The role of agriculture in urban areas is gaining recognition across the globe as a response to increasing urban poverty, food insecurity and scarcity of natural resources. The average world population living in urban areas is estimated to be 51 percent and the number of urban poor is quickly growing. The Middle East and North Africa region (MENA) population is projected to double by 2050 to reach more than 650 million, unemployment is high and increasing, and agricultural production faces severe natural resource constraints (IFPRI, 2010). Moreover, the MENA is the most food import dependent region in the world, importing 50 percent of regional food consumption (FAO, 2008).

 

Today, the urban setting is under extreme pressure in MENA, as a result of a very rapid urbanization rate over the past 10 years. Out of a population of 300 million, 170 million reside in urban areas and according to UN projections the MENA population will reach 430 million by 2020, of which 280 million are expected to be urban (IFPRI, 2010).The population involved in Urban Agriculture (UA) is 6 percent as compared to an average of 2 percent for other regions (FAO, 2001).UA is a noteworthy source of income and savings and the up and its downstream effects in the local economy can be considerable. Agricultural production in and around cities is an ancient activity in the MENA region. Despite the increasing demand for land and water for urban activities, crop and livestock production are common throughout the region’s cities (Nasr J., Padilla M., 2004).Unbuilt fertile land is still considerable in and around cities and is remaining vacant for several years before being built, offering an important source of income and job opportunities.

An example of where UA can make an impact is in Amman, Jordan. Amman has a poverty rate of 8.5 percent and an unemployment rate of 12.7 percent (Directorate of Statistics, 2010) About 196,000 people live in poverty, representing 9.43 percent of the total poor in Jordan (World Bank, 2009) while people who are food insecure and vulnerable represent 2.4 percent (WFP, 2012).UA could positively affect the livelihoods of Amman’s poor because a significant amount of land is still agricultural (42 percent out of the total available land area was in agricultural use according to the Department of Statistics, 2002). In Sana’a, Yemen, 9,300 hectares of agricultural land was available in the city in 2007 (YASAD, 2007). More than 100 community gardens “maquashim” or mosque gardens exist within the fortified wall of old Sana’a (which is now classified as a UNESCO World Heritage site). Many of these gardens are irrigated by treated greywater produced by the mosques.

 

Several constraints limit the development of sustainable urban agriculture, in the MENA region. Urban policies and zoning in particular have ignored the potential of urban agriculture as a source of food and livelihood for the urban poor.

 

In spite of its potential to alleviate poverty, urban agriculture, is still lacking recognition from planners and policy-makers (van Veenhuizen, R. and G. Danso, 2007). Research, extension, resources, enabling policies and strategies concerning existing urban agricultural lands and other urban fertile areas are almost non-existent (Nasr J., Padilla M., 2004). Therefore, reforming policies and institutions will be important to secure food and reduce poverty. The overall strategy for the MENA region as defined by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI, 2010) is to enhance dialogue, partnerships, and networks between individuals and institutions involved in research, the private sector, civil society, and government. It focuses on governance and policy processes in food, nutrition, and agriculture and on institution building as one of the nine themes in the strategy. Policy development and action planning on urban agriculture should hence involve various sectors and disciplines. Moreover, urban farmers and organizations have to be involved in the strategic urban planning process, in the analysis of the situation and in the definition of priorities (Ruaf, 2014). Such consultative processes will make the outcomes of policy development and action planning comprehensive, accepted and sustainable.

 

The Environment and Sustainable Development Unit (ESDU), located at the American University of Beirut is the seventh center of the international RUAF network serving the MENA region (RUAF is the Resource Centers network on Urban Agriculture and Food Security).ESDU-RUAF initiated the Participatory and Multi-stakeholder Policy Formulation and Action Planning (MPAP) –a process of collaboration between the urban authorities with citizens, farmers, civil organizations, private sector companies and other governmental entities in the preparation, implementation and evaluation of policies and related action plans. The program supported the integration of urban agriculture in urban policies and planning in the MENA, mainly in Amman (Jordan) and Sana’a (Yemen) since 2007 when it first conducted an exploratory study on UA. ESDU trained teams to conduct the study, develop a city strategic agenda (CSA) and establish a multi-stakeholder forum (MSF) aiming at supporting the sustainable development of UA. The MPAP team in each city was led by a core unit consisting of some municipal departments, in addition to university and farmer representatives.

