1. Introduction

The term urban agriculture (UA) is used by NGOs and policy makers to refer to farming activity within the city boundaries, including the cultivation of food and cash crops, animal husbandry, forestry, and the production of flowers and garden plants. UA can ameliorate problems associated with waste, local environmental deterioration, and food insecurity of the urban poor.

2. Current Events

Growing food in the cities has many economic, social, aesthetic and environmental benefits. Locally produced food provides people with improved nutritional status, food security, and income. There are risks involved in growing food amidst large concentration of people; however, these can be contained through prevention and mitigating measures.

Increasingly, bilateral and multilateral development such as the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), International Development Research Centre (IDRC, Canada), and the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) amongst others have been supporting urban agriculture projects.

The rationale for supporting Urban Agricultural initiatives include:

· Urbanization will increase and with this urban poverty will also increase

· Land and water are become more difficult for the poor to access due to competition from more urban use (residential, industrial) and due to inefficient distribution, and privatization schemes. Therefore, increase competition for natural resources can squeeze out the poor who are the main practitioners of urban agriculture.

· It can help in securing environmental sustainability

· Approximately 800 million people are involved in UA and receive little if any

support for their activities (Smit et al 1996).

Because UA is claimed or reported to interact with so many facets of urban development, it holds the potential to help diversify and strengthen urban management strategies

A major obstacle facing practitioners and organisations who wish to support urban agriculture is that government authorities are often opposed to it. In many countries, it is illegal and in places where it is not, there is not enough technical support and financial assistance for urban farmers. There is also the issue of access to secure land tenure.

There are a number of non-governmental organisations that are working on urban agriculture.

Specifically, they are involved in:

· Education/Training in appropriate agricultural techniques for urban areas

· Assisting urban producers in establishing representative and effective organizations to get land, inputs, and markets

Case 1: Growing Food in Habana, Cuba

When the socialist bloc disintegrated, Cuba lost access to cheap fossil fuels, food imports as well as the agricultural inputs it needed to run its agricultural industry. Between 1993/1994 supplies for agriculture dropped by 67% and Cuba was throw into a severe crisis. The crisis was exacerbated by the further tightening of the US embargo. Food shortages occurred, most severely in Havana. It has been estimated that food availability declined as much as 60% between 1991 and 1995. Extensive food rationing was instituted to ensure equitable distribution (Novo & Murphy 2000: 330).

The food crisis propelled the government of Fidel Castro to rethink its approach to agriculture. President Castro proclaimed that no piece of land should be left uncultivated. This included urban areas, even the strongly urbanised district of Havana was not exempt from the search for strong non-conventional food supply programmes. Prior to 1989, urban agriculture was almost non-existent in Havana. Because of the food crisis, the government embarked on a practical, holistic, and grassroots approach to food production. The aim was to eliminate chemical pesticide and fertiliser use. Since then, many community organisations have been formed. Working with residents, their goal is to teach people agricultural techniques appropriate to urban areas. One such organisation is Patio Comunitario. Members of this organisation have been working with urban residents teaching them permaculture techniques. They run training workshops and provide technical assistance to residents.

Source: Growing Cities, Growing Food (2000) Both ENDS (internal document)

Case 2: Imagen-Educativa, Peru

In the 1980s, when Perú was facing severe economic crises, some NGOs and institutions began to promote UA in low-income neighbourhoods. These activities were heavily subsidised and aimed to improve food consumption, to increase income through the selling of produce, and to strengthen community organisation.

Imagen-Educativa is an NGO that was founded in 1993. It runs several programmes, one of which is the National Urban Agriculture Programme. It has two ways of working. It works in particular communities if it coincides with the activities of their particular programmes. Or else, CBOs invite them to provide assistance on UA. The organisation works closely with research institutions and makes it a point to use television and the print media to circulate information on the benefits and techniques of UA.

Imagen has been promoting hydroponic production for poor families since 1994. Hydroponic production refers to growing plants "without soil". Growing mediums are used instead. It is promoted as a method of growing plants in very confined areas or where soil is poor. In 1995, the Dutch government financed a one year pilot project designed to increase household food consumption. In 1997, the Dutch government again financed a project that involved 18 families producing hydroponic vegetables for the market. Funding stopped in 1999, but production is still occurring.

