Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
O
BJECTIVES AND
H
YPOTHESES
Definition of terms
These are the main terms used in the paper requiring definition:
Urban agriculture (UA): Agricultural activities (farming) in an urban setting.
As defined by Mbiba (1995), it is 'the production of crops and/or livestock
on land which is administratively and legally zoned for urban uses'.
Mougeot (1995) defines it as 'the production, processing, marketing and
distribution of crops and animals and products from these in an urban
environment using resources available in that urban area for the benefit
largely of the residents of that area'.
.
Food security: The United States Agency for International Development
(USAID, 1996) defines food security as a situation where all people at all
times have both physical and economic access to su
cient food to meet
their dietary needs for a productive and healthy life. However, for the
purpose of this limited study, the researcher opted to use a narrower
measurement of household food security. The indicator of food security
was based on energy intake, and people who met 70 per cent of their
energy requirements from cereals were considered food secure. Energy
adequacy in the current study is taken as suciency of kilocalories (kcal)
consumed in relation to requirements.
.
Vulnerability: Moser (1996) defines vulnerability as the 'insecurity of the
well-being of individuals, communities or households in the face of a
changing environment'. Vulnerability can include the risk of, or
susceptibility to, food insecurity and can result from either chronic or
transitory conditions.
.
Objectives
The research had five objectives, which were designed to lead to an
understanding of
the socio-economic implications of UA in food and
livelihoods security:
1 To characterize sampled urban households in terms of their vulnerability,
poverty levels and gender of household's head among those that engage in
UA compared with those that do not. This objective remained unchanged
and was fulfilled during research.
2 To assess food security and livelihoods in terms of UA participation and
other demographic, socio-economic and geographical characteristics.
3 To measure production performance of urban farmers compared with
smallholder farmers throughout Zimbabwe.
4 To identify key factors accounting for variance in crop production
performance and crop choices.
5 To explore policies and institutional innovations that are likely to safeguard
and enhance the contribution of UA to the food security of the vulnerable
urban population.
