015. "Assessment of mobility inequalities and income data collection. Methodological issues and a case study (Douala, Cameroon)," Post-Print halshs-01205776, HAL.
    13. Hayford Mensah Ayerakwa & Fred Mawunyo Dzanku & Daniel Bruce Sarpong, 2020. "The geography of agriculture participation and food security in a small and a medium-sized city in Ghana," Agricultural and Food Economics, Springer;Italian Society of Agricultural Economics (SIDEA), vol. 8(1), pages 1-21, December.
    14. Gore, Christopher D., 2018. "How African cities lead: Urban policy innovation and agriculture in Kampala and Nairobi," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 169-180.
    15. Alexandra Titz & Sosten S. Chiotha, 2019. "Pathways for Sustainable and Inclusive Cities in Southern and Eastern Africa through Urban Green Infrastructure?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-27, May.
    16. Qureshi, Salman & Tarashkar, Mahsa & Matloobi, Mansour & Wang, Zhifang & Rahimi, Akbar, 2022. "Understanding the dynamics of urban horticulture by socially-oriented practices and populace perception: Seeking future outlook through a comprehensive review," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 122(C).
    17. Sarvenaz Pakravan & Shahin Keynoush & Ehsan Daneshyar, 2022. "Proposing a Pedagogical Framework for Integrating Urban Agriculture as a Tool to Achieve Social Sustainability within the Interior Design Studio," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-32, June.
    18. Jane Battersby, 2019. "The Food Desert as a Concept and Policy Tool in African Cities: An Opportunity and a Risk," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-15, January.
    19. Jayne, T.S. & Chamberlin, Jordan & Headey, Derek D., 2014. "Land pressures, the evolution of farming systems, and development strategies in Africa: A synthesis," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 1-17.
    20. Navjot Sangwan & Luca Tasciotti, 2023. "Losing the Plot: The Impact of Urban Agriculture on Household Food Expenditure and Dietary Diversity in Sub-Saharan African Countries," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-20, January.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:jfpoli:v:103:y:2021:i:c:s0306919220302050. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/foodpol .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.