ABSTRACT

In developing countries, the situation has always been different with urban agriculture persisting throughout the colonial and post-colonial periods on a widespread basis. The importance of urban agriculture within the context of city development can be best demonstrated by linking the activity with three purposes. These include: the mitigation of hunger and malnutrition and the attainment of food security at the household level; poverty alleviation especially during periods of economic restructuring; and improvement of the urban environment through greening and pollution reduction. In Harare, urban agriculture is extensive in private gardens and in public open spaces, such as undeveloped industrial and residential areas and road or railway reserves. The growing interest in urban agriculture in developing countries is expanding at a rate which rapidly exceeds hard information on the important phenomenon. Despite the growing importance of urban agriculture as a source of food and income, the continued rise in the cost of food has put many families under severe pressure.