Abstract:
The benefits of urban and peri-urban agriculture in the cities and towns of subSaharan Africa (SSA) are well recognized across a number of development
challenges, including poverty alleviation, environmental conservation and
redressing the negative impacts of urbanization. The benefits are appreciated at
the local level by authorities and farmers, such that involvement in urban
agriculture is increasing. For example, it is estimated that in Tanzania at least 30
per cent of the total urban residents practice urban agriculture as one of their
primary livelihood strategies (URT, 2003). In Dar es Salaam, the United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP, 1998) reports that one out of five (i.e. 20 per
cent) residents in the city are engaged in urban agriculture. The local
government reform report of 1998 noted that more people were engaged in
urban agriculture than in the formal employment sector. This has not come
about by chance, but rather by the intent and activities of urban residents who,
despite at times an unsupportive policy environment, have turned to urban
agriculture as a means of livelihood. This demonstrates that it is a viable and
valuable occupation for urban dwellers, and that, consequently, land-use
planning authorities need to make provision for urban agriculture, especially
during the spatial planning process to ensure that there is sufficient land and in
suitable locations.
