Urban agriculture (UA) - crop growing and livestock keeping in urban open spaces - is a socioeconomic and livelihood enhancing strategy. Its practice exists throughout the city of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, and is expanding among all socioeconomic groups. There is little understanding of the processes of UA and its contribution to urban development, urban land use change, urban policy, and livelihood improvement especially among low-income urban dwellers. This project will explore, describe, and explain the dynamics of UA in Kinondoni District, Dar es Salaam. To help planners and decision-makers to design supportive policies to ensure security of land, land tenure, and access to other resources, the project will provide information by using a "Progressive Contextualization" method that incorporates aerial photography and map interpretation; secondary data analysis; and a field survey. The results will appear as a doctoral dissertation including seminars and several publications.

Purpose:

The aim of the project was to understand in greater detail current trends in urban agriculture in Dar es Salaam. Particular emphasis was placed on land use change in open spaces within the built-up areas, tenure problems, and possible policy interventions.

The study had the following specific objectives: to determine the amount and distribution of land used for agriculture; to illustrate the relationship between urban agriculture and urban land-use in three wards within Dar es Salaam; to describe the nature of urban agricultural activities in Dar es Salaam and their significance; and to suggest relevant policy interventions which would be supportive of urban agriculture.

Project findings:

Urban farmers were found to be from all socio-economic groups. Urban agriculture was not a marginal activity because it plays a key role in urban household survival, supplies food, saves money which can be used for other basic items, and provides employment. Urban farmers in Dar es Salaam include those who are better off and civil servants. These farmers engage in mixed farming and most of the labour is provided by women. Urban agriculture was found to offset some of the effects of declining wages. The status of urban agriculture seems to have be rising, which also gradually increases tolerance of local authorities for the presence of crops and animals. Urban agriculture contributes to between 20-30 percent of household food supply. Forty percent of the cash used to purchase household food comes from self-employment (including agriculture) and revenues from sales of produce are often much greater than regular wages. Although the amount of land in Dar es Salaam available for urban agriculture has declined, the study indicates that urban agriculture intensifies on more central interstitial land and that it expands in peri-urban areas. The study produced an interesting typology of impediments to urban agriculture. These impediments were placed in four categories, namely policy and organizational, ideological, economic and geographical, and urban agglomeration.

Project recommendations:

Policies are needed to ensure that the urban poor also benefit from urban agriculture by providing access to land and controlling land speculation. Urban agriculture needs to be planned for and regulated by controlling the number of animals and managing land use. Over-regulation should be avoided. Collaboration is needed between local authorities and urban farmers on water issues, land use and waste management.

Project literature:  

Camillus J. Sawio. 1993. Feeding the Urban Masses? Towards an Understanding of the Dynamics of Urban Agriculture and Land Use Change in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Unpublished Ph.D dissertation, Clark University, Worcester, MA.  

Camillus J. Sawio. 1994. Who are the farmers of Dar es Salaam? In Egziabher A.G., Lee-Smith D., Maxwell D.G., Memon P.A., Mougeot L.J.A., and Sawio C.J. Cities Feeding People: An Examination of Urban Agriculture in East Africa, pp.25-46. IDRC  
  
Feeding the urban masses? : towards an understanding of the dynamics of urban agriculture and landuse change in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania; progress technical report. 1992. 71 p. : ill. Location: ARCHIV 631(678-21) S 2 BIBLIO ISN: IDRC-Lib-92715  

Who are the farmers of Dar-es-Salaam?. Cities feeding people : an examination of urban agriculture in East Africa. 1994.  
Location: ARCHIV 631(678-21) S 23 BIBLIO ISN: IDRC-Lib-103780  

Urban Agriculture in Dar es Salaam (Dar es Salaam, TANZANIA), Project Fact Sheet 22. 
 

Other reading:  

For additional information, please refer to Urban Agriculture in Dar es Salaam (Tanzania). Adventures in Development. 

• Urban Agriculture in Dar es Salaam (Tanzania)