Gender Analysis of Urban Agriculture in ,

Urban agriculture in Kampala City takes place The major potential health hazards on undeveloped land associated with urban agriculture have been classified as physical, chemical, including institutional and biological and psychosocial (Cole et al., mailo (privately owned) 2003). The physical hazards may include injury from sharp objects such as broken land, but also on risky bottles and needles in waste dumps. areas like former waste- Chemical hazards involve exposure through contact of chemicals with the skin, dumping sites, scrap inhalation of dust from contaminated soil yards, wetlands and or gaseous emissions and through ingestion of food crops contaminated with toxic roadsides. waste from soil and wastewater. Psychosocial hazards may arise from insecurity due to unclear land tenure, loss of farmland, fear of theft and violence or overload due to long hours of work. Biological hazards may be due to parasitic worms, bacteria and vector-borne diseases, such as malaria parasites hosted by certain food crops with life cycles in humans and other media. This paper focuses mainly on crop production in areas that are receiving solid or liquid waste in urban and periurban areas of Kampala City.

Women grow food crops that fetch lower prices. Grace Nabulo

ormer dumpsites are used to Although deemed illegal by the METHODS grow food crops and urban authorities, urban A study was carried out in F vegetables, and some of them agriculture activities continue to be Kampala City in 2001/2002 provide shelter to farmers practised by both men and women. through a formal survey. A total residing in temporary houses. In However, the division of labour in of 250 semi-structured addition, wastewater is urban farming households exposes questionnaires were administered channelled from industries and men and women to different to farmers who were involved in the city’s discharge into the health risks (Flynn, 1999). Women growing food crops on the former wetlands. The farmers of these are more vulnerable to health dumpsites of Lugogo, Kinawataka areas are thus exposed to multiple hazards due to the multiple roles and Wakaliga, and the health hazards and improper they perform. For instance, women wastewater irrigated areas of management may lead to and children spend long hours along the Nakivubo contamination of food crops and selling food products by the road channel (see figure 1). vegetables. This situation is and are thereby exposed to heavy disapproved of by municipalities. metal pollutants.

______Grace Nabulo University, Kampala, Uganda. Former Dumping sites in Kampala City ✉ [email protected] George Nasinyama Flooded areas river , Kampala, Uganda. district boundary ✉ [email protected] sampling sites Diana Lee-Smith 2 1. Kina Wataka Centra 1 3 1 2 Lugogo I CIP/Urban Harvest, Nairobi, Kenya. Kampala 3 Lugogo II ✉ [email protected] 4 Wakaliga 4 Donald Cole Wetland University of Toronto, Canada flooded areas lake ✉ [email protected] victoria

