QUICK LINKS

Organizations/Projects

Agricultures et développement urbain en Afrique de l’Ouest et du Centre (CIRAD)

Commission on Landscape and Urban Horticulture (ISHS)

ETC-Urban Agriculture

FAO Food for the Cities (FCIT)

Growing Greener Cities (FAO's Programme for Urban and Peri-Urban Horticulture)

IndigenoVeg  A network to promote the sustainable production of indigenous vegetables through urban and peri-urban agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa. 

Institut Africain de Gestion Urbaine (IAGU)  L’IAGU est une ONG internationale spécialisée dans la recherche-développement, l’appui technique, la formation et l’information.

MetroAg Action Learning Network

RUAF Foundation: Resource Centres on Urban Agriculture & Food Security.  The RUAF Foundation is currently constituted by 1 international and 7 regional partners: ETC Foundation (the Netherlands); IPES-Promoción Desarrollo Sostenible (Peru), the International Water Management Institute IWMI (India and Ghana); Institut Africain de Gestion Urbaine IAGU (Senegal); Municipal Development Partnership MDP (Zimbabwe); the Environment and Sustainable Development Unit of the American University of Beirut, AUB/ESDU (Lebanon) and the Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences IGSNRR (China). The Urban Agriculture Network - TUAN

Urban Harvest  CGIAR's system-wide initiative to direct and coordinate the collective knowledge and technologies of the Future Harvest Centers towards strengthening urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA).

Learning and Teaching

Collective Roots

Urban Agriculture Courses Ryerson University

Publications

Acta Horticulturae: ISHS Commission on Landscape and Urban Horticulture

City Farmer News

Etat des recherches sur l'agriculture périurbaine en France. 2007. Rapport INRA-SAD, UMR 951 Innovation, équipe Innovations Territoriales par B. Sabatier

RUAF Publications

Urban Agriculture Magazine Published by RUAF. Back issues are available at website. 

Villes Agricoles: Le Bulletin Trimestriel de l'Agriculture Urbaine

Web Links of Interest

Botanical Gardens Conservation International (BGCI)

From the Ground Up: Organic Gardening Fuels a Food Revolution  A quiet revolution is pulsing through the huge residential areas spread out on the edges of Cape Town.  An AllAfrica special festure, illustrated with video clips and photo galleries, provides coverage on a movement fuelled by vegetables and led by grandmothers

Urban and Peri-Urban Horticulture in Namibia

URBAN HORTICULTURE NEWS AND EVENTS

Please go to the horticultural events section for upcoming events.

The agricultural issues of growing cities need a coordinated action in Africa

Published on 1^st Sep 2011

Remi Kahane¹ was invited to be a keynote speaker at the 10th African Crop Science Society Conference, 10-13 October 2011, Maputo, Mozambique.  He presented a paper that was prepared in collaboration with: Lutaladio² N., Nono-Womdim² R., Hodder² A., Custot³ J., Gianfelici³ F. and Giyose, B.^4.   This is an abstract of the paper:

One major constraint for decision makers when considering a complex problem such as the constant growth of cities in Africa is the lack of integration of the multiple priorities, due to fragmented information. Housing, health and sanitary status of inhabitants, infrastructures always behind the needs, roads, water and power supplies, sewage and waste management, employment and security… all topics are urgent and essential to make urban life decent. In addition, with the food price crisis of 2008-10, access to food has become one more priority that was hidden till now. Reliable access to affordable, safe and nutritious food in cities has first become an issue for city mayors and local governance to turn more regional, international and completely strategic at the continent level. However, what the recent crises have shown is that growing cities in Africa are not only a burden but also huge opportunities.

Those who studied for years the various modes of food supply to cities have highlighted the role of informal markets and their hundreds of dwellers, retailers, brokers and other middle men and women. They have listed the numerous strategies of urban and peri-urban agriculture, such as a horticultural specialization according to the ratio perishability/proximity, or the switch from food to ornamental crops. Nutritionists have also warned the consumers and the health authorities about the food transition of urban citizen and encouraged more traditional diets, healthy for individuals and for local economies. What appeared negligible, niche activities or fashion behaviors is now a reality just difficult to describe for poor data, lack of methodology, absence of coordination. Such data should be collected and analyzed in order to present the various alternatives to the present status-quo: local, national or/and regional action plans targeting food city supply in an integrated geographic food system. These plans would be consolidated by public and private investments in a participatory approach involving all types of actors. For each action plan, FAO and its international partners (UN organizations or NG associations) would provide guidance, expertise and a network to exchange experience and knowledge as each case is unique and necessitates its unique choice.  

