Post on 07-Apr-2018
8/6/2019 Plant Pool: A case study for analysing wellbeing through sustainable urban agriculture
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/plant-pool-a-case-study-for-analysing-wellbeing-through-sustainable-urban 1/60
1
University College London – Development Planning UnitField Trip 2011 to Accra: Plant Pool Group
London, 10th June 2011
A CASE STUDY
FOR ANALYZING
WELLBEING THROUGH
SUSTAINABLE URBAN
AGRICULTURE
8/6/2019 Plant Pool: A case study for analysing wellbeing through sustainable urban agriculture
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/plant-pool-a-case-study-for-analysing-wellbeing-through-sustainable-urban 2/60
2
If Accra is ever to place its urban development on a sustainable path, it
needs to encourage the active recognition and participation of its vibrant
citizenry. Currently, planning processes across scales have failed to lead to
the implementation of meaningful, sustainable urban planning policies that
can help Accra‟s citizens advance their wellbeing and aspirations and liftthemselves out of poverty. This is evident in our analysis of the impacts of
planning processes on the lives of 36 urban farmers working at the Plant
Pool site in Accra.
Taking the promotion of sustainable urban agriculture as the basis of our
analytical framework, our research revealed that planning processes across
different scales of governance can provide opportunities and constraints to
the advancement of citizens‟ wellbeing and aspirations. At the macro level,
we have identified the discourse of economic liberalization, ingrained in the
country‟s structural adjustment programs, as a source of significant
constraints. On the other hand, we found that Ghana‟s decentralizationpolicy has recognized the need to
devolve power to the local level and
provides opportunities for civil society
to have a recognised role in
improving the effectiveness of policy
formulation and implementation.
Overall we found that the economic
liberalization discourse‟s influence on
planning processes has constrained
Plant Pool farmers‟ efforts to advance
their collective wellbeing and
aspirations in three key areas:
1. Use of privately provided inputs such as hybrid seeds, fertilizers,
pesticides and herbicides, to increase short-term crop yield has
caused environmental degradation and locked farmers in a „cycle of
dependency‟ of unsustainable inputs and practices.
2. Entrepreneurial training from external organizations has inhibited
internal dynamics such as solidarity, reciprocity and co-operation
within Plant Pool farmers‟ association. This reduces farmers‟ ability
to self-organize and gain a greater voice to influence planning
processes affecting their capabilities.3. Rapid urbanisation of Accra has placed increasing pressure and
value on land. For Plant Pool farmers this translates into insecure
land tenure, which has been exacerbated by land grabbing, pitting
the farmers against poor shopkeepers.
These findings, combined with the opportunities for civil society recognition
encompassed in the decentralisation policy, provided the basis for four
strategies to address such constraints. Two relate to structural problems
concerning weak levels of collaboration and reciprocity within the farmer
associations:
EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
Planning processes across differentscales of governance can provideopportunities and constraints to theadvancement of citizens’ wellbeing andaspirations
8/6/2019 Plant Pool: A case study for analysing wellbeing through sustainable urban agriculture
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/plant-pool-a-case-study-for-analysing-wellbeing-through-sustainable-urban 3/60
3
1. Farming by the book – Plant Pool farmers formulate a constitution
for their association;
2. Act together, grow together – Increase overall unity by bolstering
social interactions at FA meetings.
Two address f urther issues of the „cycle of dependency‟ and land
encroachment:
3. Nothing goes to waste - Farmers work in partnership with a third-
party scheme to produce compost at an agreed site;
4. Protecting Plant Pool – By monitoring encroachments, farmers can
take a step towards gaining
recognition through co-
productive practices with local
level institutions.
These strategies lay the foundations
for farmers to advance their wellbeing
and aspirations, and may also provide
inspiration for wider mobilization
efforts of the urban poor. These
efforts could help advance wellbeing
and reduce poverty on a broader,
sustainable basis for Accra‟s citizens,
and promote a greater awareness
especially within government that
citizens, and the myriad of cultures,
knowledge, experiences, traditionsand aspirations they represent, have a
role to play in placing Accra‟s
development on a truly sustainable
path.
EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
8/6/2019 Plant Pool: A case study for analysing wellbeing through sustainable urban agriculture
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/plant-pool-a-case-study-for-analysing-wellbeing-through-sustainable-urban 4/60
4
Report
Executive Summary 2 Table of Contents 4 Research Objectives 5 Background 6 Methodology and Limitations 8
Framework and Hypotheses 9Key Findings 14 Strategies 22 Conclusion 28 Further research 29Acknowledgements 30
Appendices
1: List of Abbreviations 31 2: Research Methodology 32
3: Stakeholder Map and Analysis 34 4: Objectives of Focus Groups 44 5: Field Trip Schedule 46 6: Agricultural Value Chain 497: Criteria for SUA 50 8: Collective Action and Coproduction 519: Strategy Implementation 5210: Policy Analysis 54
List of References
TABLE OF CONTENTS
8/6/2019 Plant Pool: A case study for analysing wellbeing through sustainable urban agriculture
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/plant-pool-a-case-study-for-analysing-wellbeing-through-sustainable-urban 5/60
5
This project is aimed at building upon the research on sustainable urban
agriculture in Accra conducted by DPU students during 2009/2010 academic years.
By focusing on planning, land and value chain, our study is aimed at:
Highlighting how urban planning has created conditions that mayimpair people‟s wellbeing;
Exploring how urban agriculture can be a vehicle for analyzing these
conditions, specifically in the case of the Plant Pool site;
Develop potential strategic interventions in order to create more
favourable circumstances for the promotion of SUA in the Greater
Accra Region.
RESEARCH
OBJECTIVES
8/6/2019 Plant Pool: A case study for analysing wellbeing through sustainable urban agriculture
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/plant-pool-a-case-study-for-analysing-wellbeing-through-sustainable-urban 6/60
6
Since 1983, Ghana has been on the receiving end of a number of loans
linked to Structural Adjustment Programs (SAPs) from the IMF and World
Bank 1. These SAPs were accepted on the premise of rebuilding Ghana‟s
image after years of high national debt, low foreign reserves and a sharply
falling GDP under the government of Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana‟s foundingleader2.
