Urban and Periurban Agriculture in the Republic of Macedonia the Case of Prilep

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1 ORIGINAL EXPERT PAPER SCIENTIFIC PAPER Blagica SEKOVSKA, Tatjana B. PETKOVSKA, Romina KABRANOVA Urban and Periurban Agriculture in the Republic of Macedonia the Case of Prilep Blagica SEKOVSKA 1, Tatjana B. PETKOVSKA 2, Romina KABRANOVA 3 1 University St. Cyril and Methody, Faculty for Veterinary Medicine, Department of Economics and Management, 1000 Skopje, Republic of Macedonia, ( bsekovska@fvm.ukim.edu.mk) 2 University St. Cyril and Methody, Institute of Economy, 1000 Skopje, Republic of Macedonia 3 University St. Cyril and Methody, Faculty of Agriculture and Food, Department of Tobacco Producing, 1000 Skopje, Republic of Macedonia Abstract Since agriculture is considered to be essentially rural activity, the urban agriculture is often perceived as temporary and inappropriate. Some consider it marginal at best, perhaps a constructive recreational activity or an aesthetic function that helps to make the city more pleasant. In fact urban agriculture is a significant economic activity central to the lives of tens of millions of people throughout the world. This paper aims to examine the potential impacts of urban agriculture as a tool for sustainable urban development in the cities in the Republic of Macedonia, especially in the case of Prilep. Literature review for the paper has been conducted mainly from secondary data sources. In addition, the paper presents the case study of Prilep. According to our research, this is one of the first papers in Macedonia which describes the phenomena of urban and peri-urban agriculture. The paper demonstrates the existence of such activity and its meaning for local economic development. Further in-depth analysis of socioeconomic impact of urban and peri-urban agriculture to the economical development in the future should follow. Kay words: urban agriculture, peri-urban, Prilep region Introduction Urban agriculture is an industry located within (intra-urban) or on the periphery (peri-urban) of a town, a city or a metropolis, which grows and raises, processes and distributes a diversity of food and non-food products and which uses largely human and natural resources, products and services found in and around the urban area, and in turn supplying human and material resources from and, products and services largely to that urban area. (This definition is essentially the one created by the Luc Mougeot of the International Development Research Centre and used in technical and training publications by United Nations -Habitat s Urban Management Programme, FAO s Special Programme for Food Security, and international agricultural research centers, such as CIRAD.) Urban agriculture contributes significantly to the socio-economic development of the towns and cities throughout the world. In several economies, particularly developing ones, it is the one of the largest urban productive industries. In low income cities it is the prime generator of jobs. Urban agriculture is an easy-in, easy-out entrepreneurial activity for people at different levels of income. For the poorest of the poor, it provides good access to food. For the stable poor, it provides a source of income and good-quality food at low cost. For middle-income families it offers the possibility of savings and a return on their investment in urban property. For small and large entrepreneurs, it is a profitable business. Macedonia, as a country which has been in transition for a very long time, suffers economic problems, e.g. more than 35% of the population is unemployed. Those who are working have a very low income. The average salary in the country is around 300 Euro. This menas that more than half of the employed citizens Proceedings. 43 rd Croatian and 3 rd International Symposium on Agriculture. Opatija. Croatia ( ) XXX) 238

