Agricultural Production in Developing Countries MSc 551 Seminar Presentation: Peri-urban Agriculture Andrew Bradford

Peri-urban Agriculture Urbanization Peri-urban interface Agriculture Urban proximity Food security Agricultural Efficiency Sustainability Risks

Urbanization Recent demographic events Origins: mercantile colonialism Current: Neo-colonialism, New International Division of Labour Push: neglect of rural areas, domination of cash cropping, civil conflict Pull: employment, health, education, family migration patterns

Urban Issues Shelter Poverty Pollution Violence Solid waste Unemployment Air pollution Food security Human effluent

Peri-urban Interface Defined as the transition zone between rural and urban areas, i.e. those areas surrounding cities, which are in most ways integrated with the city High growth rates (70 percent of rural migrants, in addition to migrants from the city itself) on often marginalized lands The distinction between urban and peri- urban depends on the density, types, and patterns of land uses, which also determine the constraints and opportunities for agriculture

Urban Agriculture Agriculture within cities Refers to small plots (e.g. gardens, verges, rooftops) within a city that are used for growing crops and raising small livestock or diary cows for subsistence or sale in local markets

Peri-urban Agriculture Agriculture around cities Refers to smallholdings and commercial farm systems located around cities that are growing crops (often horticultural crops, i.e. vegetables and fruit), raising livestock, fish farming (aquaculture), or producing milk and eggs for peri-urban and urban markets

Urban Proximity: Opportunities Less need for packaging, storage and transportation Potential agricultural jobs and incomes Non-market access to food for poor consumers Availability of fresh, perishable food Proximity to services, including waste treatment facilities Waste recycling and re-use possibilities

Urban Proximity: Risks Environmental & health risks from inappropriate agricultural and aquacultural practices Increased competition for land, water, energy and labour Reduced environmental capacity for pollution absorption

Food Security Increases quantity of food available Enhances food security during times of crisis and severe scarcity Enhances freshness of perishable foods reaching urban consumers Offers employment opportunities (estimated 800 million urban residents currently active)

Agricultural Efficiency Cost savings because of proximity to consumers, less need for extensive & expensive infrastructure for transportation and preservation of perishable products Concerns arise over competition for resources (land, water, labour and energy) Horticulture: practised by poor & landless, crop species allows year round production, employment & income Productive use of under-utilized resources, vacant land, treated wastewater, recycled waste and unemployed labour

Sustainability Basic resources conflict (water & soil) Higher risk in urban food production Requires land use planning which views agriculture as an integral component of urban natural resources system and balances the competitive and synergistic interactions among the users of natural resources (water, land, air, wastes)

Risks Inappropriate/excessive use of agricultural inputs may contaminate drinking water sources Microbial contamination of soil & water, including pathogens Infection from worms, nematodes & hookworms Air pollution (carbon dioxide & methane from organic matter, ammonia, nitrous oxide & nitrogen oxide from nitrates) Intensive livestock: zoonotic diseases & veterinary public health issues

Conclusion Opportunities exist for increased food security, employment, increased resource utilization & environmental enhancement, Improvement in quality of life Requires integrated management, land use planning, legislation, monitoring & control Should not be developed in competition with rural agriculture, concentrate on activities in which it has a comparative advantage (fresh, perishable foods)

References Girardet, H. (1999). Schumacher Briefings No. 2: Creating Sustainable Cities. Green Books, Dartington. FAO. (2000) Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture. [17 th November 2000]. Satterthwaite, D. (ed). (1999). The Earthscan Reader in Sustainable Cities. Earthscan Publications Ltd, London. Photographs taken by A. Bradford in Nepal (1998) and Macedonia (2000).