Imagen is directly marketing lettuce produced by the 18 families participating in the hydroponic project to a supermarket chain. It has difficulties in achieving a regular supply of products of standard quality in sufficient quantity. Their scale of operation is very small; the total group size is 18 families, but the continuous supply for marketing is the produce of only two families each time. They also have to compete with private firms engaged in hydroponic production. Hydroponic production is more costly than vegetables imported from the rural and peri-urban areas. This restricts the market to relatively affluent customers, who shop in supermarkets. Supermarkets demand regular production of significant volumes of standard quality. Producers also need to have enough of a financial buffer as supermarkets pay only about four weeks after delivery. All these conditions are difficult to meet for small-scale producers.

Source: Growing Cities, Growing Food (2000) Both ENDS (internal document)

3. Useful Contacts

International:

The Urban Agriculture Network (TUAN)

1711 Lamont St NW,

Washington DC 20010, USA
Phone: +1-202-483.81.30;

Fax: +1-202-986.67.32
Email: mailto:urbanag@compuserve.com

TUAN is a small NGO based in Washington promoting urban agriculture in low-income countries and increased interaction and co-operation among agencies working in urban farming at local, national and international level.

The International Development Research Centre (IDRC)

"Cities Feeding People" programme

Contact person: Luc Mougeot
PO Box 8500, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Phone: +1-613-236.61.63
Fax: + 1-613-238.72.30
E-mail: LMougeot@idrc.ca
Website: http://www.idrc.ca

The International Development Research Centre supports applied, multi-disciplinary research on food security and urban policy issues in the South. Within the "Cities Feeding People" programme, IDRC executes various projects related to urban food production and waste management. The programme will undertake the following: strengthen household food security; strengthen employment and income generation; support waste and open-space management; support community self-management, particularly for the urban poor; and promotion of receptive policy and regulatory frameworks for land tenure, zoning, and use planning.

Global Facility on Urban Agriculture

The Global Facility for Urban Agriculture (SGUA) is a multi-partner group promoting the sustainable use of urban agriculture at the world-wide level. The Global Facility aims to stimulate and facilitate activities in urban agriculture by national and local governments, NGO's, agencies for development co-operation, and the direct involvement of local stakeholders (urban farmers, neighbourhood organisations, small enterprises) in the planning and implementation of such activities. It focuses its attention on five areas: information and communications, policy development, technical assistance and capacity development, research, and investment and credit.

Urban Waste Expertise Programme (UWEP)

WASTE
Nieuwehaven 201, 2801 CW Gouda,

the Netherlands
Phone: +31-182-522.625;

Fax: +31-182-550.313
E-mail: mailto:info@waste.nl

Website: http://www.waste.nl

UWEP is a six-year research and pilot project programme on urban waste in the South. The programme is co-ordinated by WASTE, the Netherlands, and funded by the Ministry of International Co-operation of the Netherlands.

UWEP was created in response to the fast grows of cities/urban population and the corresponding amount of urban waste. The programmes does an inventory of local expertise in waste management among individuals, small companies or community organisations, gathering information and understanding on waste processing. This will be followed by pilot projects in which the role of local waste managers, the transfer of knowledge and the involvement of local governments are all important elements. Results will be disseminated through resource centres ranging from neighbourhood libraries to national universities. UWEP also manages a question-and-answer services, offers some training facilities, and may contribute to finance innovative projects.

Resource Centre on Urban Agriculture and Forestry (RUAF)

Contact person: Henk de Zeeuw
ETC Urban Agriculture Programme
Kastanjelaan 5, 3833 AN Leusden,

the Netherlands
Phone: +31-33-494.30.86
Fax: +31-33-494.07.91
Email: mailto:office@etcnl.nl

This project operationalizes the Information and Communication Action Programme of the Global Facility on Urban Agriculture (GFUA), an inter-agency funding and management unit that was established in March 1996 with the support of UNDP, IDRC, FAO, and some 30 other international development organisations. The RUAF project is managed by IDRC (in the "Cities Feeding People Programme").