Ghana has received six Poverty Reduction Support Credits (PRSCs) from the
World Bank over the last ten years at an average of around US$100 million
per year3. PRSCs are delivered to low-income countries by the World Bank
in order for them to carry out poverty reduction strategies. Currently, the
government is working to achieve goals set by the World Bank in order to
mobilize another PRSC.
Annual growth of Ghana‟s GDP is
averaging over 5% at present4, in line
with the government‟s aim to achieveMiddle Income Country status, which
is a means to increase confidence in
the country, allowing access to more
international funds. As planned, the
status of Middle Income Country was
attained in November 20105.
In terms of income inequality, Ghana‟s Gini Coefficient stands at 39.4, which
places it 65th in the Central Intelligence Agency‟s index of countries by
income equality6.
Ghana has recently discovered offshore oil, which has boosted GDP growth
predictions for 2011/2012 to over 10%: accelerated growth is an essential
element of Ghana‟s Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS) set out by the World
Bank and the Ghanaian Government in 20037.
Accra is the country‟s capital city and
its most urbanized centre: the
majority of manufacturing and
commercial activities, culture, political
and administrative functions are
based in the city, attracting migrants
from other regions of Ghana and
neighbouring countries.8
Although agricultural production is not
the main economic sector of Accra,
urban farming is an important
livelihood strategy, involving around
1,000 growers, and it is typically
practiced along water bodies and
drains, and in backyards9.
Located in northern Accra
Although agricultural production is notthe main economic sector of Accra,urban farming is an important livelihoodstrategy, involving around 1,000 growers
BACKGROUND
Figure 1. Map of Plant Pool
8/6/2019 Plant Pool: A case study for analysing wellbeing through sustainable urban agriculture
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/plant-pool-a-case-study-for-analysing-wellbeing-through-sustainable-urban 7/60
7
Metropolitan Area (AMA), Plant Pool is an open farming site occupying
institutional land owned by GRIDCO, underneath high-tension power lines.
The site is composed of four areas (see Figure 1) where 36 male farmers
cultivate mainly exotic vegetables. These crops are irrigated with piped
water, with limited use of drainage water to cope with shortages. Farmers
also use a mixture of artificial fertilizers and manure to increase yields;
Produce is used both for farmers‟ household consumption and
commercialization, usually in local open markets.
BACKGROUND
8/6/2019 Plant Pool: A case study for analysing wellbeing through sustainable urban agriculture
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/plant-pool-a-case-study-for-analysing-wellbeing-through-sustainable-urban 8/60
8
The following section describes how our research was carried out, the tools
used, and outlines some of the most relevant limitations of our research.
Methodology
The details of our research methodology are presented in Appendix 2.
Limitations
The main limitation of our research was the small sample size of farmers at
Plant Pool. There were only approximately 30 farmers on site, which limited
our ability to generate fully representative research on understanding the
micro- and macro-conditions impacting UA, poverty and well-being of
farmers. We are also aware that our research might be biased towards the
experience and perceptions of particular farmers: for instance our in-depth
interviews on internal group dynamics were held with four younger
Christians and two older Muslims.
Another limitation was the short time we spent in the field. It was difficult to
gather information from farmers and institutions, and understand the
complex relationships between different actors at the macro-level, in just
two weeks. Furthermore, the four specific site visits exposed us to barely
over half the farmers. Those farmers in a representative position in the FA
also refused to participate in the research. This hindered our efforts to
analyze misunderstandings and leadership problems in the association.
Regarding participatory exercises, the
language barrier was a limitation. Some
older farmers were not fluent in English,
which limited our interactions in
interviews and focus group discussions.
The facilitator often helped in translation,
but the dialogue and dynamic of group
work may have been impoverished.
Some younger, better-spoken farmers
may have dominated the discussions,meaning that the views of other farmers
may be under-represented.
METHODOLOGY
ANDLIMITATIONS
8/6/2019 Plant Pool: A case study for analysing wellbeing through sustainable urban agriculture
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/plant-pool-a-case-study-for-analysing-wellbeing-through-sustainable-urban 9/60
9
FRAMEWORK AND HYPOTHESES
8/6/2019 Plant Pool: A case study for analysing wellbeing through sustainable urban agriculture
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/plant-pool-a-case-study-for-analysing-wellbeing-through-sustainable-urban 10/60
10
Our research examines urban agricultural practices in the Plant Pool site as a
case study to analyze how urban planning has shaped conditions that
influence farmers‟ capabilities to pursue their aspirations and advance
wellbeing.
Defining wellbeing and poverty
Our research draws on a three-dimensional model of wellbeing.10 Wellbeing
is defined as a social process that determines quality of life, which as a
subjective term can be interpreted differently depending on person and
context. It moves beyond objective measures of welfare such as health,
income and nutrition, and emphasizes:
“ [The] multiplicity and integrity of people‟s lives, forged in a
complex mix of priorities, strategies, influences, activities, and ther efore outcomes” .
11
Figure 2 illustrates interdependence of
the three dimensions. The subjective
dimension at the apex of the triangle
shows how people‟s self -perceptions,
values and ideologies influence material
and relational dimensions.
To understand the collective wellbeing of
Plant Pool farmers according to their own
values, we tried to identify their differentaspirations as individuals and as a group
(see appendix 4).
In the material dimension, farmers expressed aspirations such as expanding
their farms and owning a house. In the relational dimension, they
mentioned wishes of having a family and providing a good education for
their children. In the subjective dimension, we identified the centrality of the
value of respect, which was expressed as the importance of honouring
older, wiser farmers, and also reflected in the way farmers perceived social
relations. This provided a rationale for why most of them aspired to continue
farming, as they felt that it was a respectable occupation.Having identified farmers‟ relevant aspirations and some values behind
them, it is necessary to examine the extent to which the farmers can pursue
those aspirations: in other words, understand the elements that affect the
process of wellbeing.
