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Report 4 (of 5): Green Streets
- Ecuador
Introduction
With an estimated 800 million urban
farmers in the world, agriculture is a growth business
helping to feed large populations, particularly in
the bustling cities of the developing world. Crop
and livestock production, fisheries and forestry in
or on the fringes of urban settlements makes good
use of small spaces like domestic gardens, community
gardens and vacant public land.
Many governments recognise the contribution
urban farmers make to cleaner, healthier and more
productive cities, and this is true in Ecuador. Quito,
the capital city of Ecuador, is home to a municipal
project to promote horticulture, fruit growing, greenhouse
vegetable production and also small-scale livestock
rearing, using organic waste recycling systems on
family farms, private and public land and in schools.
The project is part of the Urban Management Programme
for Latin America and the Caribbean (UMP-LAC), based
in Quito, initiated and financed by the United Nations
Centre for Human Settlements (UNCHS), the UN Development
Programme (UNDP), International Development Research
Centre (IDRC) and the Promoción del Desarrollo Sostenible
(IPES).
Urban Agriculture
Urban farming has a long tradition
in both Asia and Europe, practised because it brought
produce closer to consumers at a time when transport
was slow and communication was poor. Most urban farmers
in developing countries today raise livestock and
grow cheap fresh produce to feed their families and
perhaps generate extra income.
Urban agriculture takes place on rooftops,
in backyards, in private and community vegetable and
fruit gardens, and on unused or public spaces. Typical
products include fruit, vegetables, fish, pork, poultry,
staples such as cassava, maize and beans, as well
as berries, nuts, herbs and spices. These contribute
essential nutrients to the family diet.
Urban farming not only supplies much
of the food that expanding cities require, but also
has many important benefits and functions, such as:
- fresher, cheaper and more diverse
food for the poor;
- employment for residents;
- idle land put to productive use;
- more green space in the cities
through recreational value, well-being and air quality;
and
- better sanitation and improved
health conditions through water and organic waste
recycling.
Quito
In Quito, two types of urban agriculture
are being used to provide food for the city. Intra-urban
agriculture is a part-time family activity, almost
entirely aimed at the production of vegetables. Here
farming methods include irrigation with drinking water,
hydroponics (growing produce without soil - see below),
and intensive production techniques. Peri-urban
agriculture involves the entire household in production
and exchanging produce, sometimes for money. Apart
from vegetable production, small animal rearing is
also widespread.
A pilot programme was implemented
in the neighbourhood of El Panecillo, which is located
in the centre of Quito. It was chosen because it has
a large area of protected land unsuitable for construction.
The community selected four areas
for action:
- setting up of composting and vermiculture
plants (using worms to decompose organic food waste);
- installation of a community nursery
for native ornamental and food production species;
- supporting the existing family
gardens for production of vegetables, medicinal
plants and small fruits; and
- construction of two agro-industries
for vegetables and medicinal plants.
Quito is not the only region in Ecuador
to be taking to urban agriculture. In Cuenca, some
300 kilometres south of Quito, the municipality runs
the Cuenca Urban Agriculture Programme (CUAP). With
a team of 28 different organisations working with
over 800 people, the programme is helping locals to
produce and sell vegetables, fruit, grain, fertiliser
and small animals.
Types of Urban Agriculture
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Growing crops in the city |
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Urban agriculture involves many different
activities. These include horticulture (growing crops),
livestock rearing, aquaculture (fish and plant production)
and forestry. The key to urban agriculture is in making
it appropriate for local circumstances. This can mean
growing crops that are of low value to discourage theft,
have a quick rotation due to land uncertainty, and are
strong and adaptable to uncontrolled conditions due
to a lack of shelter and proper tools.
Livestock Rearing
Small livestock are an important part
of urban farming. Typical livestock raised in cities
includes poultry and pigs. Small livestock is important
in urban farming because it produces more meat relative
to the amount of feed than large animals, and can
be produced cheaply in small spaces. Rearing rabbits
and guinea pigs is common in many Latin American cities,
including Ecuador. Rabbits and guinea-pigs are ideal
because they do not take up much space and can be
fed grass, leaves, greens discarded by markets or
shops and food scraps from the kitchen. For many low-income
farmers they are the only source of meat. They also
generate manure which can be used to improve soil
in the garden.
