ABSTRACT
Trees add several benefits to urban agriculture and provide both production and service functions. Integration of trees into urban gardens helps using resources such as space, sunlight, water and soil nutrients more efficiently. In Kenya, traditional leafy vegetables were long considered food for poor, and were often replaced by introduced vegetables such as kales and collard greens. One advantage of producing agricultural goods, particularly of fresh, highly perishable vegetables, herbs and fruits, directly in town or in peri-urban areas close to buyers and consumers, is the proximity to markets for the produce. Commercial production may also, however, lead to the dominance of exotic species and the loss of indigenous, traditional ones. The urban gardens supported an abundant and diverse community of spontaneously occurring wild flora, with abundances matching those found in surrounding unmanaged plots. Fast-growing urban populations do not only require food but also seek opportunities to improve their incomes, while also retaining aspects of their pre-migration traditions and cultures.
