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For urban households in East Africa who have access to land, either around or close to their home, producing a crop or keeping livestock is often a cultural norm. Since 1990 however, the need for urban agriculture has been strengthened by economic crisis. And while production of crops or livestock on urban land may not be as significant as the production that urban households - or their relatives - earn from rural land, it still makes an important contribution to livelihoods. In the words of several respondents in this book, it "subsidises my income", making possible a standard of living that would otherwise be unattainable. For the poorest households, urban agriculture can be particularly important, making a vital contribution to food security. However, research done in the Kenyan town of Nakuru suggests that poor households are very under-represented in urban farming.
Lack of access to land and capital are the two major constraints to their participation. In addition, those urban poor who do manage to grow a crop generally get much lower yields than wealthier groups, being unable to afford inputs, irrigation and extra labour. This well written account of urban farming in Nakuru touches on a wide range of issues: food security, income and employment, environmental impacts, constraints to production and the role of local authorities. It concludes by asking whether urban agriculture, despite its importance, can contribute to poverty reduction. With four-fifths of the poorest excluded from urban farming in the study area, it recommends that municipal planners set aside plots of land, either in or near urban areas, which can be rented at low cost by poor households.
www.brill.nl/
contributed from http://www.new-agri.co.uk/

Growing Better Cities - Urban Agriculture for Sustainable Development

Author: Luc J.A. Mougeot

Summarising and synthesising 20 years of research experience in urban agriculture, the text is both clearly written and cleanly presented so that the reader can quickly and easily grasp the main points. One or two-sentence summaries of each chapter within the contents list are an ingenious if simple addition, again enhancing the usefulness of the book.

This book serves as a focal point for an IDRC thematic Web site on urban agriculture: www.idrc.ca/in_focus_cities . The full text is available online and leads the reader into a virtual web of resources that explores two decades of research into this important issue. A CD of the In_Focus Web site is included with the book.

Governance and getting the private sector to provide better water and sanitation services to the urban poor

Authors: by McGranahan, G.; Satterthwaite, D.

This working paper examines issues related to the governance of private sector water and sanitation services.

The author reviews a number of related issues, including:

urban water and sanitation issues and the Millennium Development Goals
misleading controversies over private versus public provision of water and sanitation
the principles of water governance and the dangers of promoting specific models of water and sanitation governance
a framework for achieving better water and sanitation governance in deprived urban areas
the role of corruption, both in relations between utilities and their customers, and between governments and private contractors.

The paper finds that the principles and governance tools required to get private providers to improve provision to the urban poor are very similar to those needed to improve public provision. While there is no single model of good water and sanitation governance, and no reason to favour private providers, good local governance is critical to getting the best out of private as well as public providers.

There is an important role for international support in improving water and sanitation provision for low-income urban residents. However, from a governance perspective one of the major challenges is to prevent vested interests (many of which are international) from dominating local water sectors.

Further information click here

An Analysis of Food Demand Patterns in Hanoi -- Predicting the Structural and Qualitative Changes

Authors: M. Ali, T.Q. Nguyen, and V.N. Ngo.

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the qualitative and quantitative changes in consumption patterns of the city dwellers in Hanoi, Vietnam. It not only analyzes the changes in dietary patterns that are expected to occur with urbanization and enhanced income, it pays special attention to the differences in food in terms of nutritional composition, diversity, prices, processing stage, and extent varieties are eaten across various population groups. The analysis of Hanoi will serve as model in innovative policy planning for meeting the food requirements of other growing cities. 61 pp. 822 KB
http://www.avrdc.org/pdf/TB35.pdf

Irrigated Urban Vegetable Production in Ghana

Authors: Emmanuel Obuobie, Bernard Keraita, George Danso, Philip Amoah, Olufunke O. Cofie, Liqa Raschid-Sally and Pay Drechsel

The purpose of the book is to summarize different studies initiated and supported by IWMI inGhana over the last five years on urban and peri-urban agriculture in general, and irrigated urban and peri-urban vegetable production in particular. About 10 university departments representing various disciplines contributed to this product by involving about 40 BSc, MSc and PhD students from Ghana and abroad. The book complements the related West Africa overview provided by Drechsel et al. (2006a).

The book starts by giving a short description of the main farming sites and characteristics of urban farmers involved in wastewater irrigation in Ghana’s major cities. A special focus has been placed on gender issues in Chapter 3 while Chapter 4 and 5 describe financial, economic and marketing aspects. This is followed by a detailed description of the urban wastewater management and sanitation situation in Ghana, water quality used in farming and the quality of vegetables found in Ghanaian markets (Chapters 6 to 9). Chapter 10 focuses on stakeholders’ perceptions of urban agriculture and wastewater use. Institutional and legal aspects are discussed in Chapter 11. The book ends with Chapter 12 highlighting options for appropriate health risk reduction strategies and remaining crucial research gaps from different perspectives.

http://www.cityfarmer.org/GhanaIrrigateVegis.html

Food Security in Practice: Using Gender Research in Development (IFPRI)

Authors: Agnes R. Quisumbing and Bonnie McClafferty, 2006

This new practitioners' guide from the International Food Policy Research Institute bridges the gap between research and practice by providing up-to-date, relevant information on why and how gender issues, when taken into account, can improve the design, implementation, and effectiveness of development projects and policies. The guide presents key research findings from IFPRI's gender and intrahousehold program in the framework of project and policy cycles. The authors field-tested the guide among practitioners in Africa, Asia, and Latin America to see whether the findings were relevant outside the study countries. Finally, the authors conducted a workshop among Washington, D.C.–based practitioners and policymakers to see how the findings related to the policy cycle. Thus, the guide reflects the insights, comments, and suggestions of the ultimate users of this research.

To download or order a copy, go to: http://www.ifpri.org/pubs/fspractice/sp2.asp

How To Grow More Vegetables, Fruits, Nuts, Berries and Other Crops than you ever thought possible on less land than you can imagine

Author: John Jeavons

This book has helped revolutionize food production around the globe. How To Grow More Vegetables has been the classic learning text and mainstay reference of food-growers for nearly 25 years. Five years in the making, the new fifth edition of How To Grow More Vegetables is 25% larger and contains completely updated and expanded material, including:easy-to-use tables for accurate garden planning, a new chapter on growing food in a truly sustainable way, and a hopeful perspective into the future of food-raising for everyone.

With the help of this book, you can learn the simple, life-giving GROW BIOINTENSIVE method of growing food. In 800 square feet or less (the size of an ordinary front lawn and a fraction of the land normally required) you can provide a family of four with fresh, organically and sustainably produced vegetables for an entire year!

http://www.growbiointensive.org/biointensive/book.html

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