Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
5
Urban Agriculture and Food Security
in Lilongwe and Blantyre, Malawi
David Dalison Mkwambisi
1
I
NTRODUCTION
Despite continued economic growth around the world, food insecurity
remains a pressing problem in many parts of Africa (Garrett and Ruel, 1999;
Maxwell, 1999; Mougeot, 2005a; UN-HABITAT, 2006). For example, the
World Food Programme (FAO, 2001) and Food and Agriculture Organisation
(FAO, 2003) both estimate that approximately 800 million people are unable
to obtain an adequate and secure supply of food year round. The FAO (2002)
further estimates that about 33 per cent of people in sub-Saharan Africa are
undernourished. The UN-HABITAT (2006) reports that the percentage of
urban residents in sub-Saharan Africa is expected to rise from 30 to 47 per
cent of the total population. This will bring about new and very severe
challenges for urban policy, especially when trying to ensure household food
security (Huddad et al, 1998).
UA is one strategy where recent research suggests that food insecurity
could be tackled (Pothukuchi and Kaufman, 1999; Mougeot, 2001, 2005a, b).
UA has been shown to be an important source of food in developing countries
and a critical food 'insurance policy' for poor urban households (Mougeot,
2000; Nugent, 2000). UA also affects household nutrition as it provides a
source of fresh, locally grown crops that meets the micronutrient requirements
in poor households' diets (FAO, 2001; Maxwell, 2001). Other benefits have
been documented, such as increases in household incomes due to the sale of
urban agricultural produce (Sanyal, 1985; Smit, 1996; Sabates et al, 2001;
Henn, 2002; IFPRI, 2002).
Nowhere are these issues more pressing than in Malawi, where persistent
poverty, HIV/AIDS and rapid urbanization have brought huge numbers of
poor, unemployed and hungry people into the cities. Currently, over 55 per
cent of the population is living on less than US$1 per day (Government of