2 Urban and Periurban Agriculture in the Republic of Macedonia the Case of Prilep have salary which is lower than 300 Euro. Because agricultural is a very traditional activity in the Republic of Macedonia, many people who live in the urban areas try to do some agricultural activity with the aim to provide a better living standard for themselves and their families. In Macedonia special agricultural areas exist which have strong agricultural tradition even in the urban areas. The following towns can serve as an example: Strumica (urban, periurban and rural areas) is famous for producing vegetables, Prilep (urban, periurban and rural areas) is famous for producing tobacco, Kavadarci and Negotino (urban, periurban and rural areas) are famous for producing grapes, etc. Applied methodology and objectives of the research Except significant number of experts and scientific literature (mentioned more detailed in the references below) in the field of urban and periurban agriculture and secondary data from official reports this paper uses the following (mainly qualitative) scientific methodology: - Narrative and deductive description of the situation in the Macedonian agriculture, based on date and information collected from the field; - Case study and interviews with the chosen participants connected with the phenomena (urban agriculture); This is the first paper in the Republic of Macedonia (according to their research and collected information. which explores these agricultural and social phenomena in Republic of Macedonia. According to that, basic goal of this paper is to draw the attention of the stakeholders on the urban agriculture and to open this question for further research. From this the basic goal originates the following sub goal - To identify elements for recognition of the urban and periurban agriculture with its positive and negative influence on the economical activities in the country. Results and discussion The authors consider that although agricultural activities in the urban areas are not new, they are very interesting phenomena to research, especially since in the Republic of Macedonia a strong tradition in that field exists. This phenomenon exists in many Macedonian cities, but in the last several years it received new qualities and has grown in importance. The following are the reasons why the urban agriculture has grown in importance: 1. Local economies - Localized food production in the urban and peri-urban areas creates stronger local economies by creating jobs. Some researchers indicate that unemployed people in large cities and suburban towns would decrease if employed by the local food movements. Schools have become aware of the possibilities for local food production and are beginning to incorporate an agricultural section in their curriculums and present it as a career opportunity. Urban agricultural projects are beginning to open a new labor market in the areas that have been negatively affected by industrial outsourcing of jobs. 2. Energy efficiency - According to San Diego's Community Forest Advisory Board, a group that is promoting urban agriculture in the city, 95% of the food produced within the United States is exported, while 95% of the food eaten in the United States is imported. The energy used to transport food would be greatly decreased if urban agriculture could provide the US cities with locally-grown food. 3. Quality of food - Although the taste of locally grown food is subjective, many participants in the urban agriculture movement report that they prefer the taste of local agricultural products, or organic food, to that of industrial food production. 4. Implementations of urban agriculture - Historically, urban agriculture has been used as a tool for sustainable development in the third world, or as an add-on to not-for-profit urban community gardens in the developed world. So far, cities have not supported or encouraged the entrepreneurial aspects of farming. 5. Community-based infrastructure - Creating a community-based infrastructure for urban agriculture means facilitating how crops are grown, how the food is processed, and how it is transferred from the farmer (producer) to the consumer. Efficiency of production. Vegetable production has expanded in and around cities in many developing countries. The broad diversity of the horticultural crop species allows a year-round production, employment and income. Growers have realized that intensive horticulture can be practised on small plots, making efficient use of limited water and land resources. Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology 239

3 Blagica SEKOVSKA, Tatjana B. PETKOVSKA, Romina KABRANOVA Another major challenge to the viability of urban agricultural producers is land availability. Many urban farmers, both men and women, are under a constant threat of losing access to their plot and being forced to stop production. In many areas, non-farming households' inability to access land in the city is the major reason given for not farming. However, one of the paradoxes of urban agricultural producers is that substantial agricultural investments occur even on lands for which the property title is not so secure of which are under the threat of expropriation. Good markets for agricultural products guarantee high short-term returns and make the risks of agricultural investment worthwhile, even on insecure lands. The Case study In most of the countries urban agricultural is dominated by small producers who consume their own food and earn an income for their families. However, the smaller number of large producers-domestic private and public corporations and multinational agribusinesses produce a significant share of the total value of the urban agriculture, particularly in the capital-intensive farming systems such as aquaculture and poultry. In the case of Prilep region, a present mix of farming systems was shaped primarily by four factors: - The continuity of historical practices and tradition; - Post-World War II rapid urbanization; - The great expansion of low-income segments of the urban population; The first two factors give historical roots to urban agriculture; they help explain both the continuity in some instances and the changed practices in others. The latter factors are mainly contemporary developments: rapid urbanization meant that the number of urban residents, particularly the urban poor who had to find ways to earn money expanded greatly the scale of urban agricultural activity. Thus the legacy of ancient and recent historical developments can be seen in the way urban agriculture is practiced today. Prilep has a strong tradition for producing tobacco (in Prilep exists tobacco processing factory since 1873). More then 2100 of the families leaving in the town (data from 2006 year) produce tobacco as an additional economic activity. During the summer time you can find tobacco every where around the city, because the oriental types of tobacco, presented in Prilep, have very difficult and complicated manipulations process. But in the last several years the tobacco producing has decreased (from 6000 cooperate agreements in 1996 to cooperate agreements for 2006) 1 whereas the vegetable producing has increase. Our case study farmers, from Prilep, representatives of ex tobacco producers (like additional activity) haven t their own lend, but they rent the land. They live near the city center, and their lend is in the periphery of the town. They walk, use their bicycle, since they do not own a car.. Family is consisted from a mother and father who are usually teachers in primary and secondary school, but with very low income. They live together with their son and his family (wife and 2 children) and an old grandmother. Besides mother and father the son is employed, and they (3 of them together) have income of 500 Euro. Because father has origin from family with strong agricultural tradition, he decides to earn some money from agriculture. His idea primarily starts from the possibilities to provide healthy food (vegetables) for his own family. When they say healthy food, they mean the foodstuff which has not official certificate for organic products. The family has a personal control of applicated pesticides. Because the family has succeeded in the food producing, they start to sell their own surpluses, in the beginning to the friends and neighbors. When the surpluses become bigger, they start to sell it on the green market. They haven t problem with labor force, because this is the family job, and they do it in their spare time. The motives of these urban farmers are nutritional and cultural rather than economic (it was case at the beginning, but now, they take care about economical matters, as well). They started with producing tomatoes at the beginning, but during the period of 3 years they continue with the production of other vegetables (potatoes, paper etc). It really interesting their point of view, because they are ready to invest in their new business. They have been installing drop by drop system of irrigation and their production becomes grows in terms of quality and quantity. They are prepared for the new innovations in the production. They use internet for following news in the field of agriculture. According to their interest and dedication to their agricultural business, it is really possible that their business will grow even more so than in the small peri-urban activity. 1 The data are from The book of cooperates evidence, Tobacco factory Prilep, and this data are only for cooperates from the urban part, not from the rural 240

