The Impact of Urban Agriculture on the Livelihoods of School Children in Banket, Zimbabwe: An Analysis

Abstract

Urban agriculture has stood the test of time to serve as a vital input in the livelihood strategies of urban households in Zimbabwe. In general, urban dwellers rely on the market for food but with the recent economic meltdown, high rural-urban migration, surge in rate of unemployment and rise in food prices beyond the reach of the majority of the population, the poor urbanites in Zimbabwe have resorted to intensifying urban agriculture. This effort has not spared the school children from these disadvantaged households, whose better access to food from urban farming has improved their nutrition base as well as general health. The study has been inspired by the rise in the practice of urban and peri-urban agriculture that has attained considerable levels in urban areas. The investigation has delved into the echelons of urban agriculture in developing nations like Zimbabwe, with a protracted bias towards its impact on the livelihoods of people in Banket particularly students. Triangulation of quantitative and qualitative paradigms has been chosen and perfectly blended in the case study approach. Analysis of the research findings was done using the SPSS. Key instruments that were used are observation guide, interview and questionnaire combined with consultation of secondary data sources. The respondents of the study were students, teachers and residents of Banket. The study has established that changes have occurred to the livelihoods of the school children of the Banket community as a result of the practice of urban agriculture in their academic, social, economic, environmental and even political spheres.