RUAF Update # 13 November 2009

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1 RUAF Update # 13 November bulletin with news of the International Network of Resource Centres on Urban Agriculture and Food Security (RUAF). In this bulletin you will find information on: 1. RUAF From Seed to Table Programme 2. Other Urban Agriculture activities by the RUAF Partners 3. RUAF Publications Food, Agriculture and Cities: challenges and way forward Workshop on influencing and assisting national policy processes Increasing recognition for urban agriculture in China Urban agriculture in Antananarivo, Madagascar Sustainable Food Planning Conference, Almere Networking and constructive dialogue among researchers and policy makers in the field of aquaculture Exchange visit on Multifunctional (urban) agriculture Distance Learning Course 3: Types of Urban Agriculture Urban Agriculture Magazine Overview of RUAF Partners You can also read this bulletin online. 1. RUAF FROM SEED TO TABLE PROGRAMME As outlined in earlier updates and on our website the RUAF From Seed to Table (FStT) programme builds on the RUAF-Cities Farming for the Future (CFF) programme ( ). RUAF-CFF focused principally on the development of regional training and planning capacities and facilitating multistakeholder policy making and action planning in 21 cities in 7 regions, whilst strengthening and consolidating the regional RUAF resource centres. In the RUAF- FStT programme ( ) the processes set in motion in the RUAF partner cities are being continued with a specific focus at strengthening of urban farmer organisations and developing capacity regarding farming systems innovation, micro-enterprise development (in production and processing) and marketing (value chain development). RUAF regional partners, local support organisations and urban producer organisation in the partner cities have so far engaged in joint situation analysis regarding the design, implementation and monitoring of sustainable urban agriculture (UA) farming and marketing projects. Most promising business ideas were identified through farmer led market analysis and business plans were formulated. Businesses have been set up for the following products with high market potential: Specific vegetable crops, like tomatoes (Ndola-Zambia and Porto Novo-Benin), strawberry (Shanghai -China), cabbage (Bobo Dioulasso-Burkina Faso), baby potatoes (Bogota- Colombia), carrots (Magadi-Bangalore, India), green chillies (Gampaha, Sri Lanka) and green vegetables (Ibadan-Nigeria, Accra-Ghana) Packages of mixed vegetables and herbs (Tongzhou-China, Amman-Jordan, Cape Town-South Africa, Belo Horizonte-Brasil, Freetown-Sierra Leone) Poultry and egg production (Bulawayo-Zimbabwe, San a-yemen) Production of pigs and piglets (Villa El Salvador-Lima, Peru) Other niche products like mushrooms (Beijing-China)

2 Also Urban Producer Field School (UPFS) programmes have been designed to enhance the involved producers capacities regarding technical and organisational innovations related with the implementation of this business (see below for some examples from different cities). This is expected to: Enhance the productivity and sustainability of their agricultural production activities, Improve the down-stream (input provision, seed production, waste and waste water recycling for urban agriculture production) and up-stream components of the value chain (processing, packaging and marketing), Develop sustainable urban farming systems by paying specific attention to the promotion of ecological production practices, nutrient recycling (re-use of organic wastes and wastewater) and the use of sustainable technologies. Opportunities for urban producers to access innovative forms of credit and financing of agricultural activities are currently being identified. Moreover, the established Multi-stakeholder Forums on Urban Agriculture in the respective cities were strengthened and work plans for implementation of their City Strategic Agendas on urban agriculture developed, resulting in further programme and policy development related to urban agriculture. Middle East and North Africa In Amman (Jordan), the UPFS will involve 4 groups of 20 (women) farmers each. Groups will first convene to a collective plot to learn about land preparation, planting of spring onions and leafy vegetable seedlings, the intended production protocol (Socially Responsible Agriculture) and the group saving scheme which will be implemented in parallel to the project. UPFS activities will than continue in the farmers plots throughout the various stages of production and will get a second momentum once the produce will be sorted, packaged and marketed through the women cooperative. In San a (Yemen), UPFS implementation focuses on free range egg production and marketing. It is worth mentioning that in both cities, RUAF-MENA is implementing a Socially Responsible Production Protocol inspired by the principles of free trade, community supported agriculture and organic farming/ipm, which will entail additional interaction, training and backstopping of farmers in order to implement it properly. Latin America The urban producer groups in Belo Horizonte (Brazil) have fine-tuned their idea of improved production and marketing of a mix of 4 different vegetables and herbs. In Villa El Salvador (Lima, Peru), the urban farmers will raise piglets and pigs for sale to livestock markets. In Bogota (Colombia), the groups have decided to concentrate on (baby) potatoes for sale to community kitchens and local restaurants. In all cases, strengthening of internal management and administration of the involved