Most research on urban agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa has concentrated on farming by individual urban households, while farming by urban institutions has been largely overlooked. Probably the... Show moreMost research on urban agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa has concentrated on farming by individual urban households, while farming by urban institutions has been largely overlooked. Probably the most prevalent and important type of institutional urban agriculture is school farming, the focus of this paper. The authors examine school farming and school feeding in Nakuru town in Kenya on the basis of a survey among primary and secondary schools carried out in June 2006. A largely structured questionnaire was used to obtain data on school characteristics, school farming activities, and school feeding practices. Moreover, anthropometric data were gathered for all class 1 primary school pupils. The study shows that school farming is very common in Nakuru town. Almost all primary and secondary schools are engaged in flower gardening and tree growing, over half of the schools practise crop cultivation and a number of schools keep some livestock. The majority of crop-cultivating schools also have a school feeding programme. Two 'success stories' demonstrate that schools in Nakuru can reach a high degree of self-sufficiency for their feeding programmes. Factors contributing to this success are the availability of land and water, and external support for school farming. [ASC Leiden abstract] Show less
In Nakuru town (northwest of Nairobi, Kenya), two out of five households were living in conditions of absolute poverty in 1997. Farming in town is one of the ways people employ to cope with this... Show moreIn Nakuru town (northwest of Nairobi, Kenya), two out of five households were living in conditions of absolute poverty in 1997. Farming in town is one of the ways people employ to cope with this problem. Based on a survey held in 1999 among almost 600 households, it is estimated that about 30 percent of the Nakuru population is engaged in crop cultivation in town. Following a general discussion of crop cultivation in sub-Saharan Africa and more particularly Kenya, this paper answers the following questions: what crops are cultivated in Nakuru town and on what types of plots? Who cultivates? What types of inputs are used and on which plots? Do different people use different inputs? What yields are being realized? Do harvests vary with types of plots, with household characteristics and with types of inputs? Why do people cultivate crops? What problems do they face? Who benefits and in what ways? How can crop cultivation in town be improved? What role does the municipality play? [ASC Leiden abstract] Show less
This paper describes urban farming in Nairobi, Kenya: its magnitude and characteristics, its importance for those involved, the constraints faced by urban farmers, the impact of urban farming on... Show moreThis paper describes urban farming in Nairobi, Kenya: its magnitude and characteristics, its importance for those involved, the constraints faced by urban farmers, the impact of urban farming on the environment, the legal and institutional setting, and the prospects for urban farming. The paper is based on four studies carried out in Nairobi by Diana Lee-Smith et al. (1984-1985), Donald Freeman (1987), Alice Mboganie Mwangi (1994), and Pascale Dennery (1994) Show less