4 Urban and Periurban Agriculture in the Republic of Macedonia the Case of Prilep Urban agriculture except in Asian and American countries (USA and Latin America) exists in the European country as well. Italy: Small scale urban farmers have organized into cooperatives and associations to protect their interests. They are closely tied to the green movement and insist on the merits of locally grown product. France and Germany: The sustainable agriculture movement is growing and includes urban farmers, among other causes; this movement promotes nutritionally self-reliant communities. Denmark: Denmark s advanced programs of co-housing often include community food production. Throughout Europe there is a new interest in community gardens or allotments. There are 80,000 community gardeners on municipal land in Berlin, with a waiting list of 16,000 together these gardeners are a strong political force. Eastern Europe: Russia and other Eastern Europe are in the midst of an agricultural revolution from public to private and from large-scale to small-scale units of production. The shift in just 20 years in the number of Moscow families engaged in food production is remarkable. Similar if perhaps less dramatic shifts are occurring in many Eastern European cities as politics and economies change. Urban agriculture provides benefits to the economy, both those active in the industry and to residents of the city or region. It has a role to play in programmers and projects that target health and nutrition, the environment, enterprise development, income generation, water and sanitation, youth and women and food production and supply. The current and potential role of urban agriculture differs from country to country and depends on the particular country s circumstances. In countries that must export agricultural products to earn foreign exchange, urban agriculture can feed the cities while rural farmers concentrate on exports. Conclusion Modern city contains many problems; however it has certain awareness which leads it to search for solutions. One of these solutions is the urban agriculture, which provides opportunities to a group, with the lowest level of income and regarded unurbanized while provides the security of food supply city. Since the urban area is the place in which urban agriculture is carried out and demanded to be carried out, it should also found in classification legitimizing the urban practices. If we evaluate the urban agriculture activity for Macedonia, it is can be useful for big cities such as Prilep aspect of sustainable development, to limit urban spread, for food security, ecological development, urban poverty etc. However, the urban agriculture does not take place in the planning system of Macedonia. Like very positive trend can be evaluated the possibilities for additional income, especially in nowadays difficult living conditions during transitional periods. The region resources are used more efficiently. Our family, from the case study, thinks about serious business development and their entrepreneurial abilities are developing, also. References Belevi, H., and Baumgartner, B. (2003) A Systematic Overview of Urban Agriculture in Developing Countries from an Environmental Point of View, International Journal of Environmental Technology and Management, Volume 3, Number 2, pp Bills, N.L. (1991) Urban Agriculture in the United States. Cornell Agricultural Economics Staff Paper No ETC International Group, Official Web Site [online] Available from: Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens, Official Web Site [online] Available from: Nugent, R. A. (1997) The Significance of Urban Agriculture, Canada s Office of Urban Agriculture, City Farmer, Canada RUAF Foundation (Research Centers on Urban Agriculture & Food Security) Official Web Site [online] Available from: School Farms Network (2006) School Farms: A Vital Resource, Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens - Department for Education and Skills, Growing Schools Program, Bristol, the UK Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology 241

5 Blagica SEKOVSKA, Tatjana B. PETKOVSKA, Romina KABRANOVA The Ecological Cities Project Web Site [online] Available from: UNDP (1996) Urban Agriculture: Food, Jobs and Sustainable Cities, United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Publication Series for Habitat II, Volume One Wikipedia, free encyclopedia sa2008_