Agriculture in Urban Planning Generating Livelihoods and Food Security

This volume, by graduate researchers working in urban agriculture, examines concrete strategies to integrate city farming into the urban landscape. Drawing on original field work in cities across the rapidly urbanizing global south, the book examines the contribution of urban agriculture and city farming to livelihoods and food security. Case studies cover food production diversification for robust and secure food provision; the socio-economic and agronomic aspects of urban composting; urban agriculture as a viable livelihood strategy; strategies for integrating city farming into urban landscapes; and the complex social-ecological networks of urban agriculture. Other case studies look at public health aspects including the impact of pesticides, micro-biological risks, pollution and water contamination on food production and people. Ultimately the book calls on city farmers, politicians, environmentalists and regulatory bodies to work together to improve the long term sustainability of urban farming as a major, secure source of food and employment for urban populations. Published with IDRC

Foreword. Acknowledgements. Introduction. 1. Household Food Security Among Urban Farmers in Nairobi, Kenya. 2. Urban Compost: A Socio-Economic and Agronomic Evaluation in Kumasi, Ghana. 3.Urban Agriculture as a Livelihood Strategy in Lima, Peru. 4. The Social and Economic Implications of Urban Agriculture on Food Securityin Harare, Zimbabwe. 5. Urban Agriculture and Food Securityin Lilonwe and Blantyre, Malawi.6. An Analysis of the Quality of Wastewater Used to Irrigate Vegetables in Accra, Kumasi and Tamale, Ghana. 7. Water Contamination and its Impact on Vegetable Production inthe Rimac River, Peru. 8. Wastewater Use and Urban Agriculturein Kinhasa, DR Congo. 9. The Health Impacts of Farming on Producers in Rosartio, Argentina. 10. Using Participatory Education and Action Research for Health Risk Reduction amongst FarmersinDakar, Senegal. 11. Complex Ecologies and City Spaces: Social-ecological Networks of Urban Agriculture. 12. Urban Agriculture and Physical Planning: A Case Study of Zaria, Nigeria. 13. Conclusion. Index.

Mark Redwood is Programme Leader for Climate Change and Water at the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and an expert on urban agriculture.