Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
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UA in mountain basins - The geography of Kinshasa includes many streams
in small gorges. UA is common in these basins. The most important sites are
the Funa, Kalamu, Lukunga, N'djili and Nsanga valleys. This type of
agriculture is the main focus of this study.
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UA on residential plots - UA is practised on residential plots when enough
space is available. Most produce from these plots is destined for the
consumption by the producer and helps to secure food for poor families.
In some cases, produce is sold in the market. Constraints on this type of
agriculture include the limited amount of land available for crops, the
destruction of crops by poultry or other domestic animals and a lack of
water for plots situated in peripheral zones, such as Kimbanseke,
Kinsenso, Maluku, Mont Ngafula, N'djili and N'sele.
UA on public thoroughfares - UA is practised along the main streets, such as
the Boulevard Lumumba. In addition, various crops can be grown in small
neighbourhood streets. This type of agriculture is exposed to air pollutants
primarily from automobiles that can accumulate in plants.
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UA in the hills - UA is also practised in the hills of Kinshasa. This type of UA
is rare and is generally undertaken by very poor families who have no other
space for crops.
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Peri-urban agriculture (UPA) on the Bateke Plateaux and Plain of N'sele -
Numerous farms situated on the Bateke Plateaux, the Plain of N'djili-
Brasse´ rie and at Manenga are quite large. In some cases, modern
equipment and qualified personnel are used. Ploughing is often done with
a tractor. Some farms have agronomist engineers. Cash crops are mostly
grown on these sites, notably peanuts, cassava and corn.
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Main stakeholders
There are several important relevant stakeholders related to UA in Kinshasa.
First, the Ministry of Rural Development that, besides its traditional role of
sustaining rural development, has a general secretariat and various services
available to support UA in particular. Among the different services this ministry
provides, the National Support Service for Urban and Peri-Urban Horticulture
(SENAHUP) specifically concentrates on urban and peri-urban horticulture.
SENAHUP is a national support service for the development of urban and
peri-urban horticulture. Their mandate is to promote urban horticulture by
coordinating farming and fruit-growing activities, and provide extension
services and business development services to associations of farmers. The
Union of Market Garden Cooperatives of Kinshasa (UCOOPMAKIN) was
established on 27 November 1987 and acts as the umbrella organization for
agricultural cooperatives in the city. Each agricultural cooperative manages the
interests of its members and also an agricultural centre, and each centre
occupies a given market-garden perimeter and manages all the market
gardeners working on-site. UCOOPMAKIN currently has 32 cooperatives,
corresponding to 32 agricultural centres (Symposium des Organizations et
Dynamiques Maraıˆ che` res, 2004).
