The role of urban agriculture for food security in low income areas in Nairobi

This paper, which is based on research carried out among 210 households in Nairobi (Kenya) in 1994, examines the role of urban agriculture in household food security among low-income urban households. It determines the different strategies the low-income population of Nairobi deploys in order to feed itself and the extent to which the practising of urban agriculture leads to more food security and improved nutritional status in the households concerned. The paper compares food security in low-income households involved in urban agriculture with food security in low-income households which do not practise urban agriculture. Two hypotheses are advanced, namely 1) practising urban agriculture leads to more food security and better nutritional status in low-income urban households, and 2) low-income urban households involved in urban agriculture and obtaining technical assistance from an organization (in this case, the Undugu Society Urban Agriculture Project, USUAP) have even greater food security and better nutritional status than the other low-income households