Dynamics of the Nature and Value of Urban Agriculture in Arusha City, Tanzania: The Case of Daraja Mbili and Lemala Wards

Abstract

In the near future, urban agriculture will not be the same as it was in the past or as it is at present. The different forms and context at which agricultural activities take place can have different effects on the value of urban agriculture. Information about the actual ideal place where urban agriculture has to be done and about the exact of value of urban agriculture is implicit. This study examines the factors that characterise the change of the nature and value of urban agriculture in Arusha as one of the rapidly urbanizing cities in Tanzania. It uses two case study areas that were purposefully selected from Arusha City, namely the wards of Daraja Mbili and Lemala. A total of 60 respondents participated in depth interviews. The study reveals that limited access to ideal areas for doing urban agriculture has made some farmers to acquire small portions of land in unlawful areas for that purpose. Hence, the livestock kept are limited in numbers and crops grown are those that take a short time to grow but with less ability to suffice the food needs of the farmers and urban residents. It also reveals that the majority farmers whose land is somehow secured to meet their food and income needs through agriculture. However, uncontrolled agricultural practices have on the one hand accelerated environmental degradation and pollution, its roles on supporting livelihoods of needy farmers cannot be underrated. The study argues that urban agriculture cannot take place in the absence of adequate access to agricultural land by the farmers. It cannot also take place in the weak institutional framework that can guide its operations without jeopardising other urban land uses.