[et_pb_section admin_label=”Section” fullwidth=”on” specialty=”off”][et_pb_fullwidth_image admin_label=”Fullwidth Image” src=”http:\/\/cusjc.ca\/taking-root\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Food-insecurity-feature-image.jpg” show_in_lightbox=”off” url_new_window=”off” use_overlay=”off” animation=”fade_in” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] [\/et_pb_fullwidth_image][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”1_4″][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_post_title admin_label=”Post Title” title=”on” meta=”on” author=”off” date=”off” categories=”off” comments=”off” featured_image=”off” featured_placement=”below” parallax_effect=”on” parallax_method=”on” text_orientation=”center” text_color=”dark” text_background=”off” text_bg_color=”rgba(255,255,255,0.9)” module_bg_color=”rgba(255,255,255,0)” title_all_caps=”off” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] [\/et_pb_post_title][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” text_font_size=”16″ text_text_color=”#000000″ use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] Africa has the highest rate of urbanization in the world. Kenya is no exception. Nairobi\u2019s population has nearly doubled in the last decade, nearing 4 million. By 2020, Nairobi\u2019s population will double again to 8 million people. Over 60 per cent of them will end up in low-income informal settlements like Kibera, reports UN-Habitat. [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image urbanization graph” src=”http:\/\/cusjc.ca\/taking-root\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Screen-Shot-2016-04-15-at-12.52.56-PM.png” show_in_lightbox=”off” url_new_window=”off” use_overlay=”off” animation=”fade_in” sticky=”on” align=”center” force_fullwidth=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] [\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” text_font=”Georgia||||” text_font_size=”12″ text_text_color=”#000000″ use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Credit: Graph taken from Growing Better Cities<\/em>. [Original Data Source: United Nations\u00a0World urbanization prospects: the 2003 revised population database.] [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” text_font_size=”16″ text_text_color=”#000000″ use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] The exodus of rural residents to the urban centres has caused the city\u2019s informal settlements to swell and put strain on local food prices. As more and more people move into cities like Nairobi, fewer rural farmers are able to produce food for growing food demands in urban populations. [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_4″][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”center” text_font_size=”16″ text_text_color=”#000000″ use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_code admin_label=”Code Busy cars in Kibera”]<iframe width=”1280″ height=”720″ src=”https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/coGYwKpZ8Cw?rel=0&controls=0&showinfo=0″ frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen><\/iframe>[\/et_pb_code][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”1_4″][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” text_font_size=”16″ text_text_color=”#000000″ use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] \u201cAs the population index increases, food becomes scarce,\u201d says Alhad (Babu) Ahmed Adam, the member of county assembly for Makina ward in Kibera and vice-chairperson of the agriculture, environment, and natural resources committee for Nairobi city county. [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image” src=”http:\/\/cusjc.ca\/taking-root\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Babu-in-his-office.jpg” show_in_lightbox=”off” url_new_window=”off” use_overlay=”off” animation=”fade_in” sticky=”on” align=”center” force_fullwidth=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] [\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text caption” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”center” text_font=”|on|||” text_font_size=”12″ use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] Alhad (Babu) Ahmed Adam sits at his desk in Makina ward, Kibera.\u00a0[Photo \u00a9 Evelyn Harford]<\/strong> [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” text_font_size=”16″ text_text_color=”#000000″ use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]<\/p>\n \u201cNinety per cent of the community lives below the poverty line and only receive one meal a day,\u201d says Naimo Abdullai, whose organization, Savo Foundation, is located in Makina ward.<\/p>\n In October 2014, Savo started its sack gardens. Since then, the organization has used the food to provide a subsidized school lunch program for children in the neighbourhood. While it\u2019s not much, it does help in a small way.<\/p>\n \u201cWe started the farm so our family would have something at the end of the day,\u201d says Naimo. \u201cOnce the seedlings were planted into the sacks it took three weeks to grow. We even sell to our neighbors at a lower price. It is cheaper and accessible.\u201d<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image” src=”http:\/\/cusjc.ca\/taking-root\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Naimo-in-her-garden-at-Savo-Foundation.jpg” show_in_lightbox=”off” url_new_window=”off” use_overlay=”off” animation=”fade_in” sticky=”on” align=”center” force_fullwidth=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] [\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text caption” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”center” text_font=”|on|||” text_font_size=”12″ use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] Naimo stands in her kale garden and enjoying the afternoon sun at Savo Foundation.\u00a0[Photo \u00a9 Evelyn Harford]<\/strong> [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” text_font_size=”16″ text_text_color=”#000000″ use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]<\/p>\n Food insecurity among Kibera residents is increasing and urban agriculture is part of a larger solution needed to tackle hunger for the urban poor, say local community leaders. The local imperative seen in Kibera is now being mirrored by international organizations like the United Nations.<\/p>\n In 2014, \u201cThe 4th World Urban Forum, cited the need for policies and interventions to ensure that the increasing number of urban poor do not get left behind.\u201d That forum placed strong emphasis on improving urban food security through urban agriculture.<\/p>\n High urbanization rates threaten the overall national food security improvement. To get a greater sense of the crisis, you need to look closer at the rates of food insecurity within<\/em> urban centers because this data shows a much different picture than national statistics reveal. It can be difficult to find reliable data for some of these communities because the populations are in flux and there are just not enough government staff to produce reliable local numbers but some World Food Program reports show that urban poor globally are at higher risks of suffering food insecurity than those in rural regions.