Promoting the use of quality water for urban and peri urban agriculture: a reality in Dakar, Senegal

Published on 18^th Jun 2011

Mama Toure Dieng, FAO/Senegal, has over the last three years been working on a project (GCP/SEN/061/SPA) for promoting the use of quality water for urban and peri urban agriculture in Dakar, Senegal.

Urban vegetable production in Dakar plays a significant role in fighting poverty, as it provides both income to farmers, and a source of nutritious food for the poor. However, the irrigation of these crops is a cause for concern as Dakar has faced great growth over the last 10 years and has experienced an increasing water scarcity. This has resulted in a competition between water for domestic and productive uses (farmers and industries).

There is a growing willingness among policymakers to support urban agriculture (UA) as for example the Pikine area (one of the selected area of the project) is supplying 30% of the Dakar consumption in vegetables (lettuce tomatoes, hot pepper and diaxatu) and fruits (water melon, strawberry). The reality, however, is that the farmers of the two selected areas of the project (Pikine and Patte d’Oie) are facing many issues in order to further develop their activities and ensure their livelihoods.  The main issues for the development of urban agriculture in the selected site of Dakar are:

• Accessing quality water (treated wastewater) and negotiation with the National Operator of Sanitation (ONAS) to obtain the supply of treated wastewater for farmers
• Securing access to land to encourage investment of producers
• Ensuring safety practices for farmers and uninformed consumers in producing vegetables with treated wastewater

The general objective of the project is to improve the supply of quality water to farmers to ensure the development of urban agriculture in Dakar and support food sovereignty.  

The more specific objectives concern the implementation of irrigation networks and the building of decentralized wastewater systems to ensure the supply of treated water that respects quality health standards for farmers in Pikine and Patte d’Oie, to supply micro garden with water from the National operator of water supply (SDE) or from wells equipped with manual pumps and to finally build the capacities of farmers in safe and efficient practices with the management of the treated water and the management of the infrastructure implemented by the project.  Regarding current achievements, the project team has:

• Signed a letter of agreement with ONAS to ensure the supply of treated wastewater for farmers (1st contract for them despite that they are reusing it for at least 10 years). This contract was very complex to negotiate as farmers are facing strong competition between different productive sectors (leisure like Golf course and industries) to reuse the treated wastewater from the Camberene Wastewater Treatment Plant.
• Created an Institutional partnerships and platform between the Government (Ministry of Agriculture), the Municipality of Dakar, the Union of producers from Pikine and Patte d’Oie (UPROVAN) and civil society specialized in the management of wastewater reuse for urban agriculture (ENDA).
• Built the capacities of agricultural producers through the setting up of different workshops on wastewater management organized by ENDA in July 2010.
• Built two irrigation networks (one in PAtte d’Oie and one in Pikine )
• Implemented one micro garden site supplied with water from National water operator SDE
• Drilled 16 wells with manual pumps in sites provided by the Municipalities
• Developed a manual on good agricultural practices and good practices for the safe use of treated wastewater to avoid any issues with the safety of products cultivated with treated wastewater. The project management want to avoid any risks with health of producers and consumers

Nevertheless, the project team is still facing some critical issues:  

• Securing land access is a very complex issue to tackle in Dakar for urban farmers. According to an FAO Senegal report, over 75 per cent of the plots have precarious land security (tenant farming) which make farmers highly vulnerable to land use changes and for further investment. The advocacy with the Ministry of agriculture and the Municipality to support producers with a more secure land access will be an important activity of the project in the next following months.
• Despite the negotiation with ONAS and the implementation of infrastructure (irrigation network and decentralized wastewater treatment systems), the project will have to mitigate the impact of saline intrusion (from the groundwater) in the two selected areas. To mitigate the impact of salinity on crop productivity, there are plans to implement drip irrigation to provide the salinity control needed for profitable irrigation.