Thus, it is important to recognize:
“that people differ in their capacity to convert goods into
valuable achievements due to personal and locational factors
and social arrangements.” 12
FRAMEWORK
ANDHYPOTHESES
Figure 2. Dimensions of wellbeing
8/6/2019 Plant Pool: A case study for analysing wellbeing through sustainable urban agriculture
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/plant-pool-a-case-study-for-analysing-wellbeing-through-sustainable-urban 11/60
8/6/2019 Plant Pool: A case study for analysing wellbeing through sustainable urban agriculture
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/plant-pool-a-case-study-for-analysing-wellbeing-through-sustainable-urban 12/60
12
agriculture farmers, is often limited in planning processes. However, the
degree to which SUA can be fulfilled depends much on the impacts of
planning processes and the extent to which they support urban agriculture
across all its components.
The extent to which planning processes influence the five aspects of SUA
(political, economic, social, environmental and built environment) can be
evaluated using criteria for each dimension, examples of which are
illustrated in Figure 3 (see Appendix 7 for more details).18
Hypothesis 1
From pre-field study research we found
that the government has a strategy to
reform Accra‟s urban planning
processes.19 However, efforts to usher in
reforms to the planning framework have
either been weakly implemented or have
only produced piecemeal change.
Decentralization of urban planning
responsibilities has, in particular, been
perceived as very weak, with many sub-
metropolitan administrative units still not
fully established or operational.20
Concerning UA in Accra, and at PlantPool in particular, although MoFA is providing local level support, there is
widespread opinion among institutional stakeholders that UA is not
sustainable within AMA. 21 In particular, it has been suggested that land
would not be made available for farming purposes within AMA. These
factors have shaped our first hypothesis to be tested in the field:
FRAMEWORK
ANDHYPOTHESES Figure 3. Urban planning's influence on wellbeing
Hypothesis 1 - Urban planning in Accra does not support SUA and
has created conditions that hinder farmers‟ pursuit of wellbeing, in
two main ways:
A. The liberalization discourse prevalent in urban planning hascreated a negative environment for SUA;
B. Urban planning, characterized by poor policy implementation,
has prevented the enforcement of policies that could create
more favourable conditions for SUA.
8/6/2019 Plant Pool: A case study for analysing wellbeing through sustainable urban agriculture
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/plant-pool-a-case-study-for-analysing-wellbeing-through-sustainable-urban 13/60
13
Hypothesis 2
Urban planning processes in Accra have been found to lack the formal
structures that allow civil society participation in decision making. 22 This
suggests that farmers also lack recognition in planning and do not have anyclear, formal mechanisms to influence decisions that impact their lives.
In this context, civil society organizations working to promote UA in Accra,
such as IWMI and RUAF, have opened up a space of negotiation that
previously did not exist as they introduced the UA in the policy agenda.
However, they have thus far failed to coordinate their activities sufficiently
enough to significantly influence urban planning.23
Our research aims to examine opportunities for Plant Pool farmers to
organize themselves more effectively, which could also provide them with
opportunities for strategic partnerships with Accra‟s under-resourced public
service delivery agencies. In turn this could bolster the farmers‟ terms of recognition, advance SUA practices and help improve their ability to pursue
their aspirations and wellbeing. On this basis, our second hypothesis is that:
Hypothesis 2 - There are opportunities for farmers to improve
collaboration, which can help address conditions created by urban
planning that limit their capabilities. These broadly consist of:
A. Collective action amongst farmers at Plant Pool between the
farmers and civil society;
B. Co-production between the farmers and state and non-stateorganizations for the purpose of public service delivery (see
Appendix 8 for our definition of the terms „collective action‟ and
„co-production‟ )
FRAMEWORK
ANDHYPOTHESES
8/6/2019 Plant Pool: A case study for analysing wellbeing through sustainable urban agriculture
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/plant-pool-a-case-study-for-analysing-wellbeing-through-sustainable-urban 14/60
14
KEY FINDINGS
8/6/2019 Plant Pool: A case study for analysing wellbeing through sustainable urban agriculture
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/plant-pool-a-case-study-for-analysing-wellbeing-through-sustainable-urban 15/60
15
In order to analyze the influence of planning on wellbeing through our SUA
framework, we broke down planning into „structural elements‟ of macro level
policies and practices and analyzed their impact on agricultural processes
and then farmers‟ aspirations. Our key findings are organized around these
linkages, shown in Figure 4.
The structural elements consist of
key strategic planning policies at
the national and city level.
Highlights of these are set out in
Table 1 and these are further
elaborated in Appendix 10.
However, the way these policies
are reflected in „practices‟ is
influenced by organizational
factors, such as bureaucraticinertia, lack of accountability and
transparency mechanisms and
political will. Bureaucratic inertia
refers to the complexity of the
government‟s reporting structure,
while the latter points relate to
how national-level bodies try to
resist decentralization by keeping
control of power, especially over
budgets.
Policy Description
Shared Growth and
Development Agenda
Focus on sustaining growth by increasing private sector
competitiveness;Mentions sustainable use of resources as a goal butpromotes oil and gas development and mechanization of agriculture;Supports large-scale farming and enhancing theproductivity of small-scale farmers through investments intechnology, access to credit, markets and land.
Millennium City Plan Envisions a modern and economic thriving city.Clearly seeks to address poverty but defines it in a top-down simplistic way as the lack of access to infrastructureand services. As a result, sees unplanned settlements as a majorchallenge and migrants as a problem to the city.
National
Decentralization Action Plan
Entrenched in the 1992 constitution, decentralization has
been a challenge for Ghana. Aims to strengthen local institutions and the power of localauthorities in order to enhance engagement with the “beneficiaries of development”. Advocates popular, local-level participation in planning,implementation, monitoring and delivery of services.
