| dc.description.abstract | Globally, urbanization and population increases have resulted into a reduction in arable land and increased food demand simultaneously. It is estimated that Africa will be 60% urbanized, while Kenya will be 46% urbanized by 2050. However, the current planning institutional framework does not effectively facilitate and regulate urban agriculture (UA). A planning institutional framework that effectively supports urban agriculture can play a major role in ensuring more food supply in urban areas. The study was conducted in rapidly growing medium-sized towns of Kisumu, Kakamega and Eldoret in Western Kenya. The purpose of the study was to assess the influence of planning institutional framework on urban agriculture in three towns in Western Kenya. The specific objectives were to: appraise the socio-economic and environmental status of urban agriculture; establish the effect of planning legislative framework on urban agriculture; and analyse the contribution of planning strategies, plans, and programmes to urban agriculture in the three towns in Western Kenya. Institutional, regulatory compliance, and general systems theories were used. A mixed-methods approach using concurrent triangulation research design was used on a target population of 440 urban farmers. Stratified random sampling technique was employed to obtain a sample size of 205 urban farmers, while 12 key informants and 24 discussants were sampled via a purposive technique. Interviews and observation were used as data collection methods, while data collection tools were an interview schedule, questionnaire, focus group discussion checklist, and observation schedules. Content and construct validity were tested with the help of experts as well as a pilot study conducted in Mbale, Vihiga town. Reliability of the questionnaires was determined at 0.7 and above using the Cronbach Alpha test. Results show that urban agriculture plays a progressive and critical socio-economic and environmental role in urban farmer households. The planning legislative framework affects urban agriculture unequally among the urban farmers in the three towns, and planning strategies, plans, and programmes do not contribute directly to urban agriculture except during spatial planning and drawing of residential plots, where some 10% of green space is often left in the plan for greenery or urban agriculture. Loglinear analysis revealed final models, after backward elimination, between variables of food nutrition and reuse of grey water (FN*GW), food nutrition and poultry keeping yielding high income (FN*PI), gardening in open spaces or road reserves, and public participation in the development and review of city/town plans (GO*PP), and gardening in open spaces or road reserves and town planning department having an urban agriculture unit (GO*TU), land policy and municipal by-laws (LP*MB), and land policy and physical and land use planning law (LP*PL). In conclusion, the existing planning institutional frameworks influenced urban agriculture unequally through, their legislative framework , and planning strategies, plans, and programmes, thereby limiting its facilitation and regulation in the three study towns. The study recommends provision of water for urban agriculture as a way of improving food nutrition and income of urban farmers, institutionalization of urban agriculture through formulation and enactment of a specific urban agriculture county legislation or municipal by-laws, for its proper facilitation and regulation, and establishment of urban agriculture unit in planning department to provide oversight for the effective integration and inclusion of UA in urban strategies, plans, programmes. | en_US |
