Publication Type
Journal Article
Publication Date (Issue Year)
2024
Journal Name
Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems
Abstract
By 2022, 42.39% of the sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) population was living in urbanareas. This urbanization correlates with increasing poverty, unemployment, foodinsecurity, environmental pollution, and the prevalence of informal settlements.These challenges worsened urban food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemicin SSA cities. This review analyzed the role of urban farming system as a pivotalmeans to enhance urban food security, incorporating socioeconomic integration andenvironmental sustainability. The analysis is grounded in a systematic review usingspecific keywords, evaluating 46 articles and institutional reports related to the sub-ject. The results revealed that 3.62% of SSA countries have implemented nationalurban governance and policies with minimal focus on urban farming. Rapid urban-ization, urban population growth, and climate change are key factors contributingto cities’ vulnerabilities to food insecurity in SSA. Predominantly characterized byhorticultural practice, urban farming enhances the food supply system, nutritioussecurity, jobs and income generation, reduces transportation costs, promotes the con-sumption of fresh food, and mitigates food loss in cities. Despite its importance,urban farming in SSA encounters several challenges: (i) urbanization governanc and policy, (ii) knowledge and technology in urban farming, (iii) access to land andwater, (iv) financing and capacity building for urban farming, and (v) environmentalpollution. SSA countries need a coordinated mix of urbanization policies and tech-nological advancements to integrate innovative urban farming methods, bolsteringcities’ resilience to food insecurity. Implementing these measures could advance theachievement of sustainable development goals 2 and 11 in SSA cities.Plain Language SummaryDespite having considerable of the world’s remaining unutilized arable land, Africais still unable to feed its growing population. This situation is principally worsenedin sub-Saharan Africa, home to the 15 world’s fastest growing cities. In this region,34.19% of people facing hunger in 2022 were living in urban areas. In this context,urban farming system could be an alternative means of enhancing urban food security.But only 3.62% of sub-Saharan African countries have implemented urbanizationgovernance and policies with minimal focus on urban farming. As a result, urbanfood insecurity is emerging as a serious problem of development that affects urbanpoor in this region. This challenge has been exacerbated by the COVID pandemicrevealing the vulnerability of this urban poor population. This research underscoresthe potential of urban farming system to improve food security and contribute toclimate change mitigation in sub-Saharan African cities.
Keywords
Urban farming system, food security in sub-Saharan Africa, Analysis, current status, challenges
Rsif Scholar Name
Issaka Abdou Razakou KIRIBOU
Thematic Area
Climate Change
Africa Host University (AHU)
Haramaya University, Ethiopia
Funding Statement
Natural Resources Institute (NRI) atGreenwich University in the UK for their support and guid-ance during our internship. Great thanks to the Partnershipfor Skills in Applied Sciences, Engineering, and Technology(PASET) Regional Scholarship Innovation Funds (RSIF) fortheir financial support. Great thanks to Haramaya University,our host institution
Recommended Citation
KIRIBOU, I. A., Bedadi, B., Dimobe, K., Ndemere, J., Neya, T., Ouedraogo, V., & Dejene, S. W. (2024). Urban farming system and food security in sub-Saharan Africa: Analysis of the current status and challenges. Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems, 9 (1), e70007. https://doi.org/10.1002/UAR2.70007