Figure 4. Analysis of key findings
KEY
FINDINGS
Table 1. Policy analysis
8/6/2019 Plant Pool: A case study for analysing wellbeing through sustainable urban agriculture
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/plant-pool-a-case-study-for-analysing-wellbeing-through-sustainable-urban 16/60
16
Collective action and group dynamics
Through profiling questionnaires and in-depth interviews with farmers wefound that there is a complex ecosystem of social groups within Plant Pool,which involves different levels of cooperation, reciprocity, solidarity andrespect, trust and communication. As shown in Box 3, there are differentidentity groups, especially in relation to age and religion. This has createddelicate social dynamics, characterized by smaller groups of farmers withfriendship/family ties that often cooperate amongst themselves but rarely doso with the larger group.
Despite these internal complexities in
2008 the PPFA was founded as part of
the FStT project (see Box 2). Although
limited in scope, the FA was active and
well functioning, particularly because it
had a power balance between different
groups24
.
In this context, different planning
interventions in Plant Pool saw a value
in enhancing self-organization. This was
influenced, on the one hand, by
decentralization policies, to facilitate a
process of official recognition of the
group, and, on the other hand, by the
neoliberal, pro-growth development
agendas, to provide technical training to the farmers (further discussed in
the next finding).
Self-organization „from above‟ was promoted by formalizing the FA through
the DoC, a central government agency responsible for supporting
cooperatives and farmer-based organizations25. This, however, imposed a
lot of rigid structures that exacerbated
group dynamics. For example, new
leadership elections were held under
the DoC rules and a model
constitution was given to guide the
functioning of the FA. The farmers
lacked supervision and so failed tomodify the constitution. This
diminished the perceived legitimacy of
the new leadership and led to
misunderstandings, contributing to
disharmony within the FA.
Failing to understand the complexity on the site, representatives from the
DoC and MoFA viewed the lack of self-organization simply as a failure of
Plant Pool farmers, who could not cooperate with each other because of a
religious split.
KEY
FINDINGS
Figure 5. Findings for collective action and group dynamics
Self-organization ‘from above’ waspromoted by formalizing the FA through
the DoC: this imposed a lot of rigidstructures that exacerbated groupdynamics
8/6/2019 Plant Pool: A case study for analysing wellbeing through sustainable urban agriculture
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/plant-pool-a-case-study-for-analysing-wellbeing-through-sustainable-urban 17/60
17
From this experience, we can argue that external interventions that fail to
consider subjectivity and identity issues inhibit the political dimensions of
SUA because they limit farmers‟ abi lity to self-organize and effectively
pursue recognition and participation in planning processes.
We can therefore conclude that external planning interventions harm
farmer‟s pursuit of their aspirations, especially in two dimensions: economic
opportunities, because the lack of self-organization prevents farmers from
cooperating to buy and sell collectively
or to demand better service provision
from the government; and belonging,
because it restricts their ability to be
recognized as part of a group and
engage in beneficial social interaction.
Box 2 – External interventions
FStT was part of the wider Cities Farming For the Future (CFF)
project, developed and implemented by RUAF and IWMI.
CFF facilitated a multi-stakeholder policy formulation and action
planning (MPAP) on UA in Accra. The project resulted in the
creation of AWGUPA, consisting of 15 different stakeholders fromexternal organizations, including MoFA and FAs.
AWGUPA produced a City Strategic Agenda, which outlined key
issues affecting UPA in Accra, and formulated strategies/goals to
resolve them. One of these goals was “improvement in post–
harvest handling and in marketing”; and this was implemented as
FStT, which was executed by the local NGO Enterprise Works.
FStT aimed to facilitate “the development of sustainable urban
farming and to contribute to urban poverty alleviation”. It provided
farmers with technical training on safe production, processing and
marketing practices.
FStT gained support from producer groups (including Plant Pool) to
make direct business links with final consumers, such as hotels,
restaurants and through farmer-led kiosks. The latter were
supposed to be regulated by a marketing committee composed of
relevant FA members. However, the farmers did not have the
capacity or willingness to act as sellers as well as producers.
Currently, the working kiosks are being run by a member of
Enterprise Works, and serve their original objective, which was to
move farmers up the value chain in order to increase profitability.
However, this has created several misunderstandings within
Roman Ridge and Plant Pool farmers‟ groups.
KEY
FINDINGS
8/6/2019 Plant Pool: A case study for analysing wellbeing through sustainable urban agriculture
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/plant-pool-a-case-study-for-analysing-wellbeing-through-sustainable-urban 18/60
18
Environmental factors and the cycle of
dependency
Influenced by the neo-liberal development agendas, training provided by
external organizations, particularly through FStT, to Plant Pool farmers wascentred on increasing yields and profitability.
FStT focused on bolstering profitability across the value chain: farmers were
trained to market their produce directly through a kiosk in Legon. However,
training failed to consider that direct marketing requires a high level of
coordination among farmers, and that farmers may not want to perform
marketing tasks.
FStT also trained farmers to adopt
safer practices in application of
chemicals and use of fertilizer and
compost (through, for example, use
of protective equipment, or
composting raw manure prior to using
it). However, farmers‟ adoption of
these measures was poor because of
reported time and practicality
constraints.
FStT‟s training does not meet the
criteria established in the political
dimension of SUA because it fails to
recognize farmers‟ priorities andconstraints, which can harm their
potential to participate in planning processes. Furthermore, ineffective
training resulted in a lost opportunity to improve the economic and
environmental sustainability of farmers‟ practices.
Farmers are also dependent on artificial inputs, such as fertilizer 26 ,
pesticides/herbicides and hybrid seeds to increase yields: they have
expressed their concerns over the cost of these inputs, but maintain that
this expenditure is unavoidable. However, these substances have
environmentally unsustainable
consequences such as soil degradationand pest resistance.
