Introduction
The range and complexity of stakeholder involvement in urban agriculture
and the importance of municipal recognition of
urban and peri-urban agriculture as a valid tool
for urban development, makes the need of an
additional, critical module onstakeholder
and policy dialogue urgent.
The urban
food system is so far not sufficiently reflected
in the urban planning process in many countries.
It connects to many other urban systems –
notably the agricultural sector, the economy and
ecological systems. Urban people are not passive
food recipients; in many locations they are
actively involved in food production. City
planning should incorporate an understanding of
household food security and nutrition
conditions, agricultural research and economic
forces. Other components, which also need proper
urban planning, are the marketing and
distribution of food from rural areas into and
within cities.
A first
step to good planning is to define the complex
interaction between different urban systems, and
to involve all the interested stakeholders in a
participatory process of consultation.
Negative perceptions (justified and
unjustified) about UPA, held by the various
players in the planning process, must be
overcome through a combination of targeted
education, demonstration and participation. Also
to be discussed among local stakeholder groups
and policy-makers are their perceptions of the
city they live in, appropriate activities to
take place within the city, and how to address
the real needs of community members.
Planners
implement policies by using tools such as
land-use zoning and ordinances, reviews, capital
investment, subdivision control and various
economic instruments. But the integration of UPA
requires going beyond traditional planning
approaches. In most of the world’s cities,
little is known about the actual extent to which
inner city areas are used for agricultural
purposes. Also, little is known about the
spatial distribution of urban agriculture in the
cities. New tools such as Geographical
Information Systems (GIS) can increase the
understanding of UPA in such areas.
Read
the Policy Briefs concerning UPA in urban
planning in Lima and Nairobi.
Urban
and Peri-Urban Agriculture Policy Prospects in
Kenya Workshop on UA and local planning July
2004. Download
PDF
Urban
Harvest 2004. La Integracion de la
Agricultura Urbana en el Desarrollo Sostenible
de las Municipalidades Lima
Mayors workshop on UA and local planning,
November 2003, (in Spanish) Download
as PDF.
Issues regarding integration
of UPA into Urban Planning
Cities may be planned according to a mix of policy, decrees and
statements, all of which may be
interpreted differently by different planners
and politicians. Recognition
of and interest in urban and periurban
agricultural production is generally low among
planners and politicians. Thus,
a consistent approach to UPA is rarely found.
Politicians and the citizenry have important roles to play in the planning process, shaping policy, accepting
policy, and offering resources and support to
carry out and enforce planning policy.
Frequently, citizens' groups and households engage in UPA as an informal
activity. The
illegal, covert nature of UPA prevents them from
raising the issue to officials and politicians.
Planners' means are often indirect, in that they try to regulate land-use patterns to achieve social,
economic and environmental goals, by limiting
what private landowners can do on their land. Conflicts
between agricultural and other uses remain
unresolved, as a lack of enforcement and
monitoring may render planning for UPA
ineffective. Further, areas most suitable for
agricultural activities may have prior
established uses.
Higher levels of government and
external forces (such as those offering
financial development assistance) can override, dictate or influence local land-use policy.
Urban
farmers often have few tenure rights over the
land (and water) they use in farming, and are
pushed out by land development.
The module
of stakeholder and policy dialogue will help
identify and provide mechanisms for local uptake
of technical and policy analysis and innovation.
It will also provide a systematic capacity to
monitor and assess implementation of action
research, and be the platform for “knowledge
networking” upon which the broader impact of
the program will depend. Policy analysis and
policy development will be an important part of
the content of the other research modules, whose
research outputs will feed into the dialogue.
Read about the Policy Management of
Urban Agriculture in Metropolitan Lima
View
Stakeholder
& Policy Dialogue Activities
