Effects of Urban Smart Farming on Local Economy and Food Production in Urban Areas in African Cities

Abstract

African cities are growing rapidly into inefficient, unsustainable, resource-starved ecosystems that negatively affect the local economy and food production. Food as a critical resource needs to be produced and managed more efficiently by local communities in the urban area. Urban smart farming (USF) has emerged as an important mechanism to address these challenges to achieve sustainable, resilient, and inclusive cities. USF has the potential to be the industry 4.0 green revolution in agriculture, which embodies innovative digital technologies. However, it is unclear how local African communities and key stakeholders perceive this novel solution and if they are willing to engage in its uptake. This study examines the relationship between the perceived benefits and challenges of USF and the willingness of local African communities to actively participate in USF projects as a potential mechanism to improve local economy and food production. To assess this relationship, a causal model was developed. In this causal model, the local economy and food production were defined as dependent variables. The conceptualized model and the inherent causality between the constructs were validated through a survey administered among African cities’ residents. The results of structural equation modelling indicate a significant positive impact of perceived benefits of USF as well as the willingness of African communities to engage in this technology on local economy and food production. Only minimal adverse effects of the perceived challenges of USF on the local economy and food production have been found. The study concludes that the benefits and willingness of local communities are the key drivers for implementing urban smart farms in African metropolitans. Therefore, it is recommended to focus on the benefits and the motivation of local communities in African cities where USF shall be further developed, rather than on the barriers. The validated causal model can be used as a framework to facilitate the adoption of USF in Africa and consequently enhance the local economy and food production in African cities.

Strengthening the Family Resilience of Jamaah Aisyiyah Tamantirto Tengah through Urban Farming

“…A positive response is also shown by Oslo residents who are willing to increase their tax payments to contribute to the further development of urban agriculture in Oslo [24]. So too is the willingness of Africans to engage in this technology in local economies and food production [25]. This will support food allocation policies in local markets through agriurban projects [26].…”

Benefits of Non-Commercial Urban Agricultural Practices—A Systematic Literature Review

“…The implementation of NCUA yielded in four categories of social benefits from gardening: mental health and wellbeing, society economic growth and employment opportunities, nutrition, and social cohesion: First, mental health and wellbeing, where it was found that living in green environments was associated with reduced instances of depression and helped reduce personal feelings of anxiety [60], with an 8-12% reduction in mortality risk [9,35,61]. Secondly, the society economic growth and employment opportunities, where a number of professionals, technicians, and farmers are hired to manage the UAP by offering help and advice to users [62], making these NCUA areas a "refuge sector" for unemployed workers, retired people, or failed entrepreneurs [46,52]. In the third place comes the nutrition aspect, where gardens expand access to healthy nutritional fruits and vegetables in economically significant quantities, and where fruit and vegetable consump-tion has improved [53,63], increasing food security and providing livelihoods for urban dwellers [64].…”

Urbānās lauksaimniecības koncepts, potenciāls un attīstības perspektīvas Latvijā = The concept, potential and development perspectives of urban agriculture in Latvia

“…Vides aspektu novērtējums ekspertu vērtējumā funkcijām un respondentu vērtējumā motivācijas aspektiem ir augsts: vides funkcijas vidēji ir novērtētas ar 60.0% un vides aspektu motivācija ar 70.0%. Turklāt, analizējot respondentu novērtējumi par motivējošajiem aspektiem -urbānā lauksaimniecība kā prakse apkārtējās vides uzlabošanai un apzaļumošanai ir viens no būtiskākajiem motivatoriem Latvijas valstspilsētu iedzīvotāju vidū (0.77), kas kā augsti novērtēts ieguvums un motivators ir identificēts arī citos urbānās lauksaimniecības pētījumos (Moghayedi et al, 2022). Rezultāti ļauj secināt, ka urbānā lauksaimniecība gan ekspertu, gan respondentu vērtējumā ir pilsētas vides dažādošanu un apzaļumošanu veicinošs faktors.…”