Mama Toure Dieng concludes that, “The option of reuse of treated waste water in horticulture is technically feasible but its implementation has to be supported by an important information and awareness campaign on this water quality. There is a need not only to increase the ratio of wastewater recycling and to explore alternative sources of water such as rainwater harvesting but also to strengthen the partnership between sanitation offices, farmers and support organisms and municipalities.”

New distance education course in Urban Agriculture to commence in May, 2011

Published on 20^th Apr 2011

CVFN 411 Dimensions of Urban Agriculture Certificate Credit Community Services Program Area Duration: 42 Hours
Fee: $515 Canadian Dollars (Payment in full is required at time of enrollment.)                      

Date: Course begins Saturday, May 7, 2011. Available through Distance Education (click enrollment).This course describes the dimensions (functions, roles, benefits, potential risks) of urban agriculture and how these complement, supplement, compete with, substitute for, or undermine those provided by other land uses, sectoral activities and actors. The main dimensions covered are: health and food security, socio-cultural dimensions, economic dimensions, and environmental dimensions. Two well-documented case studies will be used throughout the course to highlight each dimension separately, before bringing them all together.

Note: This course has been developed in partnership with ETC-Urban Agriculture (ETC-UA) and the Resource Centre on Urban Agriculture and Food Security (RUAF), with technical support provided by The Chang School.

This course is part of a portfolio of four distance education courses on urban agriculture, including the following: CVFN 410, CVFN 411, CVFN 412, and CVFN 413.

Session internationale de formation sur le Processus Participatif de Planification et de Formulation de Politiques (3PFP) en Agriculture Urbaine

Published on 9^th Mar 2011

Conscient que la durabilité de l’agriculture urbaine est subordonnée à la mise en place d’un cadre institutionnel et réglementaire approprié, l’IAGU, en sa double qualité de Centre régional de la Fondation RUAF (Resource Centres on Urban Agriculture and Food Security) en Afrique de l’ouest francophone et de coordination régionale du Réseau Francophone pour l’Agriculture Urbaine en Afrique de l’Ouest Francophone (RFAU/AOC), organise une session internationale de formation sur le Processus Participatif de Planification et de Formulation de Politiques (3PFP) en agriculture urbaine.
L’objectif principal de la session de formation est de renforcer les capacités des acteurs en vue de la mise en place d’un cadre institutionnel et réglementaire favorable à l’exercice des activités agricoles urbaines.
Pour toute information complémentaire, veuillez envoyer un message  au plus tard le 15 mai 2011 à moussa@iagu.org   iagu.aup@iagu.org                                                        Lire

International Symposium on Urban and Peri-urban Horticulture in the Century of Cities, Dakar, Senegal, Dec. 6-9, 2010

Published on 6^th Jan 2011

This international event, with about 200 participants from 39 countries, was a great success. It dealt with all the different issues related to UPH, such as characterization of UPH, production techniques, training and organization of producers, pest control, water management, food safety, supply and marketing, project implementation and city to city cooperation. The SOUPHA (State of Urban and Peri-Urban Horticulture in Africa) has been launched. 

GlobalHort was very proud to have been able to sponsor this international symposium.  The Executive Secretary was very active on the advisory and fundraising committees and chaired one of the plenary sessions.  The GlobalHort Chair, Norman Looney, was the keynote speaker and the official GlobalHort representative introduced to the Prime Minister of Senegal and to the Mayor of Dakar.

1. To enhance the awareness about urban and peri-urban horticulture (UPH),
2. To facilitate the establishment of a network of scientists and pool of international expertise who will be able to interact in support of UPH initiatives worldwide,
3. To share information on UPH through the circulation of abstracts and the publication of comprehensive proceedings to participants.

  His recommendations were in three categories:

1)      At policy, strategy and institutional levels

2)      At capacity building level and information management

3)      Empowering stakeholders along the value chain

Technical Tours

Jerry Miner went on the Dakar micro-garden tour. A very nice article, GLOBAL: Putting Urban Gardens on the map, has been published online.    

  A number of Board members visited Tropicasem just outside Dakar, an independent private seed company dedicated to tropical flower and vegetable seeds from breeding to commercialization.