This traps farmers in a „cycle of
dependency‟ in which they need to
purchase inputs from multinational
corporations or large national retailers
such as Aglow or Agrimat, which were
former government companies
privatized under the SAPs during the
1980s.
Figure 6. Findings for environmental factors and the cycle of dependency
KEY
FINDINGS
Farmers’ aspirations are themselvesinfluenced by the neoliberal discourse,which means they accept the conditionswithin the cycle of dependency
8/6/2019 Plant Pool: A case study for analysing wellbeing through sustainable urban agriculture
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/plant-pool-a-case-study-for-analysing-wellbeing-through-sustainable-urban 19/60
19
Thus, it appears that the underlying discourse of neoliberal development has
influenced the training delivered and encourages farmers to pursue
economic opportunities through high-input practices focused on short-term
productivity gains. Additionally, farmers‟ aspirations are themselves
influenced by this discourse which means they accept the conditions withinthe cycle of dependency.
The farmers‟ position in the cycle of dependency clearly falls short of the
criteria set out in the economic and environmental dimensions of SUA.
We can conclude that external
planning interventions and farmers‟
position in the cycle of dependency
harm farmer‟s pursuit of economic
opportunities.
Box 3 – Who are the Plant Pool farmers?
Official MoFA records state that Plant Pool has a total of 36 all
male farmers. During field research, we conducted profilinginterviews with all farmers that were present during the visits,
totalling 18 interviewees from all three areas that compose the
site.
Key information from the research sample:
Farmers are between 20 and 75 years old with an average
age of 44;
All plant at least one type of exotic vegetable;
They have been farming there for an average of 15 years,
ranging from 1 to 49 years;
Half of the farmers are Muslim and half Christians, but inthe totality of the site, Muslims are said to be in the
majority;
Fifteen farmers are married with at least one child;
Eleven farmers live nearby and cycle or walk to the site;
Thirteen have farming as their only source of livelihood;
The majority had family members, commonly fathers and
brothers, involved in farming.
KEY
FINDINGS
8/6/2019 Plant Pool: A case study for analysing wellbeing through sustainable urban agriculture
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/plant-pool-a-case-study-for-analysing-wellbeing-through-sustainable-urban 20/60
20
Land tenure and enforcement of regulations
From our transect walk (see Appendix 2) we found that, contrary to previous
research, farming land is being grabbed by shops, especially along roads.
This phenomenon results from two wider processes. Firstly, commercial
pressure on land in AMA is exacerbated by the neo-liberal development
agenda, originating in the SAPs27.
Secondly, in Plant Pool, although building
regulations strictly forbid construction of
any structure under power lines,28 these
rules have not been enforced.
Decentralization created local bodies
responsible to monitor these rules ( AMA‟s
BIU in this case), but owing to lack of
resources, they do not operateefficiently 29 . Furthermore, non-
transparent regulation has led to
inaccurate interpretation. During our
transect walk, for example, MoFA‟s EO
and one farmer mentioned that shop
owners built non-permanent structures
because they believed these to be legal.
Commercial threats on land, coupled with lack of an official understanding
between farmers and GRIDCO, highlights that land tenure is not secure,
contrary to the criteria for the builtenvironment dimension of SUA.
This constant threat to farmers‟ main
source of livelihood hinders their sense of
security and ability to seize economic
opportunities.
KEY
FINDINGS
Figure 7. Findings for land tenure and enforcement of regulations
8/6/2019 Plant Pool: A case study for analysing wellbeing through sustainable urban agriculture
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/plant-pool-a-case-study-for-analysing-wellbeing-through-sustainable-urban 21/60
21STRATEGIES
8/6/2019 Plant Pool: A case study for analysing wellbeing through sustainable urban agriculture
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/plant-pool-a-case-study-for-analysing-wellbeing-through-sustainable-urban 22/60
22
Our findings have uncovered structural conditions of urban planning that
hinder farmers‟ wellbeing, and complexities of the farmers‟ group dynamics,
which limit their ability to act as a group and engage with other actors, such
as FAs, civil society organizations and public service delivery agencies, to
bring about change.
As structural conditions are difficult to address, our strategies are focused
on grounded and simple actions to facilitate the formation of a more
organized and stronger group of farmers, as we believe this could provide
initial grounds for action.
As the benefits of acting as a group
start to be realized, we expect that
farmer‟s values gradually shift from an
individualistic to a collective
perspective, and practices of
reciprocity, solidarity and cooperationbecome more widespread.
Consequently, as a cohesive group,
farmers can have a greater
understanding of their current
situation and attain a better position from which to challenge it, by seeking
interaction with service providers and establishing strategic relationships of
co-production.
Along these lines, our first two strategies, „Farming by the book ‟ and „ Act
together, grow together‟ focus on building collective action within the FA
and with other civil society organizations, providing a base for the next two,
„Nothing goes to waste‟ and „Protecting Plant Pool‟ , which involve co-
production with private and public organizations, helping to address issues
of farmers‟ dependency on artificial inputs and land encroachment.
All strategies were discussed together
with the farmers during field visits:
implementation steps and monitoring
indicators are presented in detail in
Appendix 9.
STRATEGIES
Our strategies are focused on groundedand simple actions to facilitate theformation of a more organized andstronger group of farmers
8/6/2019 Plant Pool: A case study for analysing wellbeing through sustainable urban agriculture
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/plant-pool-a-case-study-for-analysing-wellbeing-through-sustainable-urban 23/60
23
Strategy 1: Farming by the book
This strategy aims to create a new Constitution for PPFA, which should take
into account the group‟s vision for the future and reflect a set of internally
agreed rules.
Due to its complex political nature, the
formation of the Constitution should
be tied to the elections for the
association‟s new leadership, which
will take place in the second half of
2011.
The Constitution will be a starting
point for building collective action, as
it should contain specific guidelines for
new endeavours, such as savingsschemes, self-enumeration and land preservation and monitoring, which will
be further detailed in the following strategies.
