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Urban agriculture and poverty reduction: Evaluating how food production in cities contributes to food security, employment and income in Malawi

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  • David D. Mkwambisi
  • Evan D. G. Fraser
  • Andy J. Dougill

Abstract

Support of urban agriculture can be used as a route to reducing urban poverty across Sub-Saharan Africa. However policy makers require more precise information on how it contributes to alleviating food insecurity and poverty problems. This study in Malawi's two main cities (Lilongwe and Blantyre) revealed two predominant ‘types’ of urban farmers: (i) low‐income, less educated, often female‐headed households, who use urban agriculture as an insurance against income losses and who can employ skilled workers to support their livestock activities; and (ii) middle‐ and high‐income, often male‐headed households, that undertake urban agriculture for personal consumption and hire significant numbers of unskilled workers. Within the low‐income group, there are some female headed‐households who are now receiving significant income from livestock programmes having been provided with initial external support from a non‐governmental organisation. Our findings suggest a need for a two‐pronged policy approach to try and improve the overall effectiveness of urban agriculture support, namely to (1) target poor women with extension and development project support; and (2) support wealthier farmers to increase the employment opportunities associated with urban agriculture. Copyright (C) 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Suggested Citation

  • David D. Mkwambisi & Evan D. G. Fraser & Andy J. Dougill, 2011. "Urban agriculture and poverty reduction: Evaluating how food production in cities contributes to food security, employment and income in Malawi," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 23(2), pages 181-203, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:jintdv:v:23:y:2011:i:2:p:181-203
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1002/jid.1657
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. William G. Moseley, 2016. "Agriculture on the Brink: Climate Change, Labor and Smallholder Farming in Botswana," Land, MDPI, vol. 5(3), pages 1-14, June.
    2. Peter Agamile, 2022. "COVID-19 Lockdown and Exposure of Households to Food Insecurity in Uganda: Insights from a National High Frequency Phone Survey," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 34(6), pages 3050-3075, December.
    3. Shackleton, C.M. & Drescher, A. & Schlesinger, J., 2020. "Urbanisation reshapes gendered engagement in land-based livelihood activities in mid-sized African towns," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 130(C).
    4. Godwin Okafor & Sydney Chikalipah, 2021. "Estimating the effect of terrorism on agricultural production in Nigeria," African Development Review, African Development Bank, vol. 33(4), pages 703-714, December.
    5. Poulsen, Melissa N. & McNab, Philip R. & Clayton, Megan L. & Neff, Roni A., 2015. "A systematic review of urban agriculture and food security impacts in low-income countries," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 131-146.
    6. Davies, Julia & Hannah, Corrie & Guido, Zack & Zimmer, Andrew & McCann, Laura & Battersby, Jane & Evans, Tom, 2021. "Barriers to urban agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    7. Paulo Silvano Magno Fróes Júnior & Fabrício Khoury Rebello & Cyntia Meireles Martins & Maria Lúcia Bahia Lopes & Caio Cezar Ferreira de Souza & Joyce dos Santos Saraiva & João Paulo Borges de Lou, 2022. "Socioeconomics of Urban Agriculture in Curuçambá Neighborhood, Metropolitan Region of Belém, Brazilian Amazon," Journal of Agricultural Studies, Macrothink Institute, vol. 10(4), pages 88-112, December.
    8. Assem Abu Hatab & Maria Eduarda Rigo Cavinato & Carl Johan Lagerkvist, 2019. "Urbanization, livestock systems and food security in developing countries: A systematic review of the literature," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 11(2), pages 279-299, April.
    9. Alexandra Titz & Sosten S. Chiotha, 2019. "Pathways for Sustainable and Inclusive Cities in Southern and Eastern Africa through Urban Green Infrastructure?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-27, May.
    10. Agamile, Peter, 2021. "COVID-19 lockdown and exposure of households to food insecurity in Uganda: insights from a high frequency phone survey," 2021 Annual Meeting, August 1-3, Austin, Texas 313950, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    11. Tibesigwa, Byela & Visser, Martine, 2016. "Assessing Gender Inequality in Food Security among Small-holder Farm Households in urban and rural South Africa," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 33-49.
    12. Leslie Gray & Laureen Elgert & Antoinette WinklerPrins, 2020. "Theorizing urban agriculture: north–south convergence," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 37(3), pages 869-883, September.
    13. AMPAW Samuel & NKETIAH-AMPONSAH Edward & SENADZA Bernardin, 2017. "Urban Farm-Nonfarm Diversification, Household Income And Food Expenditure In Ghana," Studies in Business and Economics, Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, Faculty of Economic Sciences, vol. 12(2), pages 6-19, August.
    14. Rongtian Zhang & Ming Chen, 2022. "Spatial Differentiation and Driving Mechanism of Agricultural Multifunctions in Economically Developed Areas: A Case Study of Jiangsu Province, China," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-17, October.
    15. Dadashpoor, Hashem & Ahani, Somayeh, 2021. "Explaining objective forces, driving forces, and causal mechanisms affecting the formation and expansion of the peri-urban areas: A critical realism approach," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    16. Michelle Chihambakwe & Paramu Mafongoya & Obert Jiri, 2018. "Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture as A Pathway to Food Security: A Review Mapping the Use of Food Sovereignty," Challenges, MDPI, vol. 10(1), pages 1-12, December.

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