Opportunities and challenges of peri-urban agriculture on the fringes of the Metropolis of Rabat, Morocco

Paper Details

Research Paper 01/03/2021
Views (514) Download (32)
current_issue_feature_image
publication_file

Opportunities and challenges of peri-urban agriculture on the fringes of the Metropolis of Rabat, Morocco

Fatiha Hakimi, Mohamed Brech
J. Bio. Env. Sci.18( 3), 47-53, March 2021.
Certificate: JBES 2021 [Generate Certificate]

Abstract

The current study was aimed to assess practices, roles and challenges of peri-urban agriculture in Rabat Metropolis. Through purposive and stratified random sampling methods 50 respondents were selected. To achieve the objectives of this study both qualitative and quantitative methods of data analysis were used. Data collection from farmers was based on field observation, interviews and field surveys. Descriptive statistics such as frequency distribution, Chi-square test, tests of normality and homogeneity of variances and Principal Component Analysis (PCA), were used. According to the major findings of the study, the major types of peri-urban farming practices in the study area includes: horticulture or production of fruits and vegetables, crop farming and some livestock rearing such as beef farming, sheep farming and poultry farming. The survey result reveals that there are various significances of PUA in the study area: it contributes to the economic development of the metropolis as it generates income for farmers, creates employment, contributes to food supply and enhances economic use of land and environmental beatification of the city. In the Metropolis of Rabat, PUA faces several constraints: legal constraints mainly the absence of laws regulating this activity and the obligation of some farmers in the peri-urban area to pay housing taxes. It is also subject to many technical constraints such as insufficient workforce and high labor costs, difficult access to irrigation water, lack of training and technical supervision and support from the concerned body. Finally, recommendations and suggestions have been forwarded based on the findings of the study.

VIEWS 56

Abutiate WS. 1995. Urban and peri-urban horticultural activity in Ghana: an overview. in NRI, ed, Peri-Urban Interface Research: Workshop Proceedings, ODA, Kumasi, Ghana.

Aubry C, Ramamonjisoa J, Dabat MH, Rakotoarisoa J, Rakotondraibe J, Rabeharisoa L. 2012. Urban Agriculture and Land Use in Cities: An Approach with the Multifunctionality and Sustainability Concepts in the Case of Antananarivo (Madagascar). Land Use Policy 29(2), 429 - 439.

Bunwaree S. 2000. Cités horticoles en sursis ? L’agriculture urbaine dans les grandes Niayes au Sénégal. Sous la direction de Safiétou Touré Fall et Abdou Salam Fall, CRDI, 2001, ISBN 0‑88936‑936‑4, Bulletin de l’APAD 20, 120.

De Bon H, Parrot L, Moustier P. 2010. Sustainable Urban Agriculture in Developing Countries: A Review. Agronomy for Sustainable Development 30(1), 21- 32.

De Zeeuw H, Van Veenhuizen R, Dubbeling M. 2011. The Role of Urban Agriculture in Building Resilient Cities in Developing Countries. Journal of Agricultural Science 149(S1), 153- 163.

Dubbeling M, De Zeeuw H, Van Veenhuizen R. 2010. Cities, Poverty and Food: Multistakeholder Policy and Planning in Urban Agriculture. Rugby, UK: Practical Action Publishing.

FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations). 2001. Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture. A briefing guide for the successful implementation of Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture in Developing Countries and Countries of Transition. Rome, FAO.

FAO, FIDA, OMS, PAM, UNICEF. 2018. L’état de la sécurité alimentaire et de la nutrition dans le monde. Renforcer la résilience face aux changements climatiques pour la sécurité alimentaire et la nutrition. Rome, FAO.

HCP (Haut-Commissariat au plan). 2004. Recensement général de la population et de l’habitat 2004, Rabat, Maroc. [En ligne] URL: http://www.hcp.ma/Recensement-general-de-la-population-et-de-l-habitat-2004_a633.html

HCP (Haut-Commissariat au plan). 2016. Morocco in figs.

House W, Ikiara G, McCormick D. 1993. Urban self-employment in Kenya: panacea or viable strategy. World Development 21, 1205- 1223.

Nugent R. 2000. The impact of urban agriculture on the household and local economies. Growing Cities, Growing Food: Urban Agriculture on the Policy Agenda.

Pauleit S, Pribadi DO, Abo El Wafa H. 2019. Peri-urban agriculture: lessons learnt from Jakarta and Addis Ababa. Field Actions Science Reports. The journal of field actions (Special Issue 20), 18- 25.

Powell JM, Pearson RA, Hiernaux PH. 2004. Crop–livestock interactions in the West African drylands. Agronomy journal 96(2), 469-483.

Sawio C. 1998. Managing urban agriculture in Dar Es Salaam. Cities Feeding People Report 20, IDRC, Ottawa.

Smit J, Ratta A, Nasr J. 1996. Urban agriculture: food, jobs and sustainable cities. New York, USA 2, 35- 37.

Tarik R. 2012. Environnement: l’urbanisation au détriment de l’agriculture, Le matin. [Online] URL: https://lematin.ma/journal/2012/Environnement_L-urbanisation-au-detriment-de-l-agriculture/ 162832.

UN (United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division). 2018. World Urbanization Prospects: The 2018 Revision, Online Edition. Available from https://esa.un.org /unpd/wup/ Publications.

UNDESA (United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs). 2010. World urbanization prospects: the 2009 revision. File 17a: Urban population (thousands), Number of cities and percentage of urban population by size class of urban settlement, major area, region and country, 1950-2025. Pop/db/wup/rev. 2009/2/f17a. New York.

UNDESA (United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs). 2020. File 2: Percentage of Population at Mid-Year Residing in Urban Areas by region, subregion and country, 1950-2050. [Online] URL: https://population.un.org/wup

UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund). 2020. [Online] URL: https://www.unfpa.org/fr /data/world-population-dashboard

UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund). 2020. State of the World Population: Unleashing the Potential of Urban Growth. New York: UNFPA.

Zasada I. 2011. “Multifunctional Peri-urban Agriculture- A review of societal demands and the provision of goods and services by farming.” Land Use Policy 28(4), 639 - 648.