O Level Notes : Geography - Agriculture And Land Reform - Urban Agriculture

Several urban dwellers are associated with urban farming. Urban agriculture involves cultivation, processing and distributing in and around a city.

Urban agriculture mainly produces food crops like maize, vegetables, sweet potatoes, butternuts and beans. At times they are   also involved in the rearing of small livestock like rabbits and poultry. They often utilize land which belongs to the city council or private owners lying idle or undeveloped. In some instances, they do their farming in wetlands and along major streams thereby putting the environment at a higher risk of environmental degradation. In Harare it is estimated that about 12% of land is being used for urban agriculture. 

Moreso, urban agriculture is a source of revenue to some heads of families since surplus produce can be sold thereby generating cash to cater for bills and urban life utilities. In this light, urban agriculture becomes a form of employment to many people since their sustainance is hinged on these small urban plots. 

Socially, urban farming promotes a sense of ujamaa (familihood) by joining people when they divide land among themselves. Boundaries established should be religiously respected to avoid conflict of interest. Urban agriculture also utilises  land  lying  idle,  thereby  contributing  meaningfully  to  the  country's agricultural production and the quest to ensure food security is satisfied. 

Problems of urban agriculture

Although urban agriculture contributes much socially and economically, its practising causes a lot of problems in urban areas resulting in numerous environmental, social and economic problems. Urban agriculture involves the use of fertilisers intensively to maximise yields per unit area. Over use of fertiliser often results in the problems of eutrophication, in which excess fertilisers which are not used by crops are carried and deposited into water bodies. Eutrophication is such a big problem because it pollutes the water resource thereby putting people's health at stake. 

Environmentalists have also argued against urban farming because it pollutes the environment. Pesticides and herbicides used are dangerous since their overuse in controlling pests and weeds has a higher chance of causing ill health to the people. This has resulted in the banning of DDT in the 19th century.

The other challenge of urban farming is that if farmers are utilizing land which does not rightfully belong to them, it causes numerous conflicts. Conflicts often erupt between the farmers and private land owners or between them and city council officials. In some cases of conflicts, the farmer's crops are slashed by municipal police. 

Farming mainly done in wetlands and along river banks often results on the problem of serious soil erosion that leads to river and dam siltation. More so wetlands dry up posing a threat to aqua related ecosystems. Soil erosion also aids in the blocking of drains and culverts thereby increasing chances of road damage and flooding. 

Urban agriculture on top of buildings

Solutions to problems caused by urban agriculture

The following measures can be utilised to solve the problems caused by urban agriculture:

• Urban farmers should be encouraged to use organic fertilisers which have less damage on the environment.

• There should be legislation and strict enforcement of the law against any form of farming done on wetlands.
• Since farms are small, farmers should be encouraged to use manual methods of combating pests like handpicking and the biological method since they are environmentally friendly.

• Farming should only be practiced 30meters away from the streams to reduce soil erosion and river and dam siltation.

• Municipal and council authorities should make efforts to avail land to urban farmers to minimise conflict of interest with owners. 

Advantages of urban agriculture 

• The main advantage of urban agriculture is that; it is a source of livelihood for several households.
• The small farm produce helps to cater for food needs for most families in urban setups thereby guaranteeing food security.

• In most urban areas open spaces and private owners' undeveloped lands are often used as dumping sites. Urban agriculture helps in reducing sites in which refuse is dumped by utilising them in a productive manner of producing food.
• Urban farms create a market for agro-based industries, for example, those which produce fertilisers like ZIMPHOS and those that produce agro- chemicals such asAgricura.