Farming in the City : the Rise of Urban Agriculture (V. 21, No. 3

Vol. 21, No. 3 (October 1993)

Breaking New Ground in Dar es Salaam by Marilyn Lee

New research on urban agriculture challenges the conventional view of the practice as a marginal activity of minor significance. In Dar es Salaam, farming is proving to be a positive and widespread activity that crosses socio-economic groups but one whose full potential is unrealized in the absence of favourable government policies.

In a project supported by IDRC, Dr Camillus J. Sawio, an assistant lecturer in geography at the University of Dar es Salaam, is studying the extent and patterns of crop growing and livestock keeping in the Kinondoni District of Dar es Salaam. His goal has been to learn how much land is available within city limits for farming and to identify the factors that affect urban agriculture.

"Research into urban agriculture is a new phenomenon. There isn't much understanding of how urban agriculture takes place, and what contribution it makes to the economy." What is known, he says, is that feeding people in the cities of the developing world is becoming an urgent problem as more and more people flood into the urban areas.

"The worsening food shortages in Tanzania because of drought, war, and poor agricultural management are well documented."

In addition to field observations, multiple interviews and questionnaires, Dr Sawio is obtaining information through aerial photography. By analyzing historic and current aerial photographs and maps, Dr Sawio is learning how Dar es Salaam has grown and, more importantly, what is happening to open land suitable for agriculture.

Dr Sawio chose to study three adjacent wards within the Kinondoni District: Kinondoni, Msasani, and Mwananyamala. Together, they account for about one-quarter of the total population of the district. He chose these wards because their proximity makes comparisons of land use changes through time an easier task. In addition, Msasani is a well planned ward while the other two have larger squatter areas, providing an intriguing combination of characteristics.

Among Dr Sawio's major research results are these findings:

Both men and women take part in urban farming; Seventy-two per cent of people engaged in urban agriculture are married, making farming a family activity that includes children; While it is often held that urban farmers are mostly recent rural-urban migrants who continue to resort to their agricultural skills in the city for lack of alternatives, the study concurs with other recent research that a substantial minority was born in the city. The majority are well established migrants who also practice a wide range of occupations; Urban agriculture is not a marginal activity but an important undertaking since, among other things, it generates income. Households produce staple foods such as maize and cassava in addition to milk, meat, poultry and dietary supplements such as vegetables. Only a privileged few can make a living solely from a salary in the city; and Urban agriculture is not just an activity of the unschooled or illiterate. Although the educational level of urban farmers had been thought to be low, in actual fact new data shows that more than 40% of the people engaged in urban farming are secondary school graduates, business owners, professionals, or doctors.

RECOGNIZING PEOPLE'S INITIATIVE

Dr Sawio has come up with two key recommendations. First, he says the initiative of the people must be looked on favourably. "Policies should be made to create an enabling environment. People are hurt by the attitude that urban agriculture is not important, that it's a temporary and transient activity that does not have a place in the city."

Dr Sawio also advocates more cooperation among policy makers, planners, and farmers to make the urban environment more livable, productive and environmentally sound. "It may entail linking urban agriculture with the larger urban economy," he says. "This is an opportunity to develop new paradigms."

For example, he says government leaders must consider recycling agricultural waste as fertilizer in cities and take advantage of used water for irrigation. To alleviate the disastrous effects of wind erosion, Dr Sawio suggests planting fruit trees as wind breaks. "Even growing grass to prevent soil erosion can be useful as fodder for animals."

NEW FIELDS OF INQUIRY

While Dr Sawio's research has uncovered some new truths, he says it has also opened up more areas of inquiry. "We need to define the concept of urban agriculture better, to differentiate between agriculture in open space in built up areas versus farming in the urban fringe, which in fact includes rural land."

Urban agriculture comprises several systems, types of farming activities which include crop production, livestock keeping, aquaculture ... floriculture. We need to document more clearly the various types.

We need to address linkages between urban agriculture as an informal sector activity and other urban processes such as community action, health, nutrition, gender, education, and the overall issue of poverty." In addition, Dr Sawio points to the lack of attention to linkages between urban agriculture and natural resources within the city such as water and soil.

Researchers must also assess the impact of urban agriculture. We must find out the risks and hazards of farming in cities in terms of the environment and urban planning."

Dr Sawio notes that good urban planning must seek the input of residents to find out their lifestyles, culture, needs, and aspirations. He also cautions that city residents who farm must be well informed so that the benefits of urban farming are not lost owing to unwelcome side effects. For instance, he recognizes that if urban farmers fail to use proper methods, disease could spread.

In the current context, Dr Sawio advocates continuing research. He believes his studies have opened a window to really help break poverty in cities. "I want to address poverty realistically ... poor people in the city are trying to survive." He insists that urban farming can help through providing food and jobs.

The Tanzanian government has shown some interest in encouraging urban agriculture, says Dr Sawio. Knowledge from this and other studies will help planners and policy makers enhance the opportunities for citizens to produce crops inside the city, as well as ensure the preservation of land and other resources.

FARMLAND INSIDE HARARE The detailed 1989 edition of the Harare street map shows vast tracts of vacant and unbuilt land lying on the doorstep of the central area, east and south of the railroad, in the Mukuvisi floodplain and along tributaries that isolate peripheral districts. The emptiness is striking: within the city centre upper-class quarters on large lots, parks and generous rights-of-way make distances practically unwalkable. Popular pressure on central land for work, shelter and food has become enormous. Nightime squatting in central parks and on the Mukuvisi margins is on the rise.

The lots around public tenant flats are extensively cultivated. At one lot on Jabavu Street at 77th, the wives of six civil servants garden the large front and side yards in six equal-sized plots. One of the women, Ms. Maziyire, grows rugare -- a drought-resistant leafy perennial rich in minerals and vitamins -- corn and pumpkin (stunted by drought) to which she applies dish water and domestic garbage. Some of her crops and all 24 chickens have fallen prey to thieves on the fenceless streetcorner lot.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:

Reverend Dr Camillus J. Sawio Geography Department University of Dar es Salaam PO Box 35049 Dar es Salaam, Tanzania East Africa Tel: 255-51-49192 ext 2337

Unless otherwise stated, all articles and photos may be freely reproduced providing suitable credit is given.

ISSN 0315-9981. This magazine is listed in the Canadian Magazine Index.

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