producer groups; and marketing procedures and standard receive much attention in the UPFS. The Multi-Stakeholder Fora (MSF) in Belo Horizonte and Bogota are functioning well; in 2009 they have reviewed their structure, role and mandate and prepared their work plans. In the case of Lima-Villa El Salvador (a city that did not participate in the former CFF Programme) situation analysis on urban agriculture was completed in order to lay the basis for the formulation of a City Strategic Agenda and for the conformation of the MSF. The MSF will be put in place in Also (draft) credit and financing studies for urban agriculture were conducted in the three cities. Preliminary findings show that generally no specific financial products are available that are tailored to the needs of small-scale urban producers. Proposals will be made for developing such products, which may specifically target youth or women involved in urban agriculture, or processing and marketing (instead of productive) activities. Anglophone West Africa The Odogbo farmers in Ibadan (Nigeria), have developed their business plan around improved (green) production and marketing of Efo (Amaranthus). Field schools have started with women s groups in five communities (including over a 100 women) and focusing at innovations such as: improved seeds, composting, irrigation; grading and packaging, and contract marketing at farm gate and at farmers markets. In Accra (Ghana) the three producer groups have agreed in their joint business plan to produce and sell a range of vegetables to hotels, restaurants and at farmer kiosks. They have started a first cycle of field schools on the production of lettuce, and will have a first round of harvest before the end of this year. In Freetown (Sierra Leone), ETC UA and IWMI-Ghana participated in the second training of the local team in August. Five producer groups, of around 125 producers, have agreed to collaborate in the development of their Waterloo Hot Pepper and Okra business and have started field schools on improved production pepper production, grinding and sale. In addition the Freetown Urban and Peri Urban Agriculture Platform, FUPAP, have agreed on a work plan Specific issues to be dealt with include zoning of land for urban agriculture in Freetown and

3 Western Area and national policy formulation. Of particular interest in this regard was the recent presentation of the National Sustainable Agricultural Development Plan, which includes references to urban food production, and in which several FUPAP partners were/are involved. Southern and East-Africa In all three partner cities, business plans have been developed by the urban producer groups, supported by the local partners. In Ndola (Zambia) the producers have started the production and commercialisation of a new variety of tomatoes, and in Bulawayo (Zimbabwe) improved local chicken breeds. In Cape Town (South Africa), the business: Harvest of Hope, involving over 130 farmers of 18 community gardens seeks to up-scale production and sale of mixed vegetables, aiming to sell about 400 mixed vegetable boxes by May In Bulawayo, the Strategic Agenda was updated and is being implemented. The MSF has focussed on complimenting the project by sourcing additional resources to fund the agenda. Amongst others, an additional Euros has been sourced for bringing electricity and other infrastructural improvements to the project site. Francophone West Africa In Bobo Dioulasso (Burkina Faso) the producer groups have started the UPFS with land preparation and nurseries. In Porto Novo (Benin) the business development of the joint production and processing of tomatoes is ongoing. Issues that receive a lot of attention include ecological production (use of biopesticides for example) and direct sale of the produce to marketing women, restaurants and exporters, requiring the set up of a marketing committee and joint production planning. The Multi-stakeholder Forum in Porto Novo is now coordinated by an executive committee headed by a city councillor and a high level expert working with the National Institute for Agricultural Research in Benin. In Bobo Dioulasso, the MSF is coordinated by the Municipal Director of Economic Development and Employment. He is working closely with an executive committee constituted by three representatives of the following institutions: APIPAC (Agency for promotion of private irrigation and related activities), BAME (Support office for Micro Enterprise) and IAGU-BAU (IAGU-Urban Agriculture Office). China In Tongzhou district of Beijing, the urban producers focus their improvements on green house production of a special type of cherry tomato, while their business also includes the sale of vegetables, through a box system. Four sessions of the UPFS have been held. In Huairou district of Beijing, the development of mushroom production is ongoing, including several producer cooperatives. The production of mushroom is now being promoted by the Huairou District Administration, which will allow for further upscaling. In Minhang in Shanghai field schools have started on the production of strawberry, which together with other green vegetables will be sold in baskets to visitors of a nearby agro-park as well as to high-end supermarkets. South-East Asia All 94 member urban producers in Gampaha (Sri Lanka) have gone to various field school sessions, on the production of two different varieties of green chillies (looking at quality seeds and integrated nutrient management). Meanwhile group formation is ongoing since these farmers were not formally organised. In Magadi (Bangalore, India) the producers have