Zimbabwe: Only 22,2% urban households involved in urban agriculture
“This initiative will go along way in improving the proportion of households consuming protein and iron rich foods.”
By Stephen Jakes
Bulawyo
Dec 1, 2023
Excerpt:
“The major reason why urban households were not practising urban agriculture was no access to land (55.9%). The proportion of households practising crop/horticulture production was 20.2% and livestock production was 0.5%.”
Zimvac reported that the highest proportion of households engaged in urban agriculture grew maize (9.6%) and green leafy vegetables (5.8%) as food crops.
“Mashonaland Central (16.3%) and Matabeleland South (11.7%) had the highest proportion of urban households that grew maize as food crop. Of those households which received inputs from Government, 9.7% received seed, 6.6% received Compound D, 3.7% received Ammonium Nitrate and 0.2% received pesticides,” reads the report.
“Friends and relatives and Government extension agents were the most common sources of information for both crop inputs and crop market information. In terms of livestock diseases information, urban households accessed information from Government extension agents (17.6%), friends and relatives (15.3%). Information on livestock input was accessed from friends and relatives (17.7%) and Government extension agents (14.6%).”
The report states that the majority of households accessed their staple food (grain/mealie meal) from the local grocery shops/ tuckshops (43.9%) and supermarkets (21%).
“About 8.2% of households were relying on grain from own production,” it reads.
