The RUAF Foundation, together with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the International Development Research Centre, Urban Harvest, the Chinese Urban Agriculture Association and the Nanjing Agriculture and Forestry Bureau, organised a session called "Urban and peri-urban agriculture for Resilient Cities (Green, Productive and Socially Inclusive)" during the World Urban Forum of UN Habitat from 3 to 7 November 2008 in Nanjing, China.

Oscar Rea Campos

In: UA Magazine no. 21 - Linking Relief, Rehabilitation and Development: A role for urban agriculture?, pp. 32-33

The structural food crisis in the city of El Alto has had an especially negative impact on the lives of the poorest families. Urban agriculture is one of the alternative strategies initiated to improve their food security, but also to enhance the social inclusion of the women involved, who have more time available than the men and who can develop additional skills through this activity.

Percy Toriro

In: UA Magazine no. 21 - Linking Relief, Rehabilitation and Development: A role for urban agriculture?, pp. 26-27

Harare is the capital city of Zimbabwe. With approximately 2.5 million inhabitants (1.8 million as of the 2002 census), here almost 50 percent of Zimbabwe’s urban population lives. Recent economic difficulties have led to a phenomenal growth in urban agriculture in Harare as well as in other cities in Zimbabwe.

Astrid van Rooij and Loan Liem

In: UA Magazine no. 21 - Linking Relief, Rehabilitation and Development: A role for urban agriculture?, pp. 13-15

For over twenty years, the people of Acholiland in northern Uganda have been struggling to survive in the midst of violent conflicts. Many people have been killed. The long conflict has created high levels of dependency. A food security and livelihoods programme was started to enhance self-reliance of displaced people.

Bram J. Jansen

In: UA Magazine no. 21 - Linking Relief, Rehabilitation and Development: A role for urban agriculture?, pp. 11-12

Refugee camps are regarded as temporary settlements,organised according to the functionality of humanitarian operations. According to this political view, refugees are passive recipients of aid and the dynamics of life in the camps remain hidden. Instead, refugee camps can be seen as emerging urban environments.

Hailu Araya, Alemayehu Ayalew, Azeb Werqu and Nigusie HaileMariam

In: UA Magazine no. 19 - Stimulating Innovation in Urban Agriculture

As urbanisation increases in Ethiopia, city dwellers are responding in innovative ways to problems of high unemployment and opportunities of high market demand by growing crops and raising animals. Many people in poor families, especially women and youth, take these initiatives because they already knew farming before they migrated to town, or they learned it from others who were farming in town. 

Nieves Gonzales, Miguel Salvo and Gordon Prain

In: UA Magazine no. 19 - Stimulating Innovation in Urban Agriculture

Organically-produced food is increasingly in demand among more affluent urban populations of developing countries, and these city dwellers are willing to pay a premium for food quality and safety. Agricultural producers living in and around these cities are well placed to take advantage of this lucrative market.

Augustin Cihyoka

In: UA Magazine no. 19 - Stimulating Innovation in Urban Agriculture

The city of Bukavu, the administrative centre of South-Kivu Province, is situated in Eastern DR Congo some 2,000 km from the capital, Kinshasa. It is an important commercial, administrative and university centre with a population of over 600,000 inhabitants. For several
reasons many of them have turned to farming to secure their livelihoods.