Analysis of Urban Agriculture Development at Household Level in Pakistan

Abstract

With the rapid increase in population and continuing consumption growth, the need for energy, food and other necessities has increased, thus decreasing production. Due to increase in demand of food and increase in prices of transport, food prices have increased significantly. Hence, there is a dire need of urban agriculture to be practices at household level. Urban agriculture is not a fresh concept and many countries are involved in urban farming since centuries. Although, in Pakistan the ratio of people who are involved in urban farming to those who are not farming in urban areas, is significantly low. Home gardening provides food security not just to households with adequate space for gardening but also to the poor and landless people who can grow food at vacant lots, small pieces of homestead land, roadsides or edges of a field, or even in containers. Community gardening with specific rules or associations has also been practiced at old times which has benefited the communities at hard times. Home gardening can provide food by harvesting, preparing, and feeding the family members on the daily basis, hence contributing to food security. This research is conducted to evaluate existing policies regarding urban agriculture in the world through literature review, investigate the existing urban agriculture practices at household level, to determine drivers and barriers toward sustainable urban agriculture practices, to determine community willingness of adopting urban agriculture and to suggest a framework to promote urban agriculture practices. Two sample study areas were selected where urban farming may or may not be practiced. A quantitative survey was conducted and founded that most people were interested in farming fruits and necessary ingredients for cooking but lacked resources like land, money and time. Those who had excess of land available were already farming a little bit. Major obstacles were access of land and lack of time along with knowledge and guidance. Some steps are required at policy level to ensure practices of urban agriculture so that the community can overcome these major barriers. Urban agriculture is a sustainable practice which will help achieve sustainable goals like “end hunger”, “end poverty” and “ensure healthy lives at all ages”