A Study has shown that large-scale urban infrastructure, though needed to address infrastructure deficits, if not pursued together with urban and land use planning, could compromise agriculture and food security.
Using the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA) as a case study, the report indicated that rapid urbanization, which has been characterised by infrastructure projects like highways, paved surfaces and housing, had led to considerable loss of natural green spaces, agricultural lands, loss of farming livelihoods and destruction of environmentally-sensitive areas in the urban fringes.
The Study called for new sustainable and integrated governance approaches to mitigate risks and build resilience of urban and peri-urban food crop farming in Ghana to improve households food security.
This was disclosed at Merian Institute of Advanced Studies in Africa (MIASA) Conference which was held at the Centre for Biodiversity Conservation Research, University of Ghana, under the theme: “Urban transformation pathways, sustainable governance and urban resilience building.”
Experts say urban and peri-urban agriculture in Ghana face multiple challenges such as access to vacant land and safe water, which heightens agricultural vulnerability to socio-economic and environmental changes.
Prof George Owusu of Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER), who conducted the study on “Large-scale urban road corridors development and its implications on sprawl, agriculture, and food security in Sub-Saharan African cities,” said agriculture lands must not be left for market forces of urban development.
He said the prevailing policy and practice response was to view traffic congestion and commuting challenges in large African cities as an infrastructure problem rather than the combinations of deficit in infrastructure, traffic management, public transport systems and land use planning.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), Prof Owusu said though roads were expanded for easy traffic flow, there had been congestion, adding we needed to decentralized economic activities.
“Currently, we expanding the Accra -Nsawam road but if we don’t manage our public transport well, we are not going to get the desired results. We will probably put the limit of city (Accra) beyond Suhum,” he said.
Prof Daniel Frimpong Ofori, Provost of the College of Humanities, University of Ghana, said considering the rapidly growing urban landscapes in Africa and the challenges coming along with urbanization and climate change, it was importance to build sustainable and resilient ecosystems.
Dr Sylvia Kruse, University of Freiburg, said cities needed to promote resilience through urban farming, transport system, water management system and mitigations to climate change to improve livelihoods and local economy.
“What is important to build resilience is keeping and ensuring an efficient and effective administrative system that work together with the political system because the regulations are there,” she said.
The Merian Institute for Advanced Studies in Africa (MIASA) is an institute under the College of Humanities, University of Ghana.
It is based on a collaboration between the University of Ghana and four German partners the University of Freiburg (leading house), the Goethe University Frankfurt, the German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA), and the German Historical Institute Paris (GHIP).
Source: GNA
