Urbanization Effects On Urban Vegetable Farmers Adaptation: Evidence From Ghana
Date
2023
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems
Abstract
This study argues that urban change and urban agriculture are linked, and this relationship affects urban farmers. This causes urban farmers to adapt to urban change
and, in this study, within the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA). This is
because urban agriculture serves as a source of livelihood for urban dwellers and
a source of vital food ingredients which helps address food security concerns in
the city. This study employs an exploratory sequential mixed method to investigate
this phenomenon, which first uses a qualitative methodology and then quantitative
methodology to investigate the changes that have occurred within the GAMA and
how the farmers are adapting to these changes. A heterogeneous sampling approach
was used to select a total of 29 farmers from 10 farm sites for the qualitative data,
while a multistage sampling approach was used to select 251 farmers from 16 farm
sites for the quantitative data. The changes within the urban space realized by farmers include climate, land scarcity, increased population, and lifestyle dynamics. The
population increase and lifestyle change; for instance, increased demand for vegetables and land scarcity caused farmers to move to secured lands, which led to farmers
enjoying security on those lands. However, increased population, for instance, led to
more unplanned settlements, which negatively resulted in polluted streams for farming. It also led to land scarcity, that has resulted in the eviction of farmers from their
farmlands. In adapting to some of the effects of these changes, farmers used several
water sources to reduce their dependence on polluted streams and embarked on
intensification and relocated to cheap and cost-free lands to be able to manage the
land scarcity challenge. All these adaptation strategies prove farmers’ resilience to
the intense urban changes, which affect their farming activities. This calls for specialized and focused support for urban agriculture by stakeholders responsible for the
promotion of urban agriculture.
Description
Research Article
Keywords
vegetable farmers, Ghana, urban