Urban Farming in Africa

Unlike those who live in the country and have land for farming, city dwellers generally have to pay for their food, sometimes spending as much as 80 percent of their incomes to do so.

 As people move from rural areas to cities, food production is often left behind. The global movement inward toward cities is counterbalanced in richer countries by the rapid mechanisation and productivity increases in food production - allowing less people to feed far, far more.

Africa, however, has a problem. The inward city movement is the same, but the farming productivity isn't increasing as much as it needs to be. This drives up food prices (for those who can afford to buy food), and forces people to approach the problem differently. Enter, urban farming in Africa.

The United Nations Development Program recently reported that an astonishing 800 million people worldwide are now engaged in urban agriculture, producing from 15 percent to 20 percent of the world’s food.

This in-depth piece from onearth.org visits some African urban farms and delves into the benefits, dangers and what might be in store for the future.

Necessity being the mother of invention, Africa could be onto something here. Could we learn a few tips?

Read on.