Urban agriculture in Kano has been an old phenomenon. It began long before the 1960s in some parts of the city and became widespread after the general economic downturn in the 1980s, when the urban poor struggled to improve their livelihoods. However, this has not been officially recognised and has been merely tolerated as a response to the socio-economic conditions faced by the many poor individuals.
Three sub-systems of field production have always been present in the UPA fringes of Kano:
- dry season production of market gardening crops,
- wet season production of staple food crops and,
- permanent fruit orchards.
The permanent orchards usually belong to the well-to-do individuals. Also, animal rearing (poultry, fish and cattle) is undertaken by the middle and upper classes of society who have larger compounds. The dry season horticultural crop production and wet season production of staples are actively pursued by the urban resource poor.
Men, between the ages of 30-70 years undertake urban crop production during the dry and wet seasons. The agriculture implements are rudimentary- hoes, machetes and sickles as implements, and seed from their own stocks or bought on the open market. A few have access to improved seeds, fertilisers and pesticides. Many rely on household refuse, animal droppings and ash for manure.
Vegetable production by irrigation during the dry season is undertaken on flood plains, floodable low terraces and depressed, seasonally flooded upland areas (depending on the availability of water either on the surface or in dug up ditches). Highly polluted urban waste streams are used for irrigation throughout the year in several sites, supplemented by a few tube wells.
Plot sizes are very small, averaging 0.2ha per plot in the intra-urban areas and 0.5 in the sub-urban areas. However, most of the farmers have more than one plot. Some of these urban sites are vacant lands belonging to Government, and access to land is insecure due to rapid urban sprawl.
A variety of land tenure arrangements for UA are common in Kano. These range from individual or family ownership (where tenure is secured) to permitted and illegal squatting (where tenure is insecure). In certain locations, farmers utilise open spaces adjacent to government undertakings such as railway lines and offices. |