However, the main outcome of the strategy is not the Constitution itself, but
what the process of writing it collectively can represent. Deciding on the
content and reaching common ground on the various matters treated will
promote better transparency and accountability and, more importantly,
foster trust between the farmers, creating a greater sense of purpose for the
association.
Furthermore, the Constitution will lay
the foundations for a legitimate and
active association, which will, in turn,
confer more credibility at the
institutional level. In this new context,
a closer relationship with the DoC can
bring about opportunities such as
facilitated access to credit and
training programmes.
Given the complexity of the task, we
believe it is essential that farmers tap
into the greater experience of Dzorwulu‟s FA: their lessons learnt
when performing the same activity
would prove very valuable to Plant
Pool. Moreover, this would provide a
great opportunity to institutionalize
the relationship between farmers of
the two sites, which already exists in
an ad hoc and informal basis,
strengthening the potential for future
collaboration.
STRATEGIES
The main outcome of this strategy is notthe Constitution itself, but what theprocess of writing it collectively canrepresent
8/6/2019 Plant Pool: A case study for analysing wellbeing through sustainable urban agriculture
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/plant-pool-a-case-study-for-analysing-wellbeing-through-sustainable-urban 24/60
24
Strategy 2: Act together, grow together
Building on the Constitution, this strategy intends to address the currently
limited collaboration between farmers, by strengthening the FA through two
main mechanisms: collective savings, and self-enumeration and informationsharing.
Creating a collective savings scheme,
be it limited or incremental to the FA‟s
membership fees, could provide a
group-wide welfare fund for farmers
and collateral for loans taken
collectively by the association, making
it possible to access larger amounts
under better terms and more flexible
payment conditions for collective
purchases.
Although the benefits of collective
savings appear clear to the farmers,
during a focus group they identified
lack of trust as a major potential
obstacle. However, the farmers
themselves suggested that a revolving
fund could be established exclusively
with the association fees, and
additional savings could take place in
smaller groups, capitalizing on
friendship and family ties, and
eventually be expended to the whole
FA.
Complementary to savings are efforts for self-enumeration: recording,
sharing and updating information on every farmer working on the site. In
addition to encouraging farmers to get to know more about each other,
unveiling diversity and fostering greater familiarity and trust, enumeration
would allow the association to keep track of crop schedules, share
knowledge on farming practices and, therefore, improve marketing
conditions.
STRATEGIES
Running a successful savings schemeand possessing updated information onthe site can be a way to showcase self-organization capacity and gain visibilityfrom planning bodies
8/6/2019 Plant Pool: A case study for analysing wellbeing through sustainable urban agriculture
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/plant-pool-a-case-study-for-analysing-wellbeing-through-sustainable-urban 25/60
25
Moreover, periodically carrying out self-enumeration activities and sharing
such data with MoFA and the DoC is a means to further engage with such
bodies, allowing farmers to influence and shape future interventions on the
site.
In contrast to savings, the
gains of self-enumeration were
not evident to the farmers. Yet,
they saw the instrumental value
of recording information,
especially in relation to land
monitoring strategies, which
will be detailed below.
Thus, running a successful
savings scheme and possessing
updated information on the sitecan not only build a stronger
and more cohesive group, but
also be a way to showcase self-
organization capacity and,
consequently, gain visibility
from planning bodies.
To foster those processes and
build connections to a wider
movement of wellbeing, we
believe that Plant Pool farmerscan use the support of People‟s
Dialogue (see Appendix 3 for
stakeholder description),
especially through exchange
visits with different groups from
the Federation of the Urban
Poor (FUP), whose success
stories could inspire farmers to
work together.
STRATEGIES
8/6/2019 Plant Pool: A case study for analysing wellbeing through sustainable urban agriculture
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/plant-pool-a-case-study-for-analysing-wellbeing-through-sustainable-urban 26/60
26
Strategy 3: Nothing goes to waste
This strategy is based on an initiative from CHF and Zoomlion (for
stakeholder‟s description see Appendix 3) to engage Plant Pool farmers in a
composting project. Farmers would be provided with a dedicated facilitynear Plant Pool, training on composting and regular provision of organic
waste (at no cost) to produce compost to satisfy their farming needs or sell
for profit. In return they would be responsible for organizing themselves to
operate and maintain facilities, and to manage relationships with organic
waste suppliers and other actors.
Plant Pool farmers have been trained
by FStT on the benefits of compost for
soil health. However, with limited
space and time, farmers failed to
follow the recommended procedures,
reducing effectiveness of their
compost.
This strategy has potential to promote
availability and usage of compost,
reducing farmers‟ reliance on commercial inputs. Use of compost will also
promote soil health, allowing farmers to pursue long-term agricultural
practices in Plant Pool.
While discussing this strategy with farmers, however, it was not clear
whether many of them agreed on the environmental benefits of compost.
Moreover, they expressed doubts over the amount of work required, as wellas on the time and expense of regularly travelling to the composting site.
In implementing this strategy, it is crucial that farmers are educated on how
the cycle of dependency on commercial inputs impedes their aspirations for
economic opportunity. This awareness will motivate them to not only invest
individual time and labour, but to
organize themselves collectively
through the FA to manage project
activities.
We also recommend that CHF and
Zoomlion continue to monitor theproject after farmers take over facility
management operations. Farmers
would benefit from working with CHF
and Zoomlion to address issues that
cannot be resolved internally within
the FA, while CHF and Zoomlion
would benefit through learning
lessons from this project, which can
be applied to future, similar
initiatives.
STRATEGIES
Awareness on the cycle of dependency
will motivate farmers to organizethemselves collectively through the FA
8/6/2019 Plant Pool: A case study for analysing wellbeing through sustainable urban agriculture
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/plant-pool-a-case-study-for-analysing-wellbeing-through-sustainable-urban 27/60
27
Strategy 4: Protecting Plant Pool
To address issues of land grabbing, we propose that farmers set up
monitoring duties within the association, erect signs to demarcate land
boundaries, and report new instances of land conflict to AMA‟s BIU and
GRIDCO.
