Angelika Kessler, Friedhelm Streiffeler and Emmanuel Obuobie

In: UA Magazine No. 12 - Gender and Urban Agriculture

Traditionally, women have cultivated local vegetables around the house in many West African societies. However, in the French-speaking countries of this region, temperate vegetables were introduced in the colonial time. Prisoners and local soldiers (all men) were obliged to produce these vegetables. This article describes the results of two studies in West Africa, focusing on female- dominated vegetable production.

Emmanuel Obuobie, Pay Drechsel, George Danso and Liqa Raschid-Sally

In: UA Magazine No. 12 - Gender and Urban Agriculture

As in many other West African countries, men dominate in open-space urban vegetable farming in Ghana, particularly open-space irrigated vegetable farming. The arduous nature of most farm tasks, such as land clearing and preparation is the major reason given by farmers (both male and female) to explain why men dominate this informal sector activity. Women were found to dominate in the marketing of urban farm produce. This is partly due to the Ghanaian tradition that marketing in general is a woman's job, but also because Ghanaian women perceive marketing as more profitable, and less risky than farming.

Marta de Olarte

In: UA Magazine No. 12 - Gender and Urban Agriculture

Urbanisation and de-population of rural areas in Peru have advanced dramatically over the past 60 years. Today, almost three-quarters of the Peruvian population live in urban and periurban zones. As a result, the cities' resources and services for their own residents, including health care, education, employment, and access to food, have become increasingly stretched.. Urban agriculture has steadily grown in the past few decades in metropolitan Lima, largely brought in by rural migrants. This context led the Resources for Development Association (REDE) to promote "communal gardens" in the southern cone of Lima as a way to fight hunger and malnutrition. The work of REDE has a "gender in development" focus, through which an effort is made to analyse the roles and the needs of men and women in order to empower women.

Tasso Hetterschijt

In: UA Magazine No. 12 - Gender and Urban Agriculture

Lima is historically known as the Garden City. However, judging from its lack of greenery it is hard to imagine how it earned this name. Gardening on the Peruvian desert with an annual rainfall of 25 mm is hard. People have developed several strategies to irrigate their crops by using water from the Rimac river and tap water. Consequently, urban agriculture has many faces in Lima. The livelihood of the urban farmers is very dynamic, and the activities carried out by different members of the household change rapidly.

Gunther Merzthal

In: UA Magazine No. 12 - Gender and Urban Agriculture

This article is an adapted summary of a diagnostic survey on the roles and functions of women community farmers in the city of Rosario. The study was carried out in October 2003 by representatives of the Areas of Employment, Women, and Urban Agriculture of the Department of Social Promotion of the Municipality of Rosario and the NGO Rima.

Alice J. Hovorka

In: UA Magazine No. 12 - Gender and Urban Agriculture

Urban agriculture in Greater Gaborone takes on a predominantly commercial character whereby the bulk of produce is sold on the urban market. It has not emerged as a response to stifled economic opportunities in the city but rather through a favourable political economic environment. Three key dimensions of urban agriculture in Greater Gaborone make it an interesting and insightful case study on gender issues: it is predominantly commercial, it is formally recognised, and an equal number of men and women participate. This article provides an overview of research findings and conclusions of a study in Greater Gaborone.

Joanna Wilbers, Alice J. Hovorka and René van Veenhuizen

In: UA Magazine No. 12 - Gender and Urban Agriculture

Urban agriculture can have positive and/or negative consequences for men and women. This will depend on the situation and conditions. Information on urban agriculture demonstrates that it generally has a positive impact on household food security, and thus will be beneficial to women as they most often are responsible. This issue of UA Magazine takes a closer look, by exploring how urban agriculture relates to existing gender dynamics.

Juliet Kiguli

In: UA Magazine 10 - Appropriate (Micro) Technologies for Urban Agriculture

Urban agriculture in Uganda is mainly viewed as a household survival strategy, in the context of rising poverty. Mushroom cultivation is a recent trend in Kampala, Uganda. This paper explores the rationale for growing mushrooms, focuses on gender participation, as more women are involved in mushroom cultivation than men, and the necessary conditions for success.

Leonora C. Angeles

In: UA Magazine 6 - Transition to Ecological Urban Agriculture: A Challenge

The promotion of sustainable local livelihoods through urban agriculture will be unsustainable if urban farmers get trapped in the same cycle of dependency on expensive chemical farm inputs, like fertiliser and pesticides. This realisation has led to the promotion of organic urban farming by local community organisations in the cities of Valencia and Malaybalay in Bukidnon province, and Cagayan de Oro city in Mindanao, Philippines.

Alice Hovorka

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

The incorporation of gender considerations into urban agriculture research is increasing, and indeed, there have been advances over the last decade in our understanding of both men's and women's experiences with farming in cities around the world. There is a move away from the so-called "urban farmer", an undifferentiated, masculine, normalised urban dweller who engages in agriculture. Instead, there is greater recognition that people's experiences with urban agriculture cannot be easily standardised and that gender neutrality does not necessarily capture the breadth of such experiences.