Urban Farming for Sustainable Urban Livelihoods in Mbarara City, Western Uganda

The epistemological and methodological intentionality of this study was to explore how the current massive state-initiated, designed, funded and implemented citification phenomenon of Mbarara City is affecting the sustainability of Urban Farming and the urban populations that derive their livelihoods on this mode of production. The study focused on an unfolding complex phenomenon– urbanity which has invaded an agrarian economy with state support and integrating it into unplanned citification. The entire area of 32 kilometers radius was undergoing rapid urbanization that has been imposed from above albeit without any planned strategic industrial or scientific plans which would otherwise be anchored round an urban industrialization program. There was gradual expansion of unconnected, unplanned, unequal and haphazardly scattered City without thinking about sustainability future risks. Due to unplanned citification many challenges have developed such as floating human slums due to lack of housing leading to unhealthy environment; illegal occupancies are growing at an alarming rate due to increasing City population; some city residents have destroyed wetlands and occupied river Rwizi banks land which has resulted into water pollution and stagnation which have developed further complications; and lack of proper waste management which has affected public health.