Urban planning, health and agriculture

Urban agriculture, referring to any kind of biological production in an intra- or peri-urban spatial context, is a widespread phenomenon. 800 million people worldwide grow vegetables, fruits and raise animals in cities, producing 15 to 20 percent of the world’s food (FAO; Worldwatch Institute). In African cities, urban agriculture is more diverse and complex as production spans from backyard gardening, open space cropping, and livestock raising to aquaculture. Despite its importance, urban planning has largely ignored it, possibly because it is part of an informal economy. We interrogate the extent to which urban planners have considered and addressed urban agriculture with respect to food security, income generation, but also potential health risks, such as the use of wastewater for irrigation, pesticides. The overarching aim of this project is to identify the most effective ways to integrate urban and peri-urban agriculture into current urban planning.

To do so, we will test two hypotheses:

• Poor understanding of complex urban agriculture value chains hinders the integration of urban agriculture into urban planning. Scholars and planners know little about how and where animals are raised and crops produced, about who buys and consumes the resulting produce and about the value this output generates

• The impact of urban agriculture on food and nutrition security increases along the rural-urban gradient. Health risk are greater in urban areas because of higher density and specific agricultural practices, such as using wastewater. 

We will use a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods to test the hypotheses. We will build on the concept of value chain, as defined by Michael Porter in 1985.

The first hypothesis of the PhD study will be tested through a desk-based study. Building on existing research literature, we will assess and compare urban agriculture practices in 15 African cities. Based on these practices, we will build a typology of urban and peri-urban agriculture. Secondly, we will ask how urban agricultural practices and value chains are integrated into policy and urban planning approaches

To test our second hypothesis, we will conduct on-site and in-depth investigations into urban agriculture in Dar es Salaam and Nairobi, where we shall assess how agricultural practices vary as we move along the urban-rural gradient.