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Food Security & NutritionFaecal Sludge Application for Agriculture in Tamale, GhanaSubmitted by Guest on Tue, 06/28/2005 - 14:14
Isaac Asare, Gordana Kranjac-Berisavljevic and Olufunke. CofieIn: UA Magazine 10 - Appropriate (Micro) Technologies for Urban Agriculture The use of human waste as a source of fertiliser in developing countries as a whole and particularly in Ghana, has not received much recognition (Laryea, 1998). Due to poor soil fertility, and lack of financial means to buy chemical fertiliser, farmers in the drier parts of Ghana frequently resort to the use of human waste i.e. faecal sludge (FS) for agriculture. In the nineties, Owusu-Bennoah and Visker (1994) reported that 90% of collected night soil in Tamale municipality was used as fertilizer. This paper describes the ingenuity of small-scale farmers in the use of faecal sludge for crop production in Tamale Municipality. The Abundant Harvest GardenSubmitted by Guest on Tue, 06/28/2005 - 13:45
Tomi Jill Folk and Hank BruceIn: UA Magazine 10 - Appropriate (Micro) Technologies for Urban Agriculture The goal of "Hunger Grow Away" has been to cultivate food security "One Family at a Time." To achieve this the Abundant Harvest Garden (AHG) was developed, which is a micro-intensive food production system that can grow the produce needs for a family of four in a 1.44m2. It does this with 20% of the water a conventional garden uses. The AHG may put a family garden within reach of the poor and fresh produce can be a part of the daily diet. The AHG can be used in the most confined and difficult places, including pavement or rooftops. Hunger Grow Away is a non-profit organization that provides these gardening systems and information and assists in fund raising to purchase AHGs. ( categories: )
Micro-technologies for Congested Urban Centers in EthiopiaSubmitted by Guest on Tue, 06/28/2005 - 11:27
Yilma GetachewIn: UA Magazine 10 - Appropriate (Micro) Technologies for Urban Agriculture Indicators on increasing urbanisation and congestion in Addis Ababa include: 40% unemployment; a daily output of 2000 tons of organic waste and 100,000 tons of animal manure, daily per capita of one dollar or less, daily per capita micro nutrient food consumption of 10 grams or less and 25 m2 garden space per family. Urban agriculture can play an important role in the increasingly congested cities. This article describes the experiences of Yilma bio-consult, specializing on promotion of urban agriculture in Addis Ababa and other urban centres in Ethiopia. Yilma bio-consult, has identified 30 technologies for fertilizer production, pest and disease control and water management. They are all based on natural processes and are therefore cheap, simple and are dependant on locally available resources. ( categories: )
City Farming - the Natural Alternative, Experiences in IndiaSubmitted by Guest on Tue, 06/28/2005 - 11:17
R.T. Doshi, with Sunil Doshi and Vandana ShahIn: UA Magazine 10 - Appropriate (Micro) Technologies for Urban Agriculture After working on his farm at Kamshet, near Pune, the author discovered the immeasurable problems faced by farmers. He discovered that if farmers include the cost of their labour in the calculation of farm profit and loss, all farms would be unprofitable. This led him to think very seriously about reducing the costs of farming and labour. Dr. Doshi has experimented with a number of farming practices that enables city dwellers to grow their own food on every available square inch of urban space, including terraces and balconies. None of the innovations recommended involve high costs, nor does the farming require long hours of work. The farm can provide the family with ample nutrition from plant sources, eliminating the need to purchase one's vegetables and fruits from the market, where inflation makes a mockery of housewives' budgets. Investment in Urban Agriculture to Reduce Urban Poverty in The PhilippinesSubmitted by Guest on Thu, 06/23/2005 - 16:28
Mayor Estelita M. Aquino and Joseph H. BatacIn: UA Magazine 9 - Financing Urban Agriculture The last 20 years have seen the population of Marilao increase at an average rate of 9.4% per year (4.5 times the national average). The five year local plan document of 1996 emphasised productivity improvement combined with access to financing. To counteract the rapid conversion of good land to human settlements, industry, services, commerce and trade, and the resulting degraded soil, and deterioration in surface water quality and smog, the municipality started to invest into the collection of biodegradable waste, and in the processing and use of the compost for agricultural production. Subsequently compost-based, home-grown potted vegetable production was facilitated and supported. Economic Strategies of Different Cropping Systems in West AfricaSubmitted by Guest on Thu, 06/23/2005 - 16:23
