Dick Foeken

In: UA Magazine 16 - Formulating Effective Policies on Urban Agrilculture

Despite its importance as a livelihood source, farming in towns is (still) illegal in many African
countries. By-laws frequently date from colonial times and forbid all agricultural activity within the
boundaries of urban centres, as it does not fit in the western perception of what constitutes ‘urban’ (e.g. the city-is-beautiful idea) and because it is believed to cause all kinds of environmental hazards. However, as the practice has become increasingly widespread over the last two decades, government policy has generally changed from being mainly restrictive to being tolerant or even encouraging.