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Reconceptualizing Urban Agriculture in Africa: Issues of Scale, Class and Institutional Support in Zambian Copperbelt Towns

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Urban Food Democracy and Governance in North and South

Part of the book series: International Political Economy Series ((IPES))

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Abstract

Urban agriculture (UA) plays an important role in terms of food security and livelihoods in the Global South. However, its overall significance is contested, and research has revealed considerable place-based variations in the practice. This chapter draws on evidence from field-based research in the Zambian Copperbelt to argue three defined points. First, in centres subjected to significant structural challenges, such as deindustrialization and mining closure, UA has come to play a critically important role in terms of ensuring food security. Secondly, UA is not just an activity practised by poor households, but instead, in areas which are vulnerable to economic precariousness, the middle class is also involved in UA. Finally, a clear need exists to support the activity through institutional processes.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the financial support of New Zealand Aid (NZAID) who funded this study (Grant GRA/623/8). They also acknowledge the key role played by Jessie Smart who was a Research Assistant on that project and who subsequently wrote her PhD on the topic.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand

    Tony Binns & Etienne Nel

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  1. Tony Binns
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  2. Etienne Nel
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Correspondence to Tony Binns .

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Binns, T., Nel, E. (2020). Reconceptualizing Urban Agriculture in Africa: Issues of Scale, Class and Institutional Support in Zambian Copperbelt Towns. In: Urban Food Democracy and Governance in North and South. International Political Economy Series. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-17187-2_13

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