Case study: Reviewing urban agriculture bye-laws in Kampala, Uganda For decades, residents of Kampala have relied on urban agriculture for food, employment, and income. Farming activities have spread throughout the Ugandan capital, taking over all manner of available space—from abandoned fields to grounds along roads and waterways. Unfortunately, many policy makers viewed these agricultural activities as a nuisance. Roaming livestock raised frequent road-safety concerns, while other farming practices were considered harmful to public health and the environment. “Our bylaws were outdated,� admits Winnie Makumba, former Kampala City Minister of Social Improvement, Community Development and Antiquities, in the following video-clip. “They failed to recognize that many residents derived their livelihoods from urban farming. We realized it was up to us as political leaders to initiate the policy changes that would support urban farming practices.� In 2001, Kampala city government thus set out to revise existing legislation related to urban farming. Two years later, the Kampala City Council District Extension Office, in collaboration with the Kampala Urban Food Security, Agriculture and Livestock Coordination Committee (KUFSALCC), spearheaded a consultative process to re-examine draft bills for five city ordinances. Resistance to change, however, ran deep in Kampala, partly because urban agriculture challenges prevailing attitudes. Influenced by colonial bylaws, these attitudes hold that urban farming is inappropriate in cities.However, abundant urban agriculture research and advocacy—supported by international organizations such as IDRC, the UK Department for International Development and the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research—helped illuminate food security as a key issue, and successfully eclipse outdated fears in Kampala. Perhaps most compelling was the city’s inclusive consultative process, which helped ensure grassroots support for change. “The best way to make laws is to involve the people who are going to be affected by them,� says George Nasinyama, KUFSALCC Team Leader. With this in mind, KUFSALCC and the Kampala District Extension Office conducted a series of workshops to engage a range of stakeholders—especially urban farmers. Recommendations generated at these workshops were readily adopted by Kampala city council with only minor amendments. “Input from community members was strong because they knew what they wanted,� says Kampala City District Extension Coordinator Semwanga Margaret Azuba. “The ideas they brought on board only needed to be polished in legal language.� As a result, five ordinances were created to regulate all forms of urban agriculture. The ordinances are currently being piloted to enable an impact assessment. Source: IDRC, 2006. Growing better cities: Building an edible landscape. Prepared for the World Urban Forum 2006. International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada. See for further information on Kampala the optional reading: K. Conway, 2006. From the ground up: urban agriculture reforms take root. Case study No 2. Growing Better Cities. IDRC, Canada. Click Here | 