Agromisa

Kees Mulderweg 37,

6707 HB Wageningen,

The Netherlands

Phone: +31-317-412.217

Website: http://www.agromisa.org/

Agromisa is a Dutch non-profit organisation whose aim is to strengthen the social and economic position of the underprivileged rural population in developing countries. To achieve its objectives, Agromisa supplies information and advice on small-scale sustainable agriculture and related topics to individuals and organisations on demand. It is working on a manual on urban agriculture.

Africa:

Kenya Green Towns Partnership

Contact person: Kuria Gathuru

Project Co-ordinator

Nairobi, Kenya

Email: mailto:greentown@iconnect.co.ke

SACRED Africa

Sustainable Agriculture Centre for Research Extension and Development in Africa

Contact person: Dr. Eusebius J. Mukhwana

PO Box 2275

Bungoma, Kenya

Email: mailto:Sacred@africaonline.co.ke

RUDEYA

Contact person:Kofi Kyerematen Tieku

PO Box 14 BOHYEN

Kumasi, Ghana

Email: rudeya@africaonline.com.gh

Latin American:

SE/RED AGUILA

Mario Gonzalez Novo
Carlos Krumdieck 325 Urb. Santa Catalina, Lima 13 - Perú
Fax +51-1-475.13.25, 475.71.73, 224.02.96 (Extension 110)
Email: aguila@ipes.org.pe

CGIAR Strategic Initiative on Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture (SIUPA)

Contact person: Gordon Prain

Coordinator

CIP, Avenida La Universidad 795

Apartado 1558, La Molina

Lima, Peru

Email: mailto:g.prain@cgiar.org

Imagen Educativa

Contact person: Jovita Abensur

Cordinator

Lima, Peru

Email: mailto:Imagen@ec-red.com

CECOPAL

Contact person: Miryam Arborno

Argentina

Email: capacita@cecopal.org

4. Further Reading

Publications

Bakker, Nico et. al (2000),

Growing Cities, Growing Food: Urban Agriculture on the Policy Agenda. Feldafing: Deutsche Stiftung für internationale Entwicklung (DSE).

Holm. Mogens (1994),

“Food Supply and Economic Sustainability in Urban Areas: A lesson from Tanzania”.

In Inducing Food Security: Perspectives on Food Policies in Eastern and Southern Africa. Edited by M. A. Mohamed Slih: The Nordic Africa Institute, Sweden.

Smit, J. (1996),

Urban Agriculture: Progress and Prospect: 1975-2005.

Cities Feeding People Report 18. Ottawa: IDRC.

TUAN, UNDP (1996),

Urban agriculture: food, jobs and sustainable cities.

Volume I. Habitat II Publication Series. New York: UNDP.

5. Information Sources on the Internet

· http://www.cityfarmer.org/

City Farmer, a non-profit society that started in 1978, promotes urban agriculture and collects valuable information which they make available on their website. Their website is regularly updated and contains general information on UA, articles, conference announcements, resources and provides links to other relevant internet sites.

· http://www.undp.org/un/habitat/scp

The Sustainable Cities Programme is a joint UNCHS/UNEP programme. It works towards the development of a sustainable urban environment, building capacities in urban environmental planning and management, and promoting a broad-based participatory process.

· http://www.undp.org/

UNDP’s Public-Private Partnerships for the Urban Environment programme helps bring together government, private business and civil society to pool their resources and skills to address the urban environmental challenges of the 21st century.

· http://www.unchs.org/uef

The Urban Environment Forum is a global coalition of cities and international support programmes working in the urban environment.

· http://www.sustainable.org/

The Sustainable Communities Network is a major portal to related topics and programs.

· http://www.healthycommunities.org/index_english.htm

The International Healthy Cities Foundation is a progam to bring people, issues and resources together in order to support the development of Healthy Cities initiatives.

· http://www.gdrc.org/uem/links.html

The Urban Environment Management Links is a resource information database.

· http://www.unchs.org/

United Nations Centre for Human Settlements’ (Habitat) Best Practices Database contains a selection of human settlements success stories. Best Practices are initiatives which have resulted in clear improvements in the quality of live and living environments of people in a sustainable way. The database contains information on case studies, key contact persons and institutions directly involved in implementation.