<\/p>\n Over 95 per cent of families in Kibera reported worrying about their supply of food in the last year. That information came from a 2013 study of urban agriculture in Kibera conducted by researchers associated with the University of Nairobi, Michigan State University, Northern Illinois University and Johns Hopkins University.<\/p>\n In 2009 a report from Oxfam found that more than half of Nairobi\u2019s \u201cfood poor\u201d were living in informal settlements like Kibera. People who are \u201cfood poor\u201d can spend up to 80 per cent of their income on food as defined by that report.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_code admin_label=”Code”]<iframe width=”1280″ height=”720″ src=”https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/vAkD9vjX6rg?rel=0&controls=0&showinfo=0″ frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen><\/iframe>[\/et_pb_code][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” text_font_size=”16″] When you walk through Nairobi\u2019s Toi Market, one of the city\u2019s largest markets, it\u2019s hard to imagine how food insecurity could be so widespread. The market\u2019s food stands seem to overflow with sacks of dried legumes grains, bushels of fresh kale, tomatoes and bananas. [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_4″][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image” src=”http:\/\/cusjc.ca\/taking-root\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Mamma-Sammy.jpg” show_in_lightbox=”off” url_new_window=”off” use_overlay=”off” animation=”fade_in” sticky=”on” align=”center” force_fullwidth=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] [\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text caption” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”center” text_font=”|on|||” text_font_size=”12″ use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] Mamma Sammy sits at her stall in Toi market and waits for her next customer.\u00a0[Photo \u00a9 Evelyn Harford]<\/strong> [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”1_4″][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” text_font_size=”16″ text_text_color=”#000000″ use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]<\/p>\n Mamma Sammy has been a vendor in Toi Market since 2000. She says that food prices have shot up significantly since she started selling vegetables in the market. Prices have really changed because we were buying a crate of tomatoes $19 CAD, now we can buy as high as $90 CAD, she says.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople are buying,\u201d says Mamma Sammy. \u201cBut many are discouraged by the price so they aren\u2019t coming as they were.\u201d<\/p>\n Many urban poor have to subsist without good nutrition because there simply isn\u2019t enough money to buy from the stores or markets.<\/p>\n \u201cUrban populations in Africa are malnourished,\u201d says Lee-Smith. \u201cThere is data that shows that, so when you have urban agriculture which is extremely patchy but widespread, people eat fresh food and are better nourished. The data shows that.\u201d<\/p>\n Many are forced to eat cheap food with little vitamins and minerals. It\u2019s not about health when you\u2019re starving, it\u2019s about feeling full.<\/p>\n \u201cUgali is the cheapest food in Kibera,\u201d says Naimo. Ugali is a mixture of flour and water. Many use it as a side dish to soups and stews. \u201cThe poorest of the poor are finding themselves with only ugali \u2014 not accompanied by vegetables or meat. The prices of these products have increased in the last 10 years and are highest in the dry season.\u201d<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image” src=”http:\/\/cusjc.ca\/taking-root\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/ugali.jpg” show_in_lightbox=”off” url_new_window=”off” use_overlay=”off” animation=”fade_in” sticky=”on” align=”center” force_fullwidth=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] [\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text caption” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”center” text_font=”|on|||” text_font_size=”12″ use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] Ugali is prepared for lunch at Savo Foundation along with kale.\u00a0[Photo \u00a9 Evelyn Harford]<\/strong> [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” text_font_size=”16″ text_text_color=”#000000″ use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] Kenya\u2019s national rate of food security has fallen by 11.2 per cent to 21.2 per cent since 1990. As the food insecurity decreased nationally, the urban poor have faced increasing rates of food insecurity according to the World Food Program. [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_4″][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”center” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_code admin_label=”Code tableau”]<iframe src=” https:\/\/public.tableau.com\/views\/GlobalUndernourishment\/Story1?:showVizHome= no&:embed=true” style=”border:0px;” scrolling=”no” width=”1016″ height=”964″><\/iframe>[\/et_pb_code][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”1_4″][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” text_font_size=”16″ text_text_color=”#000000″ use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]<\/p>\n Fast paced urbanization has put a strain on the rural-urban food driving the price of food up in urban centres; especially meat prices.<\/p>\n Shadrack Mbithi, 42 has been a butcher for ten years. The increasing prices have started to impact his small business that he runs in Kibera.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve lost customers because many will not afford to buy,\u201d he says. \u201cThe price changes every year. For one to buy a small piece of meat it was $1.50 CAD, and now it\u2019s almost $4 CAD.\u201d<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_code admin_label=”Video of butcher”]<iframe width=”1280″ height=”720″ src=”https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/tIm3eP6Tt1U?rel=0&controls=0&showinfo=0″ frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen><\/iframe>[\/et_pb_code][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” text_font_size=”16″ text_text_color=”#000000″ use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]<\/p>\n Many people in urban centres don\u2019t have their own source of food. They shop at markets, like Toi or at the supermarkets. Inflation and lack of employment has exacerbated the food insecurity in Kibera because people just don\u2019t have the money they used to provide for their families.<\/p>\n \u201cThe dollar you had for food last year, might be only a couple cents today,\u201d says Bill Lijoh, co-ordinator of the agriculture sector support program for the Kenyan government.