The Transforming City: Exploring the Potential for Smart Cities and Urban Agriculture in Africa
Gerelene Jagganath
Abstract
As the world becomes more urbanized and poverty and food insecurity rise, it is inevitable that varied forms of urban agriculture (UA) will play an important role in the future of the global food system. Food security presents a global challenge particularly among vulnerable groups and the poor and the great cities of Africa are no exception. This study presents an overview of two African cities and the evolving presence of UA in these cityscapes. It is an attempt to examine and explore the potential of smart cities toward supporting urban agricultural practices in Africa. The 1st part of the study provides a brief conceptual background on smart cities and UA in the African context, while the 2nd part provides an overview of the development of two smart cities, namely, Cape Town (South Africa) and Arusha (Tanzania) specifically.