This form of co-production helps
alleviate the service of land
monitoring from AMA‟s under-
resourced BIU to farmers, who have a
stake in protecting Plant Pool
farmland from encroachment. This
strategy also serves as an opportunity
for the FA to show effectiveness of
their self-organization in influencing
and shaping interventions. PPFA can
build greater identity and credibility
with government authorities and
GRIDCO, laying a foundation for
future working relationships with
other institutions in negotiating for and participating in pubic service
delivery.
A caveat is that reporting and monitoring land use may not prevent land
grabbing. Due to issues of bureaucratic inertia and governmentalaccountability and transparency, actions may not be taken by government
authorities to resolve land conflicts. As such, we recommend that land issues
also be reported to GRIDCO, who has a stake in keeping the Plant Pool land
free of (semi)permanent structures, as the area under high-tension power
lines needs to be accessible for maintenance. We recommend that further
research be conducted to investigate what actions can be taken by GRIDCO
in preventing construction of structures in Plant Pool site without
compromising farmers‟ tenure.
In addition, care must be taken to
avoid creating conflict betweenfarmers, community and shop owners,
as land grabs are not driven by
organized developers seeking to turn
land use for speculation, but by other
poor people who use shop keeping as
a source of livelihoods.
STRATEGIES
This strategy also serves as anopportunity for the FA to showeffectiveness of their self-organization ininfluencing and shaping interventions
8/6/2019 Plant Pool: A case study for analysing wellbeing through sustainable urban agriculture
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/plant-pool-a-case-study-for-analysing-wellbeing-through-sustainable-urban 28/60
28
Our research has disclosed the influence of planning processes on the
activities of 36 marginalized urban farmers at Plant Pool. Planning processes
have diminished opportunities for these farmers‟ voices to be heard in
decision making, affecting their ability to pursue their aspirations.
We have proposed strategies that are small stepping stones to strengthen
values of collective action amongst the farmers; build a sense of
environmental awareness of their practices and get them to think about
ways in which they could collaborate with weak, local-level governmental
institutions for their mutual benefit, for instance, through the monitoring of
land-use practices.
We acknowledge that the strategies have their own limitations especially
because they may have wider implications for other citizens to pursue their
own aspirations.
Nevertheless, we believe that taken
together the strategies provide an
indication of how wider mobilization
efforts of the urban poor could take
place. Scaling up these efforts would not
only help advance wellbeing for Accra‟s
citizens on a broader basis but also
promote a greater awareness, especially
within government, that citizens – and
all the multitude of cultures, knowledge,
experiences, traditions and aspirations
they represent – have a role to play inplacing the city‟s urban development on
a truly sustainable path.
CONCLUSION
8/6/2019 Plant Pool: A case study for analysing wellbeing through sustainable urban agriculture
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/plant-pool-a-case-study-for-analysing-wellbeing-through-sustainable-urban 29/60
29
Our key recommendation is to expand the research from focusing on the
Plant Pool farmers‟ situation to consider the motivations and norms
governing the behaviour and actions of different actors involved
in/influenced by the urban agriculture value chain. These actors would
include market women, consumers, land encroachers and other farmergroups whose wellbeing may be constrained or facilitated by urban
agriculture practices, and by other stakeholders.
Careful consideration of the
situations of different actors would
foment the proposed strategies by
identifying actions that mitigate
negative effects for other
groups. For example, in the
„Protecting Plant Pool‟ strategy, we
recommend that future researchexamine the conditions and
motivations of the community and
shop owners who are grabbing
land in Plant Pool in an attempt to
improve their livelihoods and
wellbeing. Moreover, this analysis
can identify opportunities and
actions for the actors to work
together to influence future
interventions.
FURTHER
RESEARCH
8/6/2019 Plant Pool: A case study for analysing wellbeing through sustainable urban agriculture
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/plant-pool-a-case-study-for-analysing-wellbeing-through-sustainable-urban 30/60
30
We would like to express our extreme gratitude towards the many lecturers,
experts and organizations who supported us prior, during and after our
journey to Ghana. First and foremost we would like to thank the DPU staff,
and in particular, Alexandre Frediani, Pascale Hoffman, Adriana Allen and
others who guided us throughout this project.
We would also like to thank IWMI for providing insight and assistance, as
well as operational support. Furthermore, we would like to extend our
special gratitude to Sowah Ababio, our
facilitator and interpreter, who very
patiently and very competently guided us
in the context of Plant Pool.
Furthermore, we are thankful to all
representatives of the institutions in
Accra who contributed their time and
energy to our research.
Last but not least, our full appreciation
goes to the Plant Pool farmers, for their
friendly welcome, for providing most of
the information in our research, not only
in terms of insight and expertise in urban
agriculture, and for positively challenging
our notions on what it means to be
development practitioners.
Thank you!
Camila Haddad
Davide Tassinari
Eddie Wong
Fong Yee Chan
Mpigi Gbenekanu
Jeet Mistry
Omar Saeed
Wan Hamidon
ACKNOWLEDGE-
MENTS
8/6/2019 Plant Pool: A case study for analysing wellbeing through sustainable urban agriculture
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/plant-pool-a-case-study-for-analysing-wellbeing-through-sustainable-urban 31/60
31
AMA Accra Metropolitan Area
AWGUPA Accra Working Group on Urban And Peri-urban
Agriculture
BIU Building Inspector Unit
CHF Cooperative Housing Foundation
DoC Department of Cooperatives
DPU Development Planning Unit
EO Extension Officer
FA Farmer‟s Association
FStT From Seed to Table
GPRS Ghana‟s Poverty Reduction Strategy
GWCL Ghana Water Commission Limited
GRIDCO Ghana Grid Company Limited
IWMI International Water Management Institute
MoFA Ministry of Food and Agriculture
NGO Non-Governmental Organization
PPFA Plant Pool Farmer Association
PRSC Poverty Reduction Support Credit
RUAF Resource Centres On Urban Agriculture and Food
Security
SAP Structural Adjustment Programme
SUA Sustainable Urban Agriculture
TCP Town and Country Planning
UA Urban Agriculture
VRA Volta River Authority
APPENDIX 1
LIST OFABBREVIATIONS
8/6/2019 Plant Pool: A case study for analysing wellbeing through sustainable urban agriculture
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/plant-pool-a-case-study-for-analysing-wellbeing-through-sustainable-urban 32/60
32
Our research was undertaken in three phases as illustrated in
Table 1 below.