<\/p>\n Lijoh says women are disproportionately impacted by food insecurity in Kibera.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you are a mother with two children and if you have no food in the home, you will feel it more than the men,\u201d says Lijoh. \u201c[Women] are the ones who revert to food production.\u201d Lijoh\u2019s department is planning to invest more into urban farming activities for the city\u2019s most vulnerable populations: women and youth.<\/p>\n The emphasis on women is a welcome decision for community leaders in Kibera.<\/p>\n \u201cWoman can make a big role in changing food insecurity because she is the one most in touch to the children,\u201d says Naimo. \u201cThe children cannot go to their father to say, \u2018Daddy I\u2019m hungry.\u2019 They always go back to the woman.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWomen can make sure she has her stock of food at home even when there is not food provided by the man,\u201d says Naimo. \u201cBut the woman will always have the preparation of tomorrow in mind, more than a man.\u201d<\/p>\n Local Kibera member of county assembly, Babu understands this imperative.<\/p>\n \u201cIn any city, in any country you go, agriculture has to be there,\u201d says Babu. \u201cAgriculture is more important than money.\u201d<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_4″][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=”Row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image” src=”http:\/\/cusjc.ca\/taking-root\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Vegetables-in-Toi-Market.jpg” show_in_lightbox=”off” url_new_window=”off” use_overlay=”off” animation=”fade_in” sticky=”on” align=”center” force_fullwidth=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] [\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text caption” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”center” text_font=”|on|||” text_font_size=”12″ use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] Toi market vegetable table.\u00a0[Photo \u00a9 Evelyn Harford]<\/strong> [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”1_4″][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” text_font_size=”16″ text_text_color=”#000000″ use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]<\/p>\n The 2013 Kenyan constitution also mandated that all citizens should have the right to food in section 43 (1) c. The city of Nairobi has enacted the statue of the Kenyan constitution which states that, \u201cEverybody has the right: to be free from hunger and to have adequate food of acceptable quality.\u201d<\/p>\n To integrate policies and programs to improve urban food security, Nairobi politicians are looking to an historic practice of urban agriculture, which has gone without official support for almost five decades.<\/p>\n Nairobi politicians have recognized that urban agriculture is, and always has been, part of the solution to tackle food insecurity within the urban setting and empower citizens through income generation.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_4″][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=”Row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”center” text_font_size=”16″ text_text_color=”#000000″ use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=”Row”][et_pb_column type=”1_4″][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_code admin_label=”Code”]<iframe width=”560″ height=”315″ src=”https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/QEYWSOKoduc?rel=0&showinfo=0″ frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen><\/iframe>[\/et_pb_code][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_4″][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=”Row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”center” text_font_size=”16″ text_text_color=”#000000″ use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section admin_label=”Section” fullwidth=”on” specialty=”off”][et_pb_fullwidth_portfolio admin_label=”Fullwidth Portfolio” fullwidth=”on” include_categories=”9″ show_title=”on” show_date=”off” background_layout=”light” auto=”off” hover_overlay_color=”rgba(255,255,255,0.9)” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] [\/et_pb_fullwidth_portfolio][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Africa has the highest rate of urbanization in the world. Kenya is no exception. Nairobi\u2019s population has nearly doubled in the last decade, nearing 4 million. By 2020, Nairobi\u2019s population will double again to 8 million people. Over 60 per cent of them will end up in low-income informal settlements like Kibera, reports UN-Habitat. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":281,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"project_category":[9],"project_tag":[],"class_list":["post-255","project","type-project","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","project_category-the-context"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/taking-root\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/project\/255","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/taking-root\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/project"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/taking-root\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/project"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/taking-root\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/taking-root\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=255"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/taking-root\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/project\/255\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":659,"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/taking-root\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/project\/255\/revisions\/659"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/taking-root\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/281"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/taking-root\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=255"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"project_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/taking-root\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/project_category?post=255"},{"taxonomy":"project_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/taking-root\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/project_tag?post=255"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Busy cars pass through\u00a0a Kibera’s busy road on the southwestern edge.<\/h2>\n
Click through the map\u00a0to see how the percentage\u00a0of undernourished people have decreased in many countries in the global south, including Kenya since the early 1990s.<\/h2>\n
Click the video to see how sack gardening increases\u00a0food security and income generation.<\/h2>\n
Click “Urban agriculture reform” to learn how Nairobi’s new urban agriculture will\u00a0promote urban agriculture in an attempt to curb urban food insecurity.<\/h2>\n