Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
8
Wastewater Use and Urban
Agriculture in Kinshasa, DR Congo
Kifuani Kia Mayeko
1
I
NTRODUCTION
Urban agriculture is an important source of food and jobs for people in cities
throughout the world, especially in developing countries. In addition, urban
agriculture helps keep a city clean by using urban waste to improve and
fertilize land in and around the city for growing crops. In 2006, the UN
announced that the world had reached the benchmark where more than 50
per cent of people are now living in cities. This justifies a look at the role UA
can play in providing food for the demographic explosion. The contribution
of UA to food production at the world level is growing; however, despite this
importance, few governments take measures to protect it. Moreover, it is
often forgotten during the formulation of national policy.
The Democratic Republic of Congo covers an area of 2,345,000 km
2
.There
are approximately 52 million residents of which 49 per cent are men and 51 per
cent women (Ministe` re du Plan, 2004). Human development indicators show
that severe poverty exists not only in rural zones, but also in towns and cities.
Only 45 per cent of the country's population has access to safe drinking water
(UNPD, 2001; UNICEF, 2002) and nearly 80 per cent of the population lives on
less than US$0.20 per person per day (Ministe` re du Plan, 2004). In the face of
this extreme poverty, UA helps contribute to the food security of populations in
Kinshasa and in other cities of the country, as it does in other developing
countries (Delvaque, 1980; Agripromo, 1985; Niang, 1996; Mokili, 1998).
Description of study area
The Kinshasa region includes the Malebo Pool, a lake-like expansion of the
Congo River, with its channel islands, vast alluvial plain that extends from
Maluku to Kintambo and the Bateke Plateaux (Fluoriot et al, 1975; Van Caillie,