 

In both cities, the CSA strategic lines of action were identified:: access to reliable and cost effective water resources; human resources which aimed at education, skill building and support through necessary inputs; legislation from local, regional and national governmental institutions; effective marketing; and access to credit as well as support and advice regarding credit. The MSF members agreed on being responsible for the execution of the CSA by mobilizing relevant technical assistance and in kind support and funding.

 

Their efforts culminated in involving public authorities in supporting UA. In Amman, the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) took the initiative to establish a specialized UA bureau with dedicated human and financial resources (Tohmé et al, 2011), which gives solid sustainability and institutionalization prospects for the Agenda. The GAM and other interested and influential stakeholders adopted the CSA as part of the city strategy for developing agriculture in 2009. In parallel, pilot projects were implemented: GAM implemented rooftop gardening in poor neighborhoods and ESDU implemented a pilot project with a local women’s cooperative to improve the production chain of selected produce such as leafy vegetables. In addition, urban farmers were recognized by agricultural credit institutions, hence opening new microcredit opportunities for small scale urban farmers.. Also, the extension department at the Ministry of Agriculture targeted its services towards urban producers by offering trainings and in-kind subsidies. The institutionalization of UA through the MSF has had further success. The UA bureau at GAM was approached by the Amman Institute (a unit within the GAM) and has worked diligently to include UA as a major component of greening and rezoning initiatives.

In Sana’a-Yemen, the non-governmental organization YASAD (Yemenite Association for Sustainable Agriculture and Development) initiated the MPAP, in cooperation with Sana’a municipality represented by the Public Department of Gardens and the Bureau of Agriculture. They are working on the reformulation of laws and regulations in order to preserve agricultural activities and enhance access to land and more specifically access to land for grazing.

 

ESDU’s multi-stakeholder and value chain approach were effective to promote UA in Amman and Sana’a and the lessons learnt from these two experiences are valuable knowledge for other cities where the potential for UA can be unleashed.

 

 

Directorate of Statistics. (2010). Report on Poverty in Jordan based on 2008 survey, Jordan.

 

FAO (2001). Global Farming System Study: Challenges and Priorities to 2030. Rome.

 

FAO (2008). State of food insecurity in the world 2008. Rome.

 

Nasr J., Padilla M. (2004). Interfaces: agriculture et villes à l’Est et au Sud de la Méditerrannée. Delta, Beyrouth, Lebanon.

 

Resource Centers network on Urban Agriculture and Food Security (RUAF) website www.ruaf.orgaccessed on July, 2014.

 

Tohmé Tawk, S., Moussa Z., Marroush Abi Saiid D., Abi Saiid M. and Hamadeh S. (2011).“Redefining a sustainable role for Urban Agriculture in the Middle East and North Africa”. Watch letter of CIHEAM (International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies). Number 18: Urban and Periurban Agriculture in the Mediterranean Area. Accessed from www.ciheam.org

 

Veenhuizen (van), R. and G. Danso, (2007) “Profitability and sustainability of urban and peri-urban agriculture”, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations: Agricultural Management, Marketing and Finance Occasional Paper 19. Rome: 95 pages.

 

World Bank (2009).Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan Poverty Update, volume II. Social and Economic Development Group, Middle East and North Africa region, The World Bank; Department of Statistics; Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

 

World Food Programme. (2012). Food Insecure and Vulnerable People in Jordan. Report. 25 pages World Health Organisation website, accessed on June 2014

http://www.who.int/gho/urban_health/situation_trends/urban_population_growth_text/en/

 

YASAD (2007) Towards the Promotion of Urban Agriculture in Sana’a: An Exploratory Study, Environment and Sustainable Development Unit of the American University of Beirut, Lebanon.