Contributions of Urban Agriculture to Household Livelihood and Environmental Improvement as Well as the Prevailing Challenges: The Case of Burayu Town, Oromia Special Zone,Ethiopia
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Date
2021-11
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
This study aims to assess the contributions of urban agriculture to household livelihood
improvement and to access the perceptions of urban farmers about the benefits of urban
agriculture to environmental improvement in the Burayu town administration. The research
relies on a mixed approach, making use of both quantitative and qualitative methods. Systematic
random sampling method was employed to select households from local producers and
practicing and benefiting from urban agriculture in the town administration of Burayu and also
systematic random sampling techniques were used to select the kebeles. From 1047 target
population 289 sample urban farmers were selected using systematic random sampling
techniques and studied by categorizing them into three groups Gafarsa Guje, Gafarsa Nono, and
Gafarsa Burau. Descriptive Statistics and the parametric estimation logistic model were carried
out to analyze the data by using a statistical package for social sciences (SPSS IBM version 20).
The study results indicate that livestock rearing, crop production, and mixed farming are
practiced in the town. The vast majority of the respondents (70.6%), were involved in urban
agriculture for both commercial and personal consumption. About 221 (76.5%) practice milk
production, while 141 (48.8%) practice poultry, among the main contribution of urban
agriculture, generating household income, creating job opportunities, serving as a source of
food, and ensuring the town's environmental improvement by reducing environmental pollution
by waste recycling, reducing urban heat by plantation. Furthermore, the findings identify the
factors/challenges that impede practicing urban agriculture, such as a lack of farmland, lack of
credit services, poor market access, and availability of storage areas. Finally, the researcher
suggests that government/town administration needs to encourage, strengthen, and support those
activities by addressing the right policy and giving recognition to the role of urban agriculture in
improving wellbeing in particular and its contribution to the country's GDPs in general
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Keywords
urban, agriculture, livelihood, farm, income