Stakeholder and policy dialogue

Stakeholder dialogues and platform building

Urban agriculture will only thrive as a buffer against food and nutrition insecurity, as a complementary source of income for the urban poor and as a means towards more sustainable, livable cities if there is full local institutional support and involvement. This will be achieved through dialogue and through facilitating local “R&D” teams to plan, monitor and execute research and development activities 

Innovative approaches to participatory decision-making contributing to rural agricultural R&D under the changing conditions of NARSs

Mapping of UPA evolution

Poverty mapping and spatial analysis enable understanding of how UPA systems develop. Factors affecting UPA – policy, infrastructure, poverty levels, conflicts and disasters – can be compared. Project can enable policy-makers to understand the driving forces behind UPA

Policy information on food security

Knowledge needs of UPA stakeholders

Agricultural/ non-agricultural activities closely linked within urban livelihoods, often with competition for resources. Policies within several urban sectors affect UPA. Project will assess the diversity of stakeholders involved and policies and regulations affecting UPA and the functioning of local policy making bodies in different urban settings. Project will determine the kinds of knowledge most needed for different stakeholders to contribute to effective negotiations,  decision-making on urban agriculture. 

A user-sensitive approach to policy formation processes and associated knowledge needs in relation to municipal support for UPA and better public understanding

Disseminating research and development outcomes

Effective forms of dissemination of “best practices” is through the horizontal “out-scaling” amongst peers, whether farmers, technicians or politicians. Upscaling requires engagement between different levels of hierarchical systems. To support both forms of dissemination, this project will use a wide range of local, national, international platforms and networks linking stakeholder groups. These dissemination pathways will be constructed early on in the Challenge Program, providing maximum opportunity for spill-over over Program’s life.

“Front-end” dissemination techniques and procedures to anticipate and support greater impact. More resilient innovations through participatory development and diffusion

Labor, livelihoods and agriculture in urban areas

The project will assess the capacity of UPA to absorb underutilized family labor in a way that benefits household livelihoods as well as the local economy. Will investigate labor markets in selected cities in relation to UPA and labor availability and deployment in selected households. Research questions include: Who are the UPA producers? How is labour apportioned to different tasks? How does UPA labour investment vary over time? Are there circumstances under which labour is limited and how overcome? (HIV/AIDS households)?

A novel perspective on labor markets and agricultural production  in urban areas offering increased benefits to underemployed families and local economies

Adapting integrated crop management (ICM) of vegetables and other crops to urban production systems

CGIAR and other international and national research organizations have a wealth of experience with varietal improvement, seed, IPM, soil and water management and other crop management technologies. Specific conditions in urban/peri-urban areas (livelihoods, land, human and social capital, markets, etc) make different demands on the utilization of such technologies. The project will evaluate options using participatory approaches and where necessary explore new components through strategic and adaptive research. We can expect adaptation to vary by systems, socio-economic and gender aspects and city characteristics. Project will map and analyze this variation for technology areas across several sites to strengthen potential for diffusing solutions.

Interdisciplinary, multi-sectoral approach to the evaluation and utilization of agricultural technologies in urban areas

Linking peri-urban livestock and crop-based micro-enterprises to city markets

This project will contribute to increased levels of market integration and commercialization of agro-enterprises. Will analyze marketing chains directly involving enterprises and enterprise clusters of producers, services and their inter-dependencies. Will study technical functioning of selected agro-enterprises and environmental impacts. Potential interventions might be technical, economic or managerial. Research questions include: what facilitates/constrains connection between producers/consumers? What institutional innovations needed to overcome constraints? What are costs/benefits of multiple small holder supply of high value products to urban markets?

Major strengthening of post-harvest, marketing and utilization research in the CGIAR through concentrating on a geographical zone of high ago-enterprise activity and the forward and backward linkages involved.

Impact of UPA on livelihood security under variable urban conditions

This project would explore the urban characteristics which significantly impact on the contribution of UPA to food security, poverty alleviation and social capital. Comparisons would be made between different sized cities, different regions, cities with different planning scenarios, especially in terms of access to land, security for cultivators, population densities, access to credit and markets. Comparative studies will be undertaken across anchor and contact/receptor cities  in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Modeling of optimal urban conditions for UPA.

Ground-breaking work on the differential impact of UPA in different urban settings.

Urban resources recognition

Diversity and dynamics of land use in UPA

Land in urban and peri-urban areas has a great diversity of uses, sizes and attached rights, but the geographical variation is not well understood. Land use and occupation is also variable over time, but this is also in need of research. This project will use field research techniques supported by GIS to better differentiate types of UPA land use, and quantify areas for a selected sample of cities. User perspective databases on land use dynamics would be integrated with GIS analyses over time to study patterns of change and stability and the availability of underutilized land resources for agriculture. This would input to the policy process.

Linking of field research, GIS techniques, participatory skills and urban geography perspectives to enhance sustainable resource use

Recycling nutrients from liquid and solid urban wastes

This project will assess and develop the potential for safe, productive cycling of nutrient rich liquid and solid wastes which accumulate in urban areas for use in agriculture. It will build on the existing recognition of waste as a resource by the urban poor and introduce techniques to increase the safe use of these resources to reduce production costs and increase productivity.   

Combining the under-standing of nutrient cycling of liquids and solids and the health implications with sensitivity to urban political economies and policy formation

Toolkits for urban resource use policy development and planning

This project will harvest results of GIS studies and recycling work to feed into the policy development process.

More equitable, robust and efficient policies on urban development

Urban Ecosystem Health

Managing contaminants and pathogens in UPA

Soil, air and water borne contaminants and pathogens (C/P) present serious hazards to urban producers and consumers. The project will quantify presence and diffusion pathways of C/Ps and conduct indigenous risk assessments in different kinds of UPA systems. Interventions will include testing of simple methods to mitigate risk and the development and piloting of kits.

Interdisciplinary, inter-sectoral approach to the important area of agriculture and human health in a high risk environment

Zoonotic risks and economic benefits of crop-livestock systems in urban areas

Increased demand for high value animal products in urban areas offers opportunities for profitable livestock raising. But limited space in urban/periurban areas can lead to increased risks of disease transfers. The project will establish risk profiles for different diseases under varying types of enterprise. Inter-ventions would include piloted improved management systems and safety measures 

Brings a specifically urban focus to zoonoses where risks are particularly high

The contribution of urban biodiversity to human and ecosystem health

The project hypothesizes that the degree of agricultural biodiversity in urban settings contributes to the resilience and health of local residents, communities and the natural environment. At the ecosystem level, studies can be conducted on the relation between local urban seed supply systems, genetic diversity and susceptibility to plant diseases and pest pressure. Another important area is the contribution of UPA diversity to producers’ micronutrient needs and particularly of specialty crops such as indigenous vegetables to the micro-nutrient needs of local consumers, especially low income groups.  Will assess the potential of urban-produced fruit, vegetables and local cereals to mitigate the negative health effects of the “nutrition transition” associated with urbanization[1] , possible cultural benefits produced and the potential of certain foods to mitigate the effects of urban pollution.

Potential direct impact of agricultural technologies on the urban poor and contribution to urban ecosystem sustainability

Urban agriculture and the “livability” of cities

This project could address the increasing number of reports and studies that have identified the contribution of urban agriculture to psycho-social health and social capital formation. Quantification of this contribution in terms of numbers of social linkages forged through UPA and health data on UPA and non-UPA households will be assembled as data for policy development.

A new area linking agriculture and agricultural technologies to “quality of life”