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Access to land for urban farming in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: histories, benefits and insecure tenure*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 November 2011

Leslie McLees
Leslie McLees*
Affiliation:
Department of Geography, 1251 University of Oregon, Condon Hall 107, Eugene, Oregon 974023, USA
*
Email: lmclees@uoregon.edu
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Abstract

People in sub-Saharan Africa rely on a variety of informal mechanisms to gain access to land for urban farming. However, the literature on land tenure focuses on gaining access to land for housing, whereas farming, which is highly visible in the urban landscape of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, requires farmers to negotiate their access in ways distinct from housing. A close examination of four open-space farms in Dar es Salaam reveals that there are different methods of gaining access to land for farming as opposed to housing. Additionally, theorising this access reveals that the landowners who allow farmers on their land for food production also derive benefits. This can provide a framework for current efforts to integrate urban agriculture into the city zoning plans.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Modern African Studies , Volume 49 , Issue 4 , December 2011 , pp. 601 - 624
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

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Footnotes

*

This research was funded through a National Science Foundation Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant #1030677 and the Sasakawa Young Leaders Fellowship Fund. The author would like to thank the urban farmers in Dar es Salaam who shared their experiences, and the Sustainable Cities PLUS Network for providing local support in Dar es Salaam, as well as the Geography writing group at the University of Oregon and three anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments.

References

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Interviews

Dar es Salaam regional agriculture extension agent 30.7.10.

Drive-In group leader 27.7.10.

Ilala Boma, agriculture extension agent, 26.7.10.

Msimbazi farmer 29.6.10.

Tazara-Mchicha group leader 6.6.10.

WAMTE group leader 29.6.10.