Michael Baumeister and Henk de Zeeuw

In: UA Magazine No. 11 - Availability, Access and Usability of Land for Urban Agriculture

An increasing number of cities and countries are interested to include urban agriculture in their strategies and programmes to reduce urban poverty and enhance urban food security. In order to facilitate that process, from 3 - 26 of November 2003, the Urban Management Programme (UNDP / UN-Habitat), and ETC-RUAF organised an electronic conference on the optimisation of access of the urban poor to land for agricultural activities.

René van Veenhuizen

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

Agriculture in the city has many faces. It is a dynamic phenomenon and comprises different farming systems, each with specific needs. This issue of the UA-Magazine features micro-technologies for urban agriculture. It presents a wide variety of techniques and discusses why and how these technologies were developed, the critical factors for their success and what policy improvements are needed for their further development.

Appropriate methods for urban agriculture. Research, policy development, planning, implementation and evaluation. (E-conference - February 4-16 2002)

Antoaneta Yoveva

In: UA Magazine 9 - Financing Urban Agriculture

Traditionally, agriculture plays a significant role in the Bulgarian economy. Small urban farmers form a substantial and increasing part of the agricultural sector. Most urban agriculture in Bulgaria is for subsistence. Some agricultural lending programmes have been introduced, but the funding levels are insufficient to compensate for modest bank credit. The banks persist in their conservative approach to lending in general, and to agriculture in particular. Apart from relatives and commercial bank credit, rural and urban agriculture in Bulgaria currently relies on several international lending programmes, discussed in this article.

A.C.Mosha

In: UA Magazine 9 - Financing Urban Agriculture

The city of Gaborone has grown from a very small village to become the capital city of Botswana in a period of less than 36 years. Subsistence and commercial agriculture are both found throughout Gaborone. One of the safety nets adopted by the poor has been urban agriculture either as a means of survival or to supplement low incomes, while some entrepreneurs have opted for urban agriculture as a means of making money. Of the various credit programmes in Botswana, three have achieved some marked success in urban and periurban agriculture and are examined in this paper.

Marielle Dubbeling

In: UA Magazine 8 - Wastewater Reuse in Urban Agriculture

Developing programmes for the treatment and use of wastewater for urban agriculture basically involves managing health risks and facilitating the adoption of adequate technologies at city or neighbourhood level while optimising their benefits. Adopting facilitating policies and defining the financial sustainability of wastewater treatment and use systems is necessary. A shortened version of the policy brief on the use of wastewater for urban agriculture in the Latin American Region is given here.

Pay Drechsel, Ursula J. Blumenthal and Bernard Keraita

In: UA Magazine 8 - Wastewater Reuse in Urban Agriculture

To protect farmers' and consumers' health, the World Health Organization (WHO) published guidelines for the safe use of wastewater in agriculture (WHO, 1989); they are currently under revision. The purpose of the 1989 guidelines was to guide design engineers and planners in the choice of wastewater treatment technologies and water management options. The application of the guidelines, however, has been found to be difficult in many field situations. It was suggested that the WHO guidelines need adjustment for better application in wastewater exposed urban and peri-urban agriculture in resource-poor countries. A model/flow diagram of a new process for deciding on locally appropriate health protection measures is suggested here.

Judith Kaspersma

In: UA Magazine 8 - Wastewater Reuse in Urban Agriculture

From 24 June to 5 July 2002, IWMI and ETC-RUAF organised an electronic conference on strategies that may be applied to reduce the health risks associated with the use of untreated, partially treated or diluted wastewater in agriculture, whilst maintaining or enhancing the social and economic benefits for the poor urban citizens involved in irrigated production.

Isabela. M. Madaleno

In: UA Magazine 4 - Integration of UPA in urban planning

Agriculture is an old urban function. It never ceased to exist in developing countries and is now once again welcome in most developed countries as well. Poor Brazilian communities see urban agriculture as an alternative survival strategy, because it produces food and improves household's nutrition, but also generates income and jobs. In Portugal, city gardening is small-scale, aimed at giving opportunities for child and adult education, providing ways to produce and consume healthy food, and to enhance contact with land and living things.

Axel Drescher

In: UA Magazine 4 - Integration of UPA in urban planning

A virtual conference on "Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture on the Policy Agenda" was jointly organised by FAO and ETC-RUAF, from August 21 - September 30, 2000. The conference was divided into three main themes: Household Food Security & Nutrition; Health & Environment; and Urban Planning. This short article revisits some issues regarding the nature of planning, the diverse opportunities for intervention and potential enhancement tools of urban and peri-urban agriculture.
The introductory and final papers, and the discussion of the e-conference can be found here (in English).