Adrienne Martin, Nicoliene Oudwater and Sabine Gundel

In: UA Magazine 5 - Methodologies for UA research, policy development, planning and implementation

Situation analysis in urban and peri-urban agriculture is often a starting point for programmes and projects supporting interventions to improve the contribution of urban agriculture to income, family nutrition, social and environmental conditions and well-being. Yet there has been little specific consideration of appropriate methods and tools for assisting situation analysis in the urban and periurban context. The focus in this article is on methods, which help to build and facilitate action-oriented programmes, particularly emphasising participatory diagnosis and learning. We consider some of the broader analytical frameworks for understanding, and the conceptual challenges in investigating UPA. We then discuss some specific contexts of investigation in a UPA setting and raise issues for critical reflection in relation to the use of the methods and tools described.