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Nairobi
Stakeholder Meeting/Planning Workshop 2000
Nairobi,
Kenya 1-4 November 2000
Summary
of workshop activities and synthesis of outcomes
The
Sub-Saharan Africa stakeholders' meeting and
workshop took place in Nairobi, 1-4 November. As the
third meeting and second research planning workshop
for urban and peri-urban agricultural research
projects organized by SIUPA, it provided a forum for
the exchange of knowledge and experience from a wide
range of projects in the region as well as an update
on current research directions.
Background
Urban and
peri-urban agriculture has become an increasingly
important sector in African cities, despite the
presence in many cases of legislation inherited from
the colonial period that either technically
prohibits it, or sets limits on crops, livestock or
zones. The growth of its importance is probably
linked both to the high rate of urbanization in
Sub-Saharan Africa over recent decades and to
significant growth in urban poverty brought about by
economic downturns and structural adjustment. This
"urbanization of poverty" has underscored
the relevance of urban farming as a coping strategy
under these circumstances. But the persistence and
growth of urban agriculture can also be attributed
to positive aspects of growing cities: increased
demand for dairy and meat products and vegetables
that are increasingly satisfied by peri-urban
producers.
These
are complex processes and only partially understood.
International and national agencies have become
increasingly supportive of urban agriculture as both
coping strategy and economic opportunity in
Sub-Saharan Africa during the past decade, with the International
Development Research Centre (IDRC) as one of
the earliest donors. Several CGIAR institutions are
already involved in research projects that aim to
understand them better. IFPRI
researchers have led a number of studies of urban
poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa during the 1990s and
have also assessed the contribution of urban
agriculture to improved nutrition of urban families.
ILRI and
its national partners in several countries are
involved in production and marketing research of
dairy systems, many located in peri-urban areas. ICRAF
has contributed to research on dairy production and
crop-livestock interactions through work on fodder
crops. They have also been working with NARSs on the
domestication of new tree species for urban areas
and supported urban forestry through seedling
production of medicinal and fruit trees. The key
issue of output markets, prices and information
dissemination is being addressed by a post-harvest
project of and this has major implications for urban
and peri-urban agriculture. IITA
is one of several institutions in the region looking
at peri-urban and urban farming systems focused on
vegetables. AVRDC
is providing technical support for local and
bilateral projects focused on these systems in
Tanzanian cities and other work is taking place in
Nairobi, focusing especially on crop protection.
Action research related to improved nutrition of
urban households is being conducted by CIAT
with the introduction of new bean varieties and CIP’s
work
on pro-Vitamin A sweetpotato varieties promises
to make an important contribution to this sector. In
West Africa WARDA
has also been working on rice production in peri-urban
areas and there are in addition a number of non-CGIAR
research initiatives underway in the region.
These
activities will provide an important base for a
systematic approach to urban and peri-urban
agriculture. At present these are often
independently executed research activities and in
many cases they offer the opportunity to "add
value" by linking them together. Seeking ways
to achieve this and identifying gaps in research not
yet addressed were the key aims of this workshop.
Meeting
objectives
1. Review
available knowledge on urban and peri-urban
agricultural systems in the Sub-Saharan region,
including constraints and research needs and
opportunities
2.
Clarify current or proposed research activities
related to UPA
3.
Assess current research approaches to integrated
crop-livestock systems in peri-urban and urban areas
4.
Determine and reach consensus on location of pilot
site for the region
5.
Determine diagnostic and action research directions
and needs and propose partnerships to address these
needs in the pilot site and in comparative sites
6.
Prepare proposal frameworks for small scale linkage
funding and for additional donor support.
Summary
of Workshop activities and synthesis of outcomes
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