Angelika KesslerIn: UA Magazine 9 - Financing Urban Agriculture In West Africa's capital cities urban farms are not homogeneous. They differ in crops, cropping period, location, inputs, capital investments, profits and liquid assets. Different farming systems have specific economic strategies to which credits have to be adapted. In West African urban farms, we can distinguish four to five different crop production systems, which differ by type of farm, products, location (in city or periurban area), economic strategy, and profitability. In this article, the following systems are distinguished: mixed vegetable farms, irrigated with watering cans; mixed vegetable farms using pumps; women's traditional vegetable farms; ornamental plant cultivation; and staple-food farms.Interviews were conducted in Lomé, Cotonou, Bamako, Dakar, Ouagadougou and Conakry in 1999 and 2002, as part of a European Union financed INCO project for development called "The use of organic composted waste from urban households for phytosanitary purposes in periurban agriculture of West Africa". Furthermore, IWMI-FAO West Africa, financed City Resource Papers on Urban Agriculture. Based on these interviews, annual (Lome and Cotonou) or seasonal (Bamako and Ouagadougou) benefit of the farms were calculated, taking into account input costs, salaries, maintenance and depreciation. ( categories: )
Financing Market-Oriented Dairy Development: the case of Ada'a-Liben Woreda Dairy Association, EthiopiaSubmitted by Guest on Thu, 06/23/2005 - 16:17
Azage TegegneIn: UA Magazine 9 - Financing Urban Agriculture The Ada'a-Liben Woreda Dairy and Dairy Products Marketing Association was established in 1998 in Debre Zeit town, 45 km southeast of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The association was established with 34 founding members. The main objectives of the association are to minimise the high transaction cost for the sale of milk and reduce seasonal price fluctuations. The milk collection and marketing activity started in January 2000, and over the last few years, the association has made significant progress. Currently there are 428 full members composed of 245 male and 183 female farmers. In addition, 181 non-member dairy farmers supply milk to the association. The members of the association have a total of 1,716 dairy cows and a capital of over 500,000 Birr. The number of milk collection sites has increased to seven around Debre Zeit town. The association has created job opportunities for 25 regular staff. Recently, the association purchased two coolers with 25,000 litres capacity. The current milk collection has increased to 5,500 litres per day or about 175,000 litres per month. The major source of finance has been contributions from members, sales of milk and support from a number of government offices, NGOs and international organisations. ( categories: )
Livestock and Urban Waste in East AfricaSubmitted by Guest on Thu, 06/23/2005 - 13:26
Sabine GuendelIn: UA Magazine 8 - Wastewater Reuse in Urban Agriculture With the objectives to understand the current situation of poor urban livestock keepers in East Africa, and to identify areas where future research could make a contribution to the development and promotion of this activity for the poor, five city case studies were selected in Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya and Ethiopia. The cities were Dar es Saalam, Kampala, Kisumu, Nairobi, and Addis Ababa. Results are discussed here. Trust Funds as Financing Mechanism for Participatory Urban AgricultureSubmitted by Guest on Tue, 06/21/2005 - 18:33
César Jaramillo AvilaIn: UA Magazine 7 - Economic Aspects of Urban Agriculture Among the approximately two million residents of the Metropolitan District of Quito, Ecuador, 45% live in conditions of poverty, and 12% in destitution. These conditions are linked to and aggravated by the economic crisis produced by the structural adjustment policies of the last three years. The "AGRUPAR" Programme, described here, aims to combat the disproportionate impact of the economic crisis on the poorest urban populations, focusing on the generation of income and employment and ecological protection of natural resources. ( categories: )
The Economic Impact of Urban Agriculture on home gardeners in OuagadougouSubmitted by Guest on Tue, 06/21/2005 - 18:10
S. Gerstl, G. Cissé and M. TannerIn: UA Magazine 7 - Economic Aspects of Urban Agriculture Urban agriculture can provide benefits but also risks for urban inhabitants. This study confirmed that the strengths overshadow the risks of practicing home gardening in a sub-Sahelian setting, and underlined the positive economic impact and food security for home gardeners. However, these two benefits depend on seasonal variations and external factors. Nevertheless, home gardeners still have a precarious existence and need strategies for increasing their security. This article is based on a study of the socio-economic impact of home gardening in the capital of Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou (Gerstl 2001). Among other aspects, this study examined home gardening as a livelihood compared to other livelihood activities carried out by people with a similar background, both in terms of amount of income and in the way it varied from season to season and from place to place. The reasons for this variation were investigated, in order to make suggestions on how the situation for these families could be improved. ( categories: )
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