The potential of urban agriculture for food security

RUAF Foundation www.ruaf.org

• Growing urban food insecurity

• Defining urban agriculture

• Different pathways to food security

• Realising the Right to Food through policy and spatial planning and small agribusiness promotion

Summary

Growing urban food insecurity and malnutrition

• Limited access of urban poor to nutritious and affordable food mainly due to low and irregular income

• Urban poor are net consumers (spend 50-80% of their income on food) and are directly affected by variations in food and fuel prices

• Increasing dominance of supermarkets and fast food chains in the local food systems, resulting in increased consumption of fats, sugars, salt and processed foods

• Lack of policy attention to urban food security; “rural bias” of food security programmes; Low visibility of urban hunger

Rural and urban incidences of hunger (food-energy

deficiency) Source: Ahmed et al., 2007.

• Neglect of investment in domestic rural agriculture in the past 15 years ; use of agricultural land for bio fuels; major land sales to foreign countries; increasing food imports

Hence: increasing dependence on international food markets and vulnerability to price increases

• Effects of climate change on rural food supply and transport aggravate this vulnerability

• Effects of climate change on rural food supply and transport aggravate this vulnerability

Urban Agriculture

• Agricultural production (crops, trees, livestock, fish) in and around urban areas for food (vegetables, eggs, milk, meat, ..) and other uses (e.g. herbs, ornamental plants)

• And related inputs provision, processing and marketing activities

• Often combined with other functions (greening and biodiversity, recycling of wastes, disaster reduction, capturing CO2, reduction urban heat, recreational services,…)

Urban vs Peri Urban Agriculture

• Urban agriculture are of smaller scale, intra urban areas

• Peri urban larger and more commercial scale+ outskirts of the city

Urban Agriculture

A recent RUAF study for World Bank on the socio-economic impacts of urban agriculture in Nairobi, Accra, Bangalore and Lima indicated that in average about 20% of the urban population is involved in some type of urban agriculture, of which 30% (over 1.3 million HH in the 4 cities) gain an important part of their income from agriculture

An African perspective

-Approximately 40% of African urban dwellers farm in town

-However, well-off people are over-represented among African urban farmers; the poor lack space.

-More than three quarters of poor people in Southern African cities are food insecure

-UA is associated with better food security and higher incomes, especially livestock farming

Food security pathwaysOwn food production by urban poor

• Access to extra food and more varied diet

• Cash savings used for to purchase staple foods and higher value items (micro-nutrients; fish)

• Redistribution of harvested food to non-producing households

• Diversification of food sources enhances coping capacities

Urban Agriculture, food security and nutrition

City % of urban consumption met by urban and peri-urban agriculture

  Vegetables Eggs Poultry meat

Milk Pork

La Paz (2000) 30

Dakar (2000) 70-80 65-70

Dar es Salaam (2000)

90 60

Accra (2003) 90

Shanghai (2000)

60 90 50 90-100 50

Hanoi (2000 y 2004)

0-75 (@ season)

40 50 50

Farmers in Nairobi and Kampala operate small diary enterprises that supply 70% of the milk needs of consumers(Lee-Smith, 2014)

KampalaKampala

Approximately 40% of urban dwellers farm in town (self production). 200 000 farming HH in Nairobi(Lee-Smith, 2014)

NairobiNairobi

Food security pathwaysJob and income generation

• Savings on food expenditures• From agricultural production, espec. for vulnerable

population (women, elderly, less educated)• Generated in related small enterprises: compost

production, processing, marketing, recreational services, etcetera)

• UPAF highly compatible with other jobs and facilitates multiple income sources; hence enhances resilience

City Monthly income generated (US$) in peri-urban horticulture (= above formal minimum wage)

Accra 40-50

Rosario 40-150

Brazzaville 140-170 (productores)120 (vendedores)

Cameroon 70

Lagos 120

Ouagadougou 25-100

Yaoundé 35-70

Ho Chi Minh City 40-125

Yakarta 30-50

Highest incomes from urban animal production(Lee Smith, 2014)

NairobiNairobi

Urban vegetable farmers can earn twice what rural farmers earn(RUAF, 2013)

AccraAccra

Food security pathwaysAccess to food for urban households

• Access to fresh and sometimes cheaper food• Reduced vulnerability to market prices and imported

food• Responds to cultural demands• Need to manage health risks

Belo HorizonteBelo HorizonteUrban, peri-urban and rural agriculture contribute to food and nutrition security

Action is needed to protect Lima’s fertile farmland from exponential urban growth.

LimaLima

Realising the Right to Food for urban dwellers

• Importance of supporting more small-scale commercial urban and peri-urban agriculture

• Importance of increased policy recognition and support for urban and peri-urban agriculture

• Need to enhance secure tenure of land for urban and peri-urban agriculture

RUAF From Seed to Table Programme

• Development of social agro and food enterprises for urban farmers and unemployed youth in 17 cities around the world

-> Market analysis-> Business planning-> Strengthening producers organisations-> Enhancing access to financing-> Creation of food hubs for Improved marketing-> Small enterprise friendly regulations

RUAF From Seed to Table Programme

• Main results:

-> 18 agri-businesses set up with/by poor urban producers: different vegetables; improved small animal production; niche products like mushrooms or aromatic plants

-> Impact monitoring shows increase in income of members (5-50%)

-> New consumer markets created

-> Agro-bussiness increased access to financing

RUAF Strategic planning and policy formulation

• Development of municipal UA and food programmes in 20 cities around the world

-> Land use and food system analysis-> Critical policy review and stakeholder analysis-> Multi-stakeholder coordination and agenda setting-> Policy formulation and action planning -> Integration UA into spatial and land use planning -> Pilot project formulation and implementation

Different policy dimensions

RUAF Strategic planning and policy formulation

• Main results

-> Revised and new UA policies elaborated and formalised at local and national level

-> UA institutionalised in municipal programmes and budgets

-> Improved access to land, finances, resources and assistance

RUAF city region food systems

• Technical assistance and training, exchange and learning, policy advocacy

-> CITYFOOD Network with ICLEI-> City region food system analysisand planning-> Link to climate change strategies-> International advocacy

RUAF city region food systems

• Main results

-> UA integrated in city climate change strategies

-> Organisations of webinars and events

-> Publication of books, Magazines and policy briefs

and planning-> City region food systems

being discussed as part of the post 2015 and SDG agenda

Thank youContact:

m.dubbeling@ruaf.orgwww.ruaf.org