32 UA-Magazine Gender differences in relation to benefits, resource distribution and risks associated with urban agriculture. DIVISION OF LABOUR AND BENEFITS Of the farmers growing food crops on Attributes All farmers Women Men contaminated sites in Kampala City, 55% (%) (%) (%) were women, 41% had no other occupation Married 68 70 64 other than farming, and 63% of these Farming is a major occupation 41 47 33 farmers were women. A greater percentage Have control over land 28 25 32 of women than men (34% compared to Dig and sell food products themselves 54 60 52 30%) consumed all the food grown, while Own the food they grow 93 93 82 53% of the women and 67% of the men Spend income from UA on domestic needs 40 39 32 sold some of the food produced. The Use protective wear while working on land 38 37 42 women who grow crops on contaminated sites in Kampala use it mainly to feed their families. practised (42% of the women and 22% of what they know and what they stand to the men). Asked what they would do if gain or lose, which also depends on what Only 9% of all the farmers grew food crops stopped from using contaminated land, they value and who they are. “purposely for sale” (14% of the women and 12% of the men (and only 3% of the 5% of the men). But these women sold all women) said they would change residence RECOMMENDATIONS the food grown on contaminated sites to to where land is available; 14% of the men The Kampala City Council should integrate consumers and used the money to (and only 1% of the women) said they urban agriculture in its planning purchase other foodstuffs for their families. would not be affected. Women therefore programmes as a mitigation measure to The major source of food in the study benefit most from urban agriculture as a achieve a higher quality of food crops households was bananas (matooke), while source of livelihood, food security and grown and sold in the city. The Council is Colocasia esculenta (cocoyam) and maize household income. currently reviewing Ordinances on Urban (Zea mays) were the most frequently grown Agriculture and should liase with various food crops on these sites. Other crops ACCESS TO LAND AND WATER stakeholders like researchers, NGOs, included cassava (Manihot esculenta), sweet Only 28% of the farmers studied had development partners, institutions and potatoes (Ipomoea batatas), beans and control over their farmlands, 9% rented landowners to help streamline policy vegetables. land and 22% used land that was freely initiatives in urban agriculture. available. The women grew food in high- Men and women were generally involved risk areas, and therefore were more The council should facilitate the in different agricultural activities. The men vulnerable to hazards. Most farmers did not empowerment of urban farmers through in this study were involved mainly in the have access to clean water: 17% got free environmental health education in relation cultivation of sugarcane and cocoyam in water from a spring or well, 1% from a to urban agriculture and necessary the wetlands, while the women grew borehole and 77% bought either piped or mitigation measures, such as use of low- maize, sweet potatoes and vegetables. The spring water. cost treatment technologies of wastewater, men spent longer hours in the gardens than use of appropriate farming techniques and the women. Fifty-six percent of the farmers (more careful selection of crops to minimise women than men) did not use protective exposure to food contamination. The The women grew food crops that fetch clothing while working on contaminated Council should empower the Urban lower prices and require minimum capital, land (Table ). In Uganda, cooking food is a Agriculture Office and its extension staff, time and labour. This is partly because 70% woman’s responsibility. The study revealed and liase with researchers together with the of the women were married and had other that only 2% of the households that farmed local Women and Youth Organisations at traditional household roles to play like on contaminated sites used electricity to parish level to ensure implementation of cooking for the family and caring for the cook, while 22% used firewood and 55% the mitigation measures. children. Women therefore grew small- used charcoal. NOTE scale, perishable products that can be sold This study was made possible through the financial within the neighbourhood, either by the RISK PERCEPTIONS support of IDRC Agropolis. roadside, at a nearby market or at a stall in Over 80% of the farmers in Kampala were front of their homes. Moreover, most of the aware of the health risks of growing food in REFERENCES crops grown by men have a longer shelf life contaminated areas. Asked whether they - Cole, D.C.; Diamond, M.; Bassil, K. and H. J-Otazo and can be transported long distances to approved of growing food on waste sites, (2003). Health Risk and Benefit Assessment in UPA. SSA reach a market. 89% of the men and 84% of the women said Workshop on Health Risks and Benefits of Urban and Peri- urban Agriculture. Nairobi, Kenya. 9-12 June 2003. they disapproved because it is not healthy, - Flynn, K. (1999). Urban Agriculture and Public Health: The main benefit of urban agriculture and but they had no alternative since Risk Assessment and Prevention for Contamination and the reason most of the farmers cultivated agriculture was their main source of Zoonoses. Cities Feeding People Program Initiative. International Development Research Centre, Ottawa was food: 41% of the respondents said they livelihood, food security and income. Some (draft). benefited from the free food, 21% from easy of the farmers admitted to growing food on - Lee-Smith (2003), Risk Perceptions, Communication and access to markets and 9% from economic contaminated sites purposely for sale and Mitigation; Community Participation and Gender perspectives. Health Risks and Benefits of Urban empowerment. Moreover, 22% of the not for household consumption. Lee-Smith Agriculture and Livestock in Sub-Saharan Africa. IDRC farmers would suffer an economic crisis if (2003) observed that men and women Workshop, Nairobi. urban agriculture could no longer be perceive risks differently, depending on 9 – 12 June 2003.

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