Paper short abstract:

Rapid urban growth poses increasing challenges, but also opportunities for urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA). This paper explores the nexus between UPA and urban growth through a meta-analysis of 60 research papers on UPA in Africa and detailed empirical insights from Kenya.

Paper long abstract:

Rapid urban growth poses increasing challenges, but also opportunities for urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA). This paper explores the nexus between UPA and urban growth through a meta-analysis of 60 research papers on UPA in Africa and detailed empirical insights from Kenya. Applying a framework focused on interactions between urban growth, agricultural production factors, and urban food markets, the paper highlights the challenges and opportunities of UPA. The findings indicate a complex, multi-dimensional challenge for planners and policymakers seeking to manage UPA in and around African cities. So far, few studies holistically address spatiotemporal dynamics, intra-urban variations, and complex multi-dimensional interlinkages of UPA under urban growth. Especially, little attention has been paid to market-oriented forms of UPA under rapid urban growth. The empirical insights highlight the spatiotemporal dynamics of UPA and market-oriented farmers’ responses to changing socio-spatial circumstances in two rapidly growing Kenyan cities: Nyeri and Nakuru. We show that market-oriented farmers are not inevitably pushed out of the city, but rather that they are – under certain conditions – able to actively respond to the pressures as well as opportunities that emerge during rapid urban growth.