Getting the policy right: urban agriculture in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Abstract

This paper examines some of the obstacles faced by urban agriculture and its practice in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, including an ambiguous regulatory environment, institutional priorities, perceived health hazards, pressures of urbanisation and insecure tenure arrangements. It also examines the role of the national government and local municipal councils in addressing some of these issues. This paper argues that at the national level, investment prioritisation, institutional reform - in particular between the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries - and information dissemination are required to better facilitate, promote and coordinate urban agricultural activities. Local-level interventions need to incorporate urban agriculture activities into the planning process to ensure that agriculture is recognised as a major activity in urban and peri-urban areas, and provide the appropriate incentives as well as clear and straightforward regulatory environment.