New Book: "African Urban Harvest"

Published on 14^th Jan 2011

New Book: "L'agriculture intra et périurbaine à Dakar"

Published on 14^th Jan 2011

La croissance rapide de la population urbaine de Dakar pose des questions comme celles de l'approvisionnement alimentaire en produits frais, et de la gestion durable des espaces ouverts. Aussi, est-il nécessaire d'examiner la place d'une agriculture durable dans le fonctionnement de cette capitale. Dans la problématique, nous présentons les concepts d'agriculture urbaine, de multifonctionnalité de l'agriculture et de ville durable ainsi que le contexte. La méthodologie repose sur des enquêtes auprès de six catégories d'acteurs (agriculteurs, commerçants et bana-banas, consommateurs, élus, planificateurs et aménageurs et agents du conseil et de l'encadrement technique agricoles) pour tester les trois hypothèses énoncées. Il en résulte que différentes fonctions économiques et environnementales sont reconnues à l'agriculture intra et périurbaine à Dakar, par ces catégories d'acteurs. Cette reconnaissance est importante pour maintenir cette agriculture in situ. Aussi, la typologie effectuée, l'analyse de la localisation des exploitations agricoles et leur diagnostic de durabilité apportent des éléments clés aux décideurs quant à la détermination de son avenir.

GlobalHort is moderating last video-conference on Eastern & Southern Africa high value agriculture: Opportunities offered by urban growth

Published on 26^th Nov 2010

In preparation for the international symposium on urban and periurban horticulture (UPH), GlobalHort is moderating the last video-conference of a series of 7 in Eastern and Southern Africa on high value agriculture: Opportunities offered by urban growth (30 November 2010). Marielle Dubbeling and Margaret Pasquini, both contributors to the UPH symposium, are also the authors of the position paper around which the video-conference will be articulated (see at www.globalhort.org/activities/regional-coordination/).

Marielle Dubbeling and Remi Kahane will present the major outcomes of this video-conference during the symposium as the contribution from Eastern and Southern Africa, less represented at Dakar.

You are kindly invited to download this position paper commissioned by the World Bank in the framework of the AAACP, program funded by ACP and the EC.

Verticle Farming is a featured article in the Dec. 9th issue of The Economist

Published on 3^rd Jan 2011

WHEN you run out of land in a crowded city, the solution is obvious: build upwards. This simple trick makes it possible to pack huge numbers of homes and offices into a limited space such as Hong Kong, Manhattan or the City of London. Mankind now faces a similar problem on a global scale. The world’s population is expected to increase to 9.1 billion by 2050, according to the UN. Feeding all those people will mean increasing food production by 70%, according to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation, through a combination of higher crop yields and an expansion of the area under cultivation. But the additional land available for cultivation is unevenly distributed, and much of it is suitable for growing only a few crops. So why not create more agricultural land by building upwards?  Read More

Urban Agriculture is Agriculture With the City not In the City

Published on 7^th Oct 2010

 “Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia are the two areas that will experience the most rapid growth of urbanization in the next 25 years and probably with an increased poverty level. The national governments, especially the city governments, will be in for quite a challenge in those two areas. An interesting trend in a recent article is detecting some trends towards ‘deurbanization’ in West Africa. It seems that some cities have reached their limits. That is how serious the population might be. Some people are moving back to rural areas near the city cores…  The challenges are to feed them and to lodge them.”   Luc Mougeot , IDRC 

Luc Mougeot, Senior Program Specialist, Canadian Partnerships Program, IDRC, was interviewed by GlobalHort Communication Officer, Jerry Miner, at the seminar “Planning Urban Agricultural Systems for the 21st century” that took place in Nova Scotia from September 24-25.   Luc, regarded as one of the world’s foremost experts on urban agriculture, was a speaker at the symposium.  His contention is that the divorce from agriculture occurred about forty years ago but today people are beginning to realize that it makes more security sense in the cities to grow more of the food they need closer to themselves.  Poverty can be found in all urban areas and the government policies must become less repressive and become more constructive and accommodating to urban agriculture.  Access to water is the big issue when it comes to horticultural crops.  Livestock and dairy must be part of the equation in Africa, especially in the dryer areas. 