Horticulture
Household gardening is the most common
form of urban horticulture. The most important crops
of urban farmers are perishable fruits and vegetables
grown in or near the city by small or large farmers
for home consumption or sale on the urban market.
The assortment of crops grown in cities tend to be
of relatively high value, have short growing cycles,
generate their own seeds and require little in the
way of tools or additional inputs. Intensive horticulture
can be practised on small plots, making efficient
use of limited water and land resources.
Horticultural species have considerable
yield potential and can provide up to 50 kilograms
(kg) of fresh produce per square metre per year, depending
upon the technology used. Leafy vegetables for example
provide a quick return that helps families meet their
daily cash requirement for purchasing food. Urban
production has another advantage: leafy vegetables
are particularly perishable and post-harvest losses
can be reduced significantly when production takes
place close to consumers. Families without any land
or garden can gain access to public or abandoned land
or alternatively start horticulture in a variety of
containers, such as boxes, rain gutters, used tyres,
or even plastic bags.
Hydroponics
Hydroponics involves growing plants
without soil. The simplest form is crops grown directly
on solid waste or compost without soil. The challenge
of this method is to maintain nutrients required for
plant growth. However, the system is very resource
efficient, requiring less water than field crops.
Its limited water use makes this technology especially
suitable for areas with water shortages.
The water culture system is the simplest
of all hydroponic systems. The platform that holds
the plants is usually made of Styrofoam or polystyrene
and floats directly on top of a nutrient solution.
An air pump and airstone are used to oxygenate the
nutrient solution so it can be absorbed by the plant's
roots.
Water culture system © simplyhydro.com
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Water culture is particularly good for
growing leaf lettuce. Very few plants other than lettuce
do well in this type of system. An inexpensive system
can be made out of an old aquarium or other watertight
container. The biggest drawback of this kind of system
is that it doesn't work well with large plants or with
long-term plants. Other systems include Wick, Flood
and Drain, Drip, Nutrient Film Technique and Aeroponic.
Visit
the 'Simplyhydro' website for more information.
Solid Waste Recycling
Every year millions of people, mostly
in cities, die from diseases caused by unhygienic
sewage and waste disposal, and urban waste production
is growing even faster than urban populations. Urban
farmers play a major role in waste recycling, creating
a closed system in which organic wastes from food,
manufacturing and sewage are reused instead of increasing
pressure on landfills and polluting waterways. Human
waste is turned into compost, domestic wastewater
is used to irrigate crops, and aquaculture stabilises
animal manure.
Reusing organic wastes in urban agriculture
is an age-old activity in many cities. Micro-organisms
in soil, dust and vegetable matter break down organic
matter, and the process generates heat which sanitises
the resultant compost and makes it safe for use in
agriculture. Urban farms benefit from access to this
compost as it contains valuable nutrients that can
be used as fertiliser to grow vegetables, soil conditioner
and as a basic resource for the production of animal
feed. Chemical fertilisers are often too expensive
or unavailable, making organic wastes a valuable resource
for urban producers.
The benefits of reusing organic wastes
in agriculture include:
- decrease in landfill waste;
- enhanced soil fertility;
- improved structure and soil life,
moist retention capacity and soil fertility;
- improved plant resistance to disease;
and
- improved food security and nutrition.
Suitable materials that are easily
accessible to farmers include:
- household waste;
- sludge from pit latrines;
- leaves;
- manure from cows, pigs, donkeys
and bats;
- litter from chickens;
- paper;
- ash; and
- water hyacinth.
Materials that are more difficult
to obtain on a regular basis include feathers, straw
from millet and maize, fish scales, bones and hair,
waste from peanuts, tree and shrub clippings.
Liquid Waste Recycling
Urban agriculture is more exposed
than other farming systems to environmental pollution,
including urban wastewater. The major danger in using
wastewaters is food contamination by disease-causing
organisms or pathogens and outbreaks of water-borne
diseases. The most viable source of water for urban
agriculture is recycled treated wastewater.
