A platform for research: civil engineering, architecture and urbanism
A platform for research: civil engineering, architecture and urbanism
WHY URBAN AGRICULTURE MATTERS.:Allotment gardens at the service of food security in the urban areas of Benin
Food security is increasingly becoming a major challenge for the rapidly urbanizing areas in sub-Saharan Africa. Indeed, specific aspects of food security applicable to the urban context include the necessity to purchase most of the food needed and greater dependence on market-based systems. For the urban poor, it is the dominance of the cash economy over access to such a basic need as food that links urban food systems to poverty and vulnerability to food insecurity. Recently, urban agriculture (UA) has increasingly gained recognition as a viable intervention strategy for the urban poor to secure food and earn extra income. However, UA encounters a lack of interest and acknowledgement by policies and is not expanding at the expected rate. Using a transdisciplinary approach, this research aimed to propose an integrated model that facilitates a smooth development of UA in Benin, and sub-Saharan African countries. The research explored the profile of urban poor and showed that they were characterized by low educational and income levels, overcrowded and unsanitary housing conditions and limited access to social services and health facilities; 76 percent of them were food insecure. Through a two-year randomized controlled trial that addressed the lack of farming skills and financial capital, and safety issues for women, the research found that allotment gardens can provide urban poor with access to fresh foods and income to improve their food security situation. In addition, the successful development of allotment gardens depended on three factors: regular agricultural advice of a skilled master gardener, full compliance of participants to the intervention, and good cooperation among members. Using the context of COVID-19 pandemic, the findings indicated that, despite the disruptions in food logistics due to movement restrictions, there was evidence that urban farmers were better off in lockdown periods compared to poor urban citizens without a garden. Furthermore, the research found a predominance of five main ...
WHY URBAN AGRICULTURE MATTERS.:Allotment gardens at the service of food security in the urban areas of Benin
Food security is increasingly becoming a major challenge for the rapidly urbanizing areas in sub-Saharan Africa. Indeed, specific aspects of food security applicable to the urban context include the necessity to purchase most of the food needed and greater dependence on market-based systems. For the urban poor, it is the dominance of the cash economy over access to such a basic need as food that links urban food systems to poverty and vulnerability to food insecurity. Recently, urban agriculture (UA) has increasingly gained recognition as a viable intervention strategy for the urban poor to secure food and earn extra income. However, UA encounters a lack of interest and acknowledgement by policies and is not expanding at the expected rate. Using a transdisciplinary approach, this research aimed to propose an integrated model that facilitates a smooth development of UA in Benin, and sub-Saharan African countries. The research explored the profile of urban poor and showed that they were characterized by low educational and income levels, overcrowded and unsanitary housing conditions and limited access to social services and health facilities; 76 percent of them were food insecure. Through a two-year randomized controlled trial that addressed the lack of farming skills and financial capital, and safety issues for women, the research found that allotment gardens can provide urban poor with access to fresh foods and income to improve their food security situation. In addition, the successful development of allotment gardens depended on three factors: regular agricultural advice of a skilled master gardener, full compliance of participants to the intervention, and good cooperation among members. Using the context of COVID-19 pandemic, the findings indicated that, despite the disruptions in food logistics due to movement restrictions, there was evidence that urban farmers were better off in lockdown periods compared to poor urban citizens without a garden. Furthermore, the research found a predominance of five main ...
WHY URBAN AGRICULTURE MATTERS.:Allotment gardens at the service of food security in the urban areas of Benin
Houessou, Mawuna Donald (author)
2021-11-25
Houessou , M D 2021 , ' WHY URBAN AGRICULTURE MATTERS. Allotment gardens at the service of food security in the urban areas of Benin ' , PhD , Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam , sl .
Book
Electronic Resource
English
Allotment Gardens Contribute to Urban Ecosystem Service: Case Study Salzburg, Austria
| Online Contents | 2015
Allotment Gardens Contribute to Urban Ecosystem Service: Case Study Salzburg, Austria
| British Library Online Contents | 2015