It is interesting that over the past decade IDRC has helped  cities in the developing world devise urban agriculture policies and methods that  increase food supply, raise income levels, and protect health, but now the financial crisis has led many cities of the ‘north’ to seek similar solutions.  Cities worldwide can learn from each other.  The 1st Summit on Metropolitan Agriculture has recently provided such an opportunity.  Six metropoles -- Amsterdam, Chennai, London, the Detroit-Flint region, Johannesburg and São Paulo -- each facing different contexts and critical issues -- have convened cross-sectoral teams to explore the opportunity to use the agriculture and food system as levers to address those issues. The teams will develop and begin implementing various pilot projects in areas like sustainable food production, innovative supply chain models, new agricultural services, effective water, energy and waste management, logistics and integrated production, food security and food safety, retail sales and economic growth, land use and blight reduction,  and animal welfare and disease prevention.

The International Symposium on “Urban and Peri-urban Horticulture in the Century of Cities”   organized by FAO and the Senegal Ministry of Agriculture in partnership with GlobalHort, CIRAD and ISHS will be held in Dakar, Senegal Dec. 6-9, 2010. This symposium is expected to provide guidance for the preparation of FAO's report on the State of Urban and Peri-Urban Horticulture in Africa (SOUPHA), to be published in 2011.  

Luc Mougeot says that governments are not monoliths when it comes to building sustainable cities.  The engagement of all members of the community is necessary.  Local governments are now very interested in urban agriculture because it provides affordable food, jobs for youth, and resource optimization.  Books and articles are being written and many symposia are taking place which hopefully will lead  the creation of intelligent  food policies where “Urban agriculture is agriculture with the city not in the city.”

Urban Agriculture Digs In: Ploughing Ahead, in the City

Published on 28^th Sep 2010

The recent issue of New Agriculturalist includes this interesting article on urban horticulture.  They report that urban and peri-urban agriculture have recently resurged in the North, but most still blend the frugal and the recreational. However, a recent UK conference highlighted urban agriculture as a important tool of resilience for crisis-hit Western economies, with key lessons to be learned from the South.  Read More

"Urban and Peri-urban Horticulture and the Capability Approach" article recently published in ISDA 2010, Montpellier : France (2010)

Published on 10^th Sep 2010

Laurent Parrot (   Auteur correspondant ) 1, Philippe Pedelahor 2, Hubert De Bon 1, Remi Kahane 3

This paper uses the capability approach to analyse the impact of urban and peri urban horticulture on development in Africa. Is horticulture, considered as an innovation, able to improve the capabilities of people? This paper states that it is not the practice of horticulture which increases the capabilities of farmers but the level of capabilities that increases the chances of adopting horticulture. In order to answer the above question we have attempted to understand the context in which the agricultural sector and the farmers evolve in Africa, characterized by the urban transition towards a majority of urban population and the rise of nonfarm incomes. It appeared important to understand the underlying prerequisites for horticultural practices, that is, expensive agrochemical inputs and credit requirements.

PDF Parrot-Urbain_et_periurbain.pdf(389.7 KB)

Ryerson University Offers Three Distance Learning Education Courses

Published on 19^th Jun 2010

Fall (11 September-11 December 2010). Both courses have been developed by ETC-Urban Agriculture (ETC-UA) and (RUAF), with technical support provided by The Chang School, Ryerson University, Canada.

The first course “Understanding urban agriculture” will provide you a broad overview of urban agriculture, its forms, roles and impacts. The second course : Urban agriculture policy making” guides learners through multi-stakeholder processes of  policy making and action planning for urban agriculture.

CVFN 410 Understanding Urban Agriculture

Certificate Credit
Fee: $515 CAD (NB: Unfortunately, no scholarships can be offered)

Millions globally practise urban agriculture, with governments and civil society organizations increasingly promoting it to enhance urban food security, health, community building, sustainable livelihoods, and environmental management. This course expands the understanding of urban agriculture, its main types and dimensions, its potential impacts, the constraints and opportunities facing it, the stakeholders involved in it, the historical contexts shaping it, and the local, regional, and international development trends bearing on it.

