Managing Threats and Opportunities of Urbanisation for Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture in Tamale, Ghana

Gyasi, Edwin A.; Kranjac-Berisavljevic, Gordana; Fosu, Mathias; Mensah, Adelina; Yiran, Gerald A. B.; Fuseini, Issahaka

doi:10.1007/978-94-017-8878-6_7

Cited by 18 publications

(18 citation statements)

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“…Holistic urban planning, taking into account the spatial, institutional, as well as the historical context in which future urban areas develop, can substantially contribute to improve quality of life in these highly dynamic areas. This includes minimising negative environmental and health effects by creating access to basic services including adequate sanitation, water supply (see [46] for water shortage in Tamale), waste disposal, and food markets. One of the challenges to a sustainable urban transformation is conflicts over the allocation and use of land between the traditional authorities on the one hand and governmental planning institutions on the other.…”

Section: Implications For Planningmentioning

confidence: 99%

Classifying and Mapping Periurban Areas of Rapidly Growing Medium-Sized Sub-Saharan African Cities: A Multi-Method Approach Applied to Tamale, Ghana

Karg

Hologa

Schlesinger³

et al. 2019

Land

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Periurban areas of growing cities in developing countries have been conceptualised as highly dynamic landscapes characterised by a mixture of socioeconomic structures, land uses and functions. While the body of conceptual literature on periurban areas has significantly increased over the past two decades, methods for operationalising these multi-dimensional concepts are rather limited. Yet, information about the location and areal extent of periurban areas is needed for integrated planning in the urban–rural interface. This article presents the results of a study aiming at classifying and mapping periurban areas along the urban–rural gradient of Tamale, a medium-sized city in Ghana. The study used a quantitative, multi-dimensional methodology involving the following as core elements: (1) a relative measure of how urban a place and its people are in terms of services, infrastructure and livelihoods (urbanicity index); (2) the diversity of households regarding their livelihoods and access to urban services; and (3) land use dynamics. Therefore, data from a household survey, as well as land use and other secondary geospatial data were collected and analysed at different spatial scales. The findings suggested that the periurban space consists of two main zones. Inner periurban areas are driven by urban expansion and the conversion of non-urban into urban land use is most visible here. These areas exhibit higher levels of socioeconomic diversity, compared to both rural and urban areas. Outer periurban areas are less dynamic in terms of land use change and exhibit lower building densities, and compared with rural areas, hold stronger links to the city related to the movement of people and goods. The spatial analysis revealed that periurban areas develop mainly along major transport corridors across administrative divisions, as well as in the form of periurban islands in the rural zone. This study set out to extend existing methodologies to map urban and periurban development in medium-sized cities in sub-Saharan Africa, useful for urban and regional planning beyond administrative boundaries.

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Section: Implications For Planningmentioning

confidence: 99%

Classifying and Mapping Periurban Areas of Rapidly Growing Medium-Sized Sub-Saharan African Cities: A Multi-Method Approach Applied to Tamale, Ghana

Karg

Hologa

Schlesinger³

et al. 2019

Land

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“…Tamale is a rapidly growing agglomeration and is considered the fastest growing city in West Africa (Gyasi et al, 2014). It is Ghana's third largest city and the capital of its northern region.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding system innovation adoption: A comparative analysis of integrated soil fertility management uptake in Tamale (Ghana) and Kakamega (Kenya)

Adolwa

Schwarze

Waswa

et al. 2017

Renew. Agric. Food Syst.

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Sustainable intensification of African farming systems has been high on the agenda of research and development programs for decades. System innovations such as integrated soil fertility management (ISFM) and conservation agriculture have been proposed to tackle the complex challenges farmers face. In this study, we assess how different factors at the plot, farm and institutional level can influence the adoption of ISFM. We employed a stratified sampling approach to randomly select 285 and 300 farmers in Tamale, northern Ghana and Kakamega County, western Kenya, respectively. These two locations were selected to understand the underlying reasons for their divergent adoption levels. Ordinal regression models were used to identify determinants of adoption. In Tamale, adoption rates of ISFM are much lower than in Kakamega. Only 3% of the farmers fully adopted the recommended practices compared with 36% in Kakamega. The low availability of improved seeds is a major reason for the lower uptake of the complete ISFM paradigm in Tamale. The econometric analysis revealed that plot level variables such as soil carbon, soil texture, slope and plot area had a significant effect on the number of adopted ISFM components at both locations. Moreover, family labor availability is also an important factor. Other farm and household characteristics, such as off-farm occupation, livestock ownership, and membership in associations, matter for Kakamega only. Key policy recommendations include promotion of locally available organic resources and improved access to improved seeds in Tamale.

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“…More than 70% of fresh vegetables in the city are supplied by urban farmers [3]. Urban agriculture involves not only crop farming but also livestock production where animal waste is transformed as manure and used later to fertilise vegetable fields [7,8]. However, there exist certain bottlenecks which constrain urban farming in many African cities, and Tamale is not an exception [1,9].…”

Section: Urban Farming In Tamalementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nevertheless, informal urban agriculture does take place in backyard farms and open space dry season vegetable farming sites [5,46,47]. These sites can be found on public, communal and private lands, with formal or informal usufruct arrangements [8]. Limited access to the ever decreasing farmlands, water, agrochemicals, as well as less tangible inputs, such as knowledge and market access, has and is still influencing farmers' practices.…”

Section: Case Study Location and Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sustainable Urban Agriculture in Ghana: What Governance System Works?

Nchanji

2017

Sustainability

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Urban farming takes advantage of its proximity to market, transport and other urban infrastructure to provide food for the city and sustain the livelihoods of urban and peri-urban dwellers. It is an agricultural activity which employs more than 50% of the local urban population with positive and negative impacts on local and national development. Urban agriculture is an informal activity not supported by law but in practice is regulated to a certain extent by state institutions, traditional rulers, farmers and national and international non-governmental organisations. Tamale's rapid population growth, exacerbated by the unplanned development system and institutional conflicts, are factors contributing to the present bottlenecks in the urban agricultural system. In this paper, these bottlenecks are conceptualised as problems of governance. These issues will be illustrated using ethnographic data from land sales, crop-livestock competition, waste-water irrigation, and markets. I will explain how conflicts which arise from these different situations are resolved through the interactions of various governance systems. Informal governance arrangements are widespread, but neither they nor formal systems are always successful in resolving governance issues. A participatory governance does not seem possible due to actors' divergent interests. A governance solution for this sector is not yet apparent, contributing to food and nutritional insecurity.

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Managing Threats and Opportunities of Urbanisation for Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture in Tamale, Ghana

Cited by 18 publications

References 4 publications

Classifying and Mapping Periurban Areas of Rapidly Growing Medium-Sized Sub-Saharan African Cities: A Multi-Method Approach Applied to Tamale, Ghana

Classifying and Mapping Periurban Areas of Rapidly Growing Medium-Sized Sub-Saharan African Cities: A Multi-Method Approach Applied to Tamale, Ghana

Understanding system innovation adoption: A comparative analysis of integrated soil fertility management uptake in Tamale (Ghana) and Kakamega (Kenya)

Sustainable Urban Agriculture in Ghana: What Governance System Works?

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