Complete issue

Sustainable Use of Water in Urban Agriculture

Olufunke Cofie & René van Veenhuizen

In: UA Magazine no. 20 - Water for Urban Agriculture, pp. 3-6

The number of people in the world who live in and around cities is increasing steadily. The “State of the World Cities” report by UN- Habitat (2004) predicted that by 2030, 60 percent of the world’s population will live in cities, while the threshold of 50 percent of the world’s inhabitants living in cities was reached in 2007. Most often, this rapid urbanisation is only demographic as it is not accompanied by a similar rate of infrastructural transformation, but rather puts pressure on limited urban resources. Coincidentally, the areas of the world with the fastest-growing population already have severe water problems, and the shortages will get much worse.

Using Treated Domestic Wastewater for Urban Agriculture and Green Areas; The case of Lima

Gunther Merzthal and Ernesto Bustamante

In: UA Magazine no. 20 Water in Urban Agriculture, pp. 7-9

Scarcity of water is one of the main problems in Lima, and there is increasing competition for the use of water, for human consumption, agriculture, industry, and green areas. The use of alternative sources is urgently required.

The Use of Reservoirs to Improve the Quality of Urban Irrigation Water

Julio Moscoso, Tomás Alfaro and Henry Juarez

In: UA Magazine no. 20 Water for Urban Agriculture, p. 10

Adapting to Water Scarcity: Improving water sources and use in urban agriculture in Beijing

Ji Wenhua, Cai Jianming

In: UA Magazine no. 20 - Water for Urban Agriculture, pp. 11-13

Beijing is facing a shortage of water. Because of downward trend in rainfall, surface water is gradually drying up and the level of groundwater is declining. This decline in availability of water is affecting urban agriculture in the city. Innovations are being sought by both the government and farmers focusing on the use of new water sources, like reuse of wastewater and rainwater harvesting, and improved water management.

Technology and Institutional Innovation on Irrigated Urban Agriculture in Accra, Ghana

Olufunke Cofie & Esi Awuah

In: UA Magazine no. 20 - Water for Urban Agriculture, pp. 14-16

Accra has an annual rainfall of 730 mm and the population in its administrative boundaries is 1.6 million (GHS, 2002). About 80 percent of the population in Accra has access to water and 88 percent has access to some form of toilet facilities. However, waste and wastewater disposal and treatment are still ineffective. SWITCH works in Accra on the use of urban water for agriculture and other livelihood opportunities.

Urban Agriculture and Social Inclusion

Adrienne Martin, Joep Verhagen, Luke Abatania

In: UA Magazine no. 20 - Water for Urban Agriculture, pp. 17-19

The SWITCH programme promotes a participatory, multi-stakeholder approach via its city learning alliances. As these stakeholder participation processes do not necessarily give a voice to socially excluded groups, SWITCH is initiating specific activities to address issues around social inclusion. The ultimate objective of these activities is to ensure more equal and sustainable management of, use, of and access to urban water.

Improving Decision-making on Interventions in the Urban Water Systems of Accra

S. Ibrahim, H.J. Lubberding, P. Drechsel, P. van der Steen

In: UA Magazine no. 20 - Water for Urban Agriculture, pp. 19-20

Testing the new 2006 WHO guidelines in real-life situations

In: UA Magazine no 20 - Water for Urban Agriculture, p. 21

In the wake of publication of the third edition of the WHO Guidelines for the Safe Use of Wastewater, Excreta and Greywater in Agriculture and Aquaculture (2006), three international agencies and around 10 local partners have embarked on a set of projects in Ghana, Jordan and Senegal to test out the methods and procedures proposed in these guidelines in different urban and periurban farming settings, to reduce risk where comprehensive wastewater treatment is too expensive and not feasible in the near term.

Surface Water Quality and Periurban Food Production in Kano, Nigeria

Roy Maconachie

In: UA Magazine no 20 Water for Urban Agriculture, pp. 22-24

Kano, the largest city in Northern Nigeria, has long served as an important market for resources produced in its periurban zone. In particular, urban farming is widespread in Kano and is tolerated as an important response to the economic and social conditions faced by many poor individuals. Previous studies in the region have concluded that urban farms make very significant contributions to city nutrition, household food security, employment and environment.

Urban Farmers' Irrigation Practices in Burkina Faso

Modeste L. Kinané, Arlette Tougma, Denis Ouédraogo, Moise Sonou

In: UA Magazine no. 20 - Water for Urban Agriculture, pp. 25-26

Many studies have pointed out the health risks associated with inappropriate use of untreated wastewater or polluted water for both consumers and farmers in urban vegetable production in Burkina Faso. But this is a reality in daily life, and at this point understanding farmers' strategies is critical for implementing measures to make irrigation practices safer.

Farmers' Perceptions of Benefits and Risks from Wastewater Irrigation in Accra, Ghana

Kafui Adjaye-Gbewonyo

In: UA Magazine no. 20 - Water for Urban Agriculture, pp. 27-28

As safe water sources become scarcer and more polluted, the use of wastewater in urban agriculture may produce many benefits but may also lead to crop and soil contamination and endanger farmers and consumers. To effectively manage wastewater use in agriculture, it is important to understand how stakeholders feel impacted by the practice.

Use of Irrigation Water to Wash Vegetables Grown in Urban Farms in Kumasi, Ghana

Lesley Hope

In: UA Magazine no. 20 - Water for Urban Agriculture, pp. 29-30

Owing to the importance of irrigated urban vegetable farming in Ghana, a number of research and development activities have been recently initiated to improve the safety of vegetables. The positive and negative impacts of these initiatives have already been widely documented (UA Magazine no. 8 and the article in no. 19 on this issue). This paper describes a number of low-cost risk-reduction interventions developed together with key stakeholders in the "farm to fork" continuum.

