In Kampala, urban agriculture is rapidly becoming one of the key activities in the informal economy. Currently there is evidence of agricultural enterprises in staple food crops; vegetable and fruit production; poultry and other livestock production; and some traditional cash crops. This project will seek to learn how the activity of urban agriculture is organized. Researchers will investigate current agriculture practices in the city, determining who produces what, how much, and why. Researchers will also determine levels of investment in land, labour, and capital; examine ways in which urban agriculture could be made more productive; outline relevant policy issues affecting urban agriculture; and suggest areas for further study.

Post-project summary:

To understand indigenous responses to the African development crisis of the 1980s, researchers conducted a case study of urban agriculture as practised in Kampala, Uganda. Data were collected from five sources: in-depth interviews of urban farmers; a formal survey; urban and government officials; local elected authorities; and legal documents. The study found that urban agriculture was practised as a survival strategy by low-income households; constituted a productive segment of Kampala's informal economy despite adverse attitudes and policies, lack of direct services (i.e. land tenure) or technical support for increased productivity; relied on underutilized urban resources (land and labour); and contributed to the city's food self-reliance. Commonly held assumptions were challenged by the study's findings that urban agriculture was motivated economically, not culturally; it cut across lines of class and income; it was not practised only by the most recently-arrived; it did produce staple food crops (and animal products where livestock was raised); and it had the potential to recycle urban wastes rather than represent a health hazard. The study concluded that issues of legality, official attitudes, and access to land needed to be addressed to optimize urban agriculture's contribution to the city's economy. Results were disseminated at a workshop held in Kampala in June 1990 attended by 50 participants including government officials, academics, and NGO representatives. The final report of the project was made available to interested institutions and individuals, including Canadian and African researchers and the UNDP, which intended to initiate a program on urban agriculture in 1992.

Project literature:

Urban agriculture : a case study of Kampala. 1990. 63 p. : ill. 
(Final report Location: ARCHIV 631(676.1-21) M 3 BIBLIO ISN: IDRC-Lib-49540