started their cultivation of off-season carrots. Traditionally, the farmers do not grow carrots in the rainy season (June to October), in this area. Therefore, demonstration plots were developed to show the best practices that can be adopted to grow year round carrots. The preliminary results have been promising. The farmer groups (6) have formed the Magadi Vayalagam Vegetable Growers Association, which is registered under the cooperative act of India, and association level strengthening activities are on-going. A revolving fund scheme is being developed with project funds, to establish sustainability. For more information you are welcome to contact one of the RUAF partners listed below. For more information on the RUAF-FSTT programme: see The RUAF website contains information on the RUAF-FSTT programme, the activities in each region and pilot city and all RUAF publications, including the Urban Agriculture Magazine in 6 languages, as well as an extensive on line bibliographic database (English) and other valuable resources sections as well as linkages to the regional RUAF-websites with more specific information. 2. OTHER URBAN AGRICULTURE PROJECTS BY THE RUAF PARTNERS Food, Agriculture and Cities: challenges and way forward The FAO-Food for Cities Initiative and the RUAF Foundation co-organised a Technical consultation on Food, Agriculture and Cities: challenges and way forward on September in Rome. In this Technical Consultation, several FAO staff, ETC Urban Agriculture and IWMI-Ghana staff and

4 representatives from other organizations including Biodiversity International, Urban Harvest, GTZ, HEIFER International and the URGENCI Network participated. A briefing note was also developed, highlighting the major issues related to food, agriculture and cities and providing a set of recommendations for action at the global, national and local level. The briefing note served as an input to the FAO online Forum on Food, agriculture and cities: challenges and priorities (running during the month of November). For more information contact the Food for the Cities Initiative: Workshop on influencing and assisting national policy processes RUAF, with support from PSO and the PROLINNOVA (Promoting Local Innovation) network organized from October, a workshop on national policy influencing and assistance (Doorn, the Netherlands). All regional RUAF coordinators participated in this workshop. RUAF partners see the need to get increasingly involved in national level policy influencing, lobbying and formulation/development. Currently, in most national policies on food security and poverty reduction little attention is given to the importance of urban and peri-urban food production for feeding the cities, even though its potential contribution to food security, income generation and employment creation have been demonstrated at local level. In each region where RUAF is working, first initiatives have been taken to integrate urban agriculture into national policy frameworks (agriculture, food security, poverty alleviation) or to formulate a special policy or national programme on urban agriculture. Such initiatives should be sustained and brought forward, leading to actual policy formulation, adoption and implementation. To be able to do so, regional RUAF partners embarked on an exchange of experiences and further capacity building in national policy lobbying and formulation, and were supported in this effort by external resource persons from the Policy Assistance Division of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the Bureau Beleidsbeïnvloeding Ontwikkelingssamenwerking (BBO). For more information contact: m.dubbeling@etcnl.nl. The report of the workshop will soon be posted on Increasing recognition for urban agriculture in China RUAF China is collaborating with other cities in China to develop municipal programmes on urban agriculture, and receives regular questions for support. Recently two institutions on urban agriculture were opened in Wuhan, Hubei Province, and a RUAF delegation visited three cities in Jiangsu Province to present awards and discuss collaboration. In Nanjing the RUAF China award was presented to the Nanjing Agricultural Fair which was organized for the 5th time, and which stimulates rural-urban interaction and peri-urban agricultural development. The RUAF award was also presented to the Mayor of Peixian, at a workshop organized by the Municipality on urban agriculture. And in Tongshan County, Xuzhou Municipality, a number of projects under the Country-side change programme were visited, with the mayor of Tongshan. For more information, contact caijm@igsnrr.ac.cn Urban agriculture in Antananarivo, Madagascar Last September, Marielle Dubbeling (RUAF) and Christine Aubry (INRA) participated in a roundtable discussion on urban agriculture to enhance and coordinate development of urban agriculture (UA) in Antananarivo and advise local actors in the development of a municipal programme on UA. They presented global experiences on UA, discussed its integration into land use planning, introduced processes of multi-stakeholder policy making and action planning and showed how to strengthen UA value chains and producer organizations. About 35 participants increased their knowledge on urban agriculture and agreed to establish a multi-stakeholder platform on UA, to be coordinated by the Institut des Métiers de la Ville (IMV). They developed a short term action plan on UA (eg including the development of an ecotourism route) and identified financial resources for its implementation. For more information contact m.dubbeling@etcnl.nl. Sustainable