Water supply and urban agriculture in Bulawayo

Takawira Mubvami & Percy Toriro

In: UA Magazine no. 20 - Water for Urban Agriculture, pp. 31-32

Irrigation with municipal wastewater is practised in many urban and periurban areas of developing countries. In Zimbabwe this has largely been restricted to pasture irrigation (Chimbari et al., 2003). Wastewater is increasingly being used for irrigation in urban and periurban agriculture, thereby supporting the livelihoods of (particularly poor) farmers. There is a need to identify practical, affordable health safeguards that do not threaten the livelihoods of those dependent on wastewater.

Efficient usage of water in South African Township Gardens

Matthew Lief, Ubuntu

In: UA-Magazine no 20 - Water for Urban Agriculture, p. 33

Founded in 1999, Ubuntu Education Fund is an NGO dedicated to providing vulnerable children and their families in the townships of Port Elizabeth, South Africa, with an empowering environment and access to services and opportunities. Ubuntu Education Fund began developing urban community gardens at schools, health clinics and community backyards in 2005. The purpose of these gardens is to provide food and income to orphaned and vulnerable children and people living with HIV (see article in UA-Magazine no 18).

Efficient Usage of Water in South African Township Gardens

Matthew Lief

In: UA Magazine no.20 Water for Urban Agriculture

Founded in 1999, Ubuntu Education Fund is an NGO dedicated to providing vulnerable children and their families in the townships of Port Elizabeth, South Africa, with an empowering environment and access to services and opportunities. Ubuntu Education Fund began developing urban community gardens at schools, health clinics and community backyards in 2005. The purpose of these gardens is to provide food and income to orphaned  and vulnerable children and people living with HIV (see article in UA Magazine no. 18).

Rainwater Harvesting Potential for Urban Agriculture in Hyderabad

Priyanie Amerasinghe, Charles Devenish, KB Sulemani

In: UA Magazine no. 20 - Water for Urban Agriculture, pp. 34-36

Agriculture in and around Indian cities is under pressure due to rapid urbanisation and associated land use change, and couples with pressure on already scarce water resources. The major beneficiaries of UA in the larger cities are low-income communiies that make use of the available resources - vacant land, river banks and wastewater - to supplement their meagre incomes. Rainwater is a valuable potential resource, and government attention to rainwater harvesting is growing, but its potential for UA is still poorly understood and documented.

Water Supply and Urban Agriculture in Bulawayo

Mubvami, T., P. Toriro

In: UA Magazine no. 20 Water for Urban Agriculture

Irrigation with municipal wastewater is practised in many urban and periurban areas of developing countries. In Zimbabwe this has largely been restricted to pasture irrigation (Chimbari et al., 2003). Wastewater is increasingly being used for irrigation in urban and periurban agriculture, thereby supporting the livelihoods of (particularly poor) farmers. There is a need to identify practical, affordable health safeguards that do not threaten the livelihoods of those dependent on wastewater.

Greywater Recycling for Food Production in Montreal, Canada

Sara Finley

In: UA Magazine no. 20 - Water for Urban Agriculture, p. 37

Urban food production is quickly gaining popularity in Canadian cities, where community gardens are thriving and backyard or balcony cultivation is widespread. However, the desire to produce local food must be compensated by responsible water us if the practice is to be sustainable. Garden watering can account for more than 40 percent of household water use during the summer months, and wasteful irrigation practices are often the norm in Canadian cities.

Productive Sanitation: Increasing food security by reusing treated excreta and greywater in agriculture

Robert Gensch

In: UA Magazine no. 20 - Water for Urban Agriculture, pp. 38-40

Currently some estimated 854 million people worldwide are chronically hungry due to extreme poverty; and about 2 billion people lack food security intermittently due to varying degrees of poverty (FAO 2006). Despite the great efforts and promising attempts being made to decrease the number of people suffering from food insecurity, this numer still remains high worldwide and will most likely intensify in the coming decades, due to the growing world population. A great deal of this population growth will take place in cities, causing a substantial increase in the volume of urban waste products, the over-exploitation of rural resources and a significant increase in urban food demand. Developing countries are particularly affected by the rampant urbanisation tendencies and face great difficulties in coping with this development.

ECOSAN Fertilisers with Potential to Increase Yields in West Africa

Linus Dagerskog, Simeon Kenfack and Håkan Jönsson

In: UA Magazine no. 20 - Water for Urban Agriculture, pp. 41-43

In 2002 CREPA initiated a regional research and demonstration programme on ecological sanitation in seven West African countries. ECOSAN is focused on simultaneously improving sanitation and food production. This is done by making urine and faeces more hygienic and then using them as safe fertilisers. Demonstrations showed that crops fertilised with ECOSAN products often gave a higher yield during a longer harvest period.

Reuse of Ecological Sanitation Products in Urban Agriculture : Experiences from the Philippines

Robert J. Holmer, Gina S. Itchon

In: UA Magazine no. 20 - Water for Urban Agriculture, pp. 44-46

Shortly after the first community-based allotment gardens were established for urban poor families of Cagayan de Oro, Philippines (Holmer & Drescher, 2005), one of the constraints observed was the lack of sanitary toilet facilities inside the gardens. A sustainable solution to address this sanitation problem had to be found, especially since these gardens are considered as showcases for integrated solid waste management, including the composting of segregated biodegradable wastes from the garden and neighbouring households (Urbine et al, 2005)

Books

In: UA Magazine no. 20 - Water for Urban Agriculture, pp. 47-48

Weblinks

In: UA Magazine no. 20 - Water for Urban Agriculture, p. 49

Events

In: UA Magazine no. 20 - Water for Urban Agriculture, pp. 50-51

Colofon

In: UA Magazine no. 20 - Water for Urban Agriculture