by IGDC Member Gideon Baffoe
As African cities continue to urbanise rapidly, many are becoming epicentres of overlapping crises, including climate shocks, poverty, food insecurity, and institutional fragmentation. Despite the chaos, however, overlooked practices like urban agriculture (UA) are quietly building resilience. At the Development Studies Association (DSA) Conference 2025, I presented findings from my recent study in Accra, Ghana, under the theme: “Thriving Amid Urban Chaos in Africa: The Untapped Potential of Urban Agriculture in Resilience Building.”
The presentation draws on a mixed-method study that analysed 14 policy documents, field observations across four urban farm sites, and interviews with 26 key stakeholders from government, academia, civil society, and farming associations. It explored how urban agriculture, while often informal and marginalised, contributes meaningfully to urban resilience by providing food, supporting ecological functions, and sustaining livelihoods, especially during times of crisis.
While stakeholders widely acknowledged UA’s benefits, the study also highlighted structural and political barriers that limit its transformative potential. These include insecure land tenure, fragmented institutional mandates, and a deep-rooted policy neglect that treats UA as a peripheral, unsanitary, and transient endeavour. Farmers are frequently displaced to make way for urban development, while no single authority assumes responsibility for protecting their rights or supporting their activities.
Drawing on Resilience Theory and Political Ecology as guiding frameworks, the study revealed how UA’s contributions are not merely environmental but deeply socio-political. UA operates within contested urban spaces, shaped by power struggles over land, access to resources, and visibility in policymaking. In this sense, resilience is not just about bouncing back from shocks – it’s about recognising and addressing the embedded inequalities that shape who gets to adapt, and how.
The presentation ended with a call to action: it is time to reimagine urban agriculture not as a survival tactic, but as a strategic lever for navigating climate crises. Policymakers must move beyond symbolic mentions of UA in national strategies and instead embed it in concrete, funded, and monitored resilience frameworks. Development practitioners and civil society groups can also play a key role by investing in farmer training, knowledge networks, and advocacy for inclusive urban planning.
This is an excellent wake up call and call for action on urban agriculture as a climate change adaptation strategy .Urban governance systems and policy makers tend to evade this subject to avoid responsibility ….Evidence of neglecting urban agriculture in the climate debate is huge…I’m currently working with Mwanza Municipal Council Tanzania to develop ward resilience plans. Duty bearers do not seem to acknowledge the role of urban agriculture as a community coping strategy but just a minor livelihood response ….thank you !