To Investigate the effect of urban agriculture in reducing poverty in urban areas. A Case study of Waithaka Location, Dagoretti Division, Nairobi

Abstract

The rate of urbanization in Kenya has been increasing rapidly over the years and this has contributed to the rising levels of poverty in urban areas. As. result, majority of the people in urban areas have engaged themselves in various activities so as to enable them to obtain some income to cater for their daily basic needs. An example of such activities is Urban Agriculture. However in Kenya, Urban Agriculture has been excluded from the urban land use system and it therefore lacks the official support it requires, in order to realize its potential. This research demonstrates that Urban Agriculture is an important feature of the urban land use system. Despite the fact that it is not integrated into the urban land use system, it is an important feature of the urban economy. It is evident that Urban Agriculture makes important contribution to employment, income and food supply. It is an important source of food to the commercial and poor urban farmers respectively. The urban economies can greatly benefit from Urban Agriculture, if the Government can develop a policy and institutional framework on the sector. This would ensure enhanced agricultural productivity and safety of the produce. This study is also aimed at creating awareness on the importance of Urban Agriculture and also indicating the ways in which the practice can be used to alleviate poverty in the urban areas. The study is divided into four chapters. Chapter one lays down the basis of the project. It is the introductory part covering the general problem and shows ways on how to undertake the study. Chapter two lays down the theoretical framework of the study. It deals with the review of relevant literature concerning Urban Agriculture. The chapter is also a basis of evaluation of the field evaluation to make research conclusions. Chapter three deals with the case study and the data analysis and presentation of the data collected. It presents the field work, where data is collected through surveys, analyzed, presented and findings deduced from the data. The project paper closes with the researchers own conclusion of the study, which shows the relationship between the findings and foundation of the study. The latter part of the chapter contains recommendations, which are based on the research findings and objectives of the project paper.