Food production in urban areas, a case study of urban agriculture in Accra, Ghana

grantor: University of TorontoUrban Agriculture is an important feature in several sub-Saharan African countries. Most urban farmers are from a rural background which prompts them to choose urban farming over other informal sector activities. Many Ghanaians move to urban Ghana in search of employment in the formal sector. However, as explained by the labour-surplus theory, many urban residents are not able to acquire employment in the formal sector. Thus, those who are not able to acquire salaried income are compelled to seek income from the informal sector. One of the informal sector activities that attracts many of the formally unemployed is urban agriculture. Apart from the fact that many urban residents are formally unemployed and consequently seek income from the informal sector, many formally employed urban residents do not earn enough to sustain themselves and their families. This is explained by the dependency theory of the Third World. Those who do not earn enough, thus the underpaid, are compelled to seek extra income from the informal sector. That many urban residents choose urban agriculture instead of other informal sector activities or in addition to other informal activities is explained by the cultural lag theory. They have a rural background, they have previous knowledge, thus skill, in farming. There are two main types of urban agriculture: enclosed farming and open-space farming. On the one hand, enclosed cultivators are mainly middle/upper class who cultivate for home consumption. On the other hand, open-space cultivators are lower class who cultivate for sale. While most of the open-space cultivators in Accra are from the northern part of Ghana where infrastructural development lags behind, most enclosed cultivators are from the more developed south. Since most open-space cultivators are poor, they depend on their social network members for an efficient practice of urban agriculture. For example, many of them acquire farmland through the assistance of network members. In addition, they borrow capital from network members to buy agricultural inputs. Urban agriculture is a permanent feature. At the moment, the emphasis is on open-space farming. In the near future, emphasis will be on enclosed farming. Both open-space farming and enclosed farming are small-scale. However, in the distant future, the emphasis will be on commercialized or large-scale farming.Ph.D

Assessing Flood Tolerance Potential of Papaya Germplasm at the Juvenile Stage

Aims: To assess flood tolerance potential of papaya germplasm and determine physiological basis of observed tolerance. Study Design: Both Experiment 1 and 2 were in RCBD with 2 and 3 treatments respectively. Place and Duration of Study: Experiments were conducted in a screen-house at the Kwadaso Station of Crops Research Institute, Ghana between February and September 2014. Methodology: Six weeks old seedlings of 30 papaya accessions were subjected to 90% partial flooding (F90) by standing planting bags with seedlings in 15 L bucket filled with water up to 90% of height of soil level in bags. Control (non-stressed: NS) plants were watered regularly for 1 week. Post flooding recovery of seedlings was monitored for 1 week. In Experiment 2, seedlings of 6 papaya accessions were subjected to 100% flooding (F100) or 50% partial flooding (F50) for 5 weeks, and a post flood recovery period of 6 weeks. Plant height, girth and biomass were measured together with leaf SPAD chlorophyll content, chlorophyll fluorescence, RWC and senescence. Results: None of the 30 papaya accessions had high flood tolerance potential, with 60% of accessions studied having low flood tolerance. F90 plants had reduced height and girth relative to control (p<.001). Leaf senescence was high in F90 plants (p<.001). All six accessions used in Experiment 2 could not withstand 100% flooding longer than 3 days. F50 treatment increased lateral root biomass (p<.001), although controls had higher tap root (p<.001), total root (p=.02) and total plant biomass (p=.002) than F50 plants. Leaf RWC (p=.89), SPAD chlorophyll content (p=.05) and chlorophyll fluorescence (p=.24) were not negatively affected by F50 treatment. Conclusion: None of the papaya accessions studied was able to withstand complete flooding. However, most could tolerate partial flooding of roots for 5 weeks and resume normal growth after release from flood stress

Coping with food poverty in cities: The case of urban agriculture in Glen Norah Township in Harare

The focus of this study is on urban agriculture which is a common informal sector activity across most sub-Saharan African cities. Urban agriculture is more common among poor urban households, and acts as a poverty coping mechanism. Poor households often spend more than 60% of their income on food alone. The major thrust of this study was to understand the underlying mechanisms driving farming in cities. A mixed method research approach was adopted and data was collected from 103 households in Glen Norah Township in Harare, Zimbabwe through semi-structured interviews, questionnaires and observations. Arising from analysis of the data, the Urban Livelihoods Coping Model (ULCM) is proposed in order to explain the phenomenon of urban agriculture in African cities. This model acknowledges the fact that the socio-economic conditions and the socio-historical context of Zimbabwe and other African countries today is as a result of the influence of 'Western leaning' development policies influenced by modernization and associated theories. These theories combined with cultural factors and the impact of Structural Adjustment Policies resulted in the present situation where urban agriculture plays a critical role in the survival of the urban poor as a coping mechanism against food poverty. The ULCM ascribes the emergence of urban agriculture to necessity, ability and opportunity. The significance of this study is that it will contribute to understanding the socio-economic role of urban agriculture and how it can be factored into the urban planning systems of developing countries.