CVFN 413 Urban Agriculture Policy-Making

Certificate Credit
Fee: $515 CAD (NB: Unfortunately, no scholarships can be offered)

This course discusses participatory policy formulation processes leading to sustainable development and institutionalisation of urban agriculture. It starts discussing tools and methodologies for analysing stakeholders, farming systems, land uses, and regulatory frameworks. Next steps involve strategic planning, followed by the formulation of action projects and policies and their implementation (considering contrasting disciplinary perspectives), and finally, monitoring and evaluation. The course highlights lessons from a wide array of cities around the world. The courses are fully offered on-line and do not require participation in any face-2-face meetings or sessions. They specifically target:-students interested in urban agriculture and its policies-researchers and professionals working in social services, public health, environmental studies, international development, food aid, poverty alleviation, and other fields-non-governmental organization (NGO) and government staff in related fields. For further information on course content, set up or inscription please contact: Reg Noble, Ryerson Coordinator of the Food Security Certificate
Email: food@ryerson.cahttp://ryerson.ca/foodsecurity/certificate/index.html

Growing Greener Cities: A New FAO Website Information Initiative

Published on 17^th Jun 2010

 “Growing Greener Cities”, a new FAO information website initiative, has been undertaken by AGP’s Programme for Urban and Peri-urban Horticulture (UPH), a key component of Food for the Cities.  It is in English, French and Spanish, at the following URL: www.fao.org/ag/agp/greenercities/ 

At present, the website includes information on:

• The contribution of UPH to food security, livelihoods, environmental protection, good governance and community development
• FAO’s five-point strategy for development of the UPH sector
• FAO projects for UPH development in Africa and Latin America
• The “International symposium on Urban and peri-urban horticulture” to be held in Dakar, Senegal (5-9 December 2010)
• FAO’s partners in UPH development

In addition, on the occasion of the sessions of the FAO Committee on Agriculture (COAG) and the Committee on Commodity Problems (CCP) at FAO headquarters, from 14-19 June, they will hold an exhibit on UPH in the FAO Atrium. The display will present the new logo for the “Growing Greener Cities” initiative. It will also feature a display of vegetable micro-garden technology (with 100 plants), a display of photographs from an FAO project for market garden development in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and a video on community gardening in El Alto, Bolivia. 

Contibutions Requested for the FSN Forum on Food, Agriculture and Cities 02.11.2009 to 30.11.2009

Published on 23^rd Nov 2009

Members are invited to reflect on how the fact that over half of the world population today is living in urban areas is producing effects on their food security and on the need to strengthen urban-rural linkages. This topic was raised by Julien Custot from FAO on behalf of the Food for the Cities Interdiscipinary Initiative to serve as a prepatory debate in view of the World Urban Forum 5th session March, 2010.

• Read the introductory message 
• Read the introductory message in Spanish
• Read the introductory message in French
• Discussion proceedings

FSN Forum: Global Forum on Food Security and Nutrition is an online network whose members share experiences, identify resources, provide peer coaching and support and find collective solutions to food security and nutrition (FSN) issues, focusing on FSN policies.

Ph.D thesis: An Urban Horticulture Case Study

Marie Mawois has recently finished her PhD thesis at Le Centre international d’études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro, France). The thesis title is: "Constitution des systèmes de culture maraîchers à proximité d’une ville : quelles marges de manœuvre des agriculteurs pour répondre à une augmentation de la demande ? Cas des systèmes de culture à base de légumes feuilles dans l’espace périurbain de Mahajanga (Madagascar)"

The English title is : "Constitution of market-garden cropping system located around a city : what is the farmers’ room for manœuvre in response to an increase demand ? The case of leafy vegetable cropping system in the urban district of Mahajanga (Madagascar)"

Thesis abstract in French and English (pdf).  Email: marie.mawois@supagro.inra.fr

"Food, Agriculture and Cities" Briefing Note Released by FAO FCIT

Published on 28^th Oct 2009

At the end of the “Food, agriculture and cities: challenges and way forward” Technical Consultation held at FAO HQs in Rome on September 24th and 25th 2009, it was decided to finalize a briefing note to be circulated at senior management level and donors level.  The title of the briefing note is "Food, Agriculture and Cities: Challenges and Priorities".