Food Planning Conference, Almere On October 9 and 10, a first Sustainable food planning conference was held in the Netherlands. The conference was organized by the Association of European Schools of Planning (AESOP), International Study group On Multiple Use of Land (ISOMUL) and Wageningen University. A group of 55 leading scholars, practitioners and politicians in the field of food in urban and regional planning gathered at the urban estate De Kemphaan and discussed which issues should be part of a sustainable food planning agenda based on experiences from the USA and Europe. Henk de Zeeuw presented experiences from the RUAF network. Presentations and reports can be found on: Networking and constructive dialogue among researchers and policy makers in the field of aquaculture From 28 September to 12 October an e-workshop took place as part of the Sustainable Aquaculture Research Networks in Sub Saharan Africa (SARNISSA) project. Two workshops were run in parallel; the French conference, facilitated by IRAD (Cameroun) and the English conference, facilitated by BUNDA College (Malawi) were both supported by ETC Urban Agriculture. Participants shared and discussed experiences and strategies for networking and constructive dialogue among

5 researchers and policy makers in aquaculture. Resource papers and a summary of contributions can be found on: Exchange visit on Multifunctional (urban) agriculture ETC Urban Agriculture organised a 2-day exchange visit (8-9 October) for a group of French researchers from the National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA), policy makers from Ile de France and staff from the Chambre d Agriculture. Moussa Sy from IAGU also participated. The group visited several farms in urban and peri-urban areas in the province of Utrecht in the Netherlands with the objective to learn more on the multifunctional services these farms offer. Especially the economic indicators to measure the impact of multifunctional activities presented by Andries Visser (WUR) were of interest to the group as well as the combination of care and agriculture that the group experienced on several of the farms. Photos can be found here and a report will follow soon. Distance Learning Course 3: Types of Urban Agriculture This course introduces the main urban agriculture types and systems found around the world, including different production systems as well as input supply, processing and marketing systems linked to urban agriculture. It describes each of the different urban agriculture types in terms of the actors involved, their resource-use, location, functions, technical aspects, development challenges and support needs. The free course is available on while an accredited version will be offered again by Ryerson University in January For specific information and details on this accredited courses and Certificate in Food Security, please visit or contact Reg Noble food@ryerson.ca. 3. RUAF PUBLICATIONS Urban Agriculture Magazine: The next issue of the Magazine, which is no. 23, is a collaborative effort with WASTE, and will focus on Urban Nutrient Management. This issue is currently being finalised and be send to you and made available at the RUAF website by the end of the year. UA Magazine No. 24, which will be produced in 2010, will focus on Linking Urban Producers to Markets; Chain development for urban agricultural products. Contributions for this issue are expected before 1 March 2010, and the RUAF partners will report on the FStT programme in this issue. The full call for contributions can be found on the RUAF website shortly, but your ideas and contributions of articles are already most welcome. No. 25 will be a special issue to celebrate 10 years of RUAF. For information, please visit the RUAF website regularly. The RUAF programme is funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs (DGIS, the Netherlands) and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC, Canada) The partners in the RUAF programme are: International coordination: ETC-Urban Agriculture, Leusden, the Netherlands. ruaf@etcnl.nl Website: Regional Coordination Latin America and the Caribbean: IPES (Promocion del Desarrollo Sostenible), Lima, Peru. gunther@ipes.org.pe Website: Regional Coordination East and Southern Africa: MDPESA (Municipal Development Partnership for Eastern and Southern Africa), Harare, Zimbabwe. tmubvami@mdpafrica.org.zw Website: Regional Coordination West and Central Africa (Anglophone): IWMI-Ghana (International Water Management Institute Sub regional Office for West Africa), Accra, Ghana. o.cofie@cgiar.org Website: Regional coordination West and Central Africa (Francophone): IAGU (Institut Africain de Gestion Urbaine), Dakar, Senegal. moussa@iagu.org Website:

6 Regional Coordination South and South East Asia: IWMI-India (International Water Management Institute India Office), Hyderabad, India. Website: Regional coordination China: IGSNRR (Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resource Research of the National Academy of Sciences) Beijing, China. Website: Regional Coordination Northern Africa and the Middle East: AUB-ESDU (Environment and Sustainable Development Unit, American University of Beirut), Beirut, Lebanon. Website: Please, feel free to forward this bulletin. Back issues of RUAF Update are available on the RUAF website. You are very welcome to send us your comments regarding this bulletin. Subscribe If this message was forwarded to you and you wish to subscribe to the RUAF Update service, you can do this by sending an to Unsubscribe If you wish to unsubscribe to the RUAF Update bulletin, please send an to