Wastewater is used both as a source
of irrigation water and of plant nutrients, allowing
farmers to reduce or even eliminate the purchase of
chemical fertilizers. Typical wastewater effluent
from domestic sources, when appropriately treated,
could supply all the nitrogen and much of the phosphorus
and potassium that are normally required for agricultural
crop production.
In many cases, wastewater is the only
source of water for irrigation. Choosing crops to
grow in relation to the quality of wastewater is very
important because there are large variations in the
way plants absorb pollutants and heavy metals. The
most interesting treatment options are those that
eliminate pathogens but retain the nutrients present
in the water.
Waste stabilisation ponds are a low-cost
system proven to be most effective in removing pathogens
in a warm climate. They can be built and operated
without much mechanical equipment, unless wastewater
needs to be pumped or machinery is required to de-sludge
ponds. Wastewater can also be held in tanks in which
organic matter and suspended solids are allowed to
settle before being used for irrigation.
Promoting Urban Agriculture
Commodities such as fruit, vegetables,
pork and poultry can provide up to 40 per cent of
the nutritional needs of urban families in developing
countries, making a major contribution to urban food
security. As the world's cities grow, the role of
urban farmers becomes increasingly important. Informal
activities of city farmers require access to land
as well as increasing financial and technical support
from city authorities.
Any efforts to promote urban farming
need to consider:
- Lack of land is the main obstacle
to urban farming and so city authorities can help
by making spare or waste land available to urban
farmers.
- Access to solid wastes and wastewater
needs to be provided free of charge to urban farmers,
along with healthy and safe methods of recycling
such as biological wastewater treatment plants or
composting facilities.
- Provision of improved seeds and
help in establishing urban farming cooperatives
are necessary to enable exchange and sale of excess
produce.
For further information, please contact:
Marielle Dubbeling (Urban Agriculture
Advisor)
PGU-ALC/IPES; Programa de Gestión Urbana,
HABITAT-PNUD
Casilla 17-01-2505
Quito
Ecuador
Tel. +593 2 583 961
Fax +593 2 282 361
Email: marid@pgu-ecu.org, marid@pgu.ecuanex.net.ec
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Websites
www.pgualc.org/que-es/organizacion.html
UMP-LAC website (in Spanish)
http://www.ruaf.org/
Resource Centre on Urban Agriculture and Forestry.
http://www.cityfarmer.org/
Website dedicated to urban agriculture
journeytoforever.org/cityfarm.html
Website dedicated to all aspects of urban farming
including organic gardening, composting and small
farms.
www.idrc.ca/cfp
The International Development Research Centre's Cities
Feeding People Program Initiative
http://www.simplyhydro.com/
Hydroponics website
Further Reading
www.ruaf.org/newslgen_fr.html
Urban Agriculture Magazine produced by the Resource
Centre on Urban Agriculture and Forestry.
Books from ITDG Publishing
Urban Agriculture: Growing vegetables
in cities
Jeroen Boland
£5.95, Agromisa, 2002, ISBN: 9077073256
Urban Agriculture in West Africa
O.B. Smith
£19.95, IDRC, 1999, ISBN: 0889368902
This book describes the valuable contribution that
urban agriculture is making to food security and urban
sanitation in the cities of West and Central Africa.
Cities Feeding People: An examination
of urban agriculture in East Africa
Axumite G. Egziabher
£16.50, IDRC, 1994, ISBN: 088936706X
For the urban poor of the South, food is becoming
a prohibitively expensive commodity. By the late 1980s,
cities of the developing world were required to import
half their food supply. This book argues that urban
agriculture can reduce this dependency, and demonstrates
that it is a safe, clean and secure method of feeding
urban populations.
Waste Composting for Urban and
Peri-Urban Agriculture: Closing the rural-urban nutrient
cycle in sub-Saharan Africa
Edited by Pay Drechsel and Dagmar Kunze
£45.00, CABI, 2001, ISBN: 0851995489
This document is an output from
a project funded by the UK Department for International
Development (DFID) and the European Commission (EC)
for the benefit of developing countries. The views
expressed are not necessarily those of DFID or the
EC.
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