Phase Phase 1: Pre-field
visit
Phase 2: Field visit Phase 1: Post-field
visit
Period 28th January – 5th May 6th May – 20th May 21st May – 8th June
Phase Phase 1: Pre-fieldvisit
Phase 2: Field visit Phase 1: Post-fieldvisit
Period 28th January – 5th May 6th May – 20th May 21st May – 8th June
Descriptionand activities
The research began witha preliminary diagnosisof the context of UA inPlant Pool and Accrawith an analysis of secondary data frompast-year fieldtrip
reports, seminarpresentations andrelevant literatures. A definition of SUA,criteria for itsassessment and twohypotheses were thendeveloped in accordancewith the researchobjectives.Several research toolswere produced to helpunderstand and analyzethe relationships amongdifferent UA actors in
the context of PlantPool, Accra and Ghana:Stakeholder analysisand map (see Appendix 3); Agricultural valuechain (see Appendix6);
Field researchmethodologies were usedto collect primary data inthe two-week field visit to Accra (see Table 2)The fieldtrip schedule isshown in Appendix 5. The
objectives and keyfindings of focus groups,in relation to ourtheoretical framework,are outlined in Appendix4.
This final phaseinvolves dataprocessing, dataanalysis and generationof findings.
APPENDIX 2
RESEARCHMETHODOLOGY
8/6/2019 Plant Pool: A case study for analysing wellbeing through sustainable urban agriculture
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/plant-pool-a-case-study-for-analysing-wellbeing-through-sustainable-urban 33/60
33
Phase Phase 1: Pre-fieldvisit
Phase 2: Field visit Phase 1: Post-fieldvisit
Descriptionand activities
The research began witha preliminary diagnosis
of the context of UA inPlant Pool and Accrawith an analysis of secondary data frompast-year fieldtripreports, seminarpresentations andrelevant literatures. A definition of SUA,criteria for itsassessment and twohypotheses were thendeveloped in accordancewith the researchobjectives.Several research tools
were produced to helpunderstand and analyzethe relationships amongdifferent UA actors inthe context of PlantPool, Accra and Ghana:
Stakeholder analysisand map (see Appendix 3); Agricultural valuechain (see Appendix6);
Field researchmethodologies were used
to collect primary data inthe two-week field visit to Accra (see Table 2) The fieldtrip schedule isshown in Appendix 5. Theobjectives and keyfindings of focus groups,in relation to ourtheoretical framework,are outlined in Appendix4.
This final phaseinvolves data
processing, dataanalysis and generationof findings.
Table 1. Research activities and relevant work phases
Table 2 shows a list of fieldtrip methodologies we used to collect primary
data for testing our hypotheses and generating findings.
Table 2. List of research methods employed
Method Number
Focus groups 4
Semi-structured interviews 18
In-depth interviews 6
Meetings with key informants 20
Participatory mapping 1
Participatory video 1
Transect Walk 1
8/6/2019 Plant Pool: A case study for analysing wellbeing through sustainable urban agriculture
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/plant-pool-a-case-study-for-analysing-wellbeing-through-sustainable-urban 34/60
34
Stakeholder map
Stakeholder analysis
Level of Governance
Organization Description and key findingsfrom readings and previousreports
Room forManoeuvre
National-levelGovernmentalOrganizations
Department of Cooperatives,(meeting12/5, 1400-
1530)
Many ethnic groups in Ghana have long traditions of working cooperatively in agriculture and at the village level through traditional
organizations, such as “nnoboa” groups. At the bottom of the Co-operative movement in Ghana are primary Co- operatives, which are normally single purpose or single crop Co- operatives. Most primary Co- operatives are small. They are active in most areas of economic activity,and fewer than half of Co-operatives are engaged in agriculture. The Department of Cooperatives exists to facilitate the development of vibrant cooperative and other group enterprises that are capable of contributing positively to
sustainable employment generation,poverty reduction and community development.
Has thepotential topositivelyencourage
farmers’ self -organization.
GhanaIrrigationDevelopment Authority(GIDA) underMOFA
To explore all water resources for livelihood options in agriculture at appropriate scales for all communities. To formulate and execute plans to promote the development of land and water resources in Ghana for crop production, livestock watering,aquaculture, agricultural related industries and institutions within a sustainable environment.Formulated National Irrigation policy
which includes supporting water for
Potentiallypositiveinfluence onwater inputs.
Currently apositiveinfluence onwater inputs.
APPENDIX 3
STAKEHOLDERMAP ANDANALYSIS
8/6/2019 Plant Pool: A case study for analysing wellbeing through sustainable urban agriculture
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/plant-pool-a-case-study-for-analysing-wellbeing-through-sustainable-urban 35/60
35
Level of Governance
Organization Description and key findingsfrom readings and previousreports
Room forManoeuvre
food security policy. Policy structure:(1) informal (smallholder) irrigation;(2) Formal irrigation; (3) large scale
commercial irrigation.Has tried to introduce springerirrigation and drip irrigation, but thelatter does notcatch up well because filters have tobe replaced regularly. May re-introduce drip irrigation to deal withwater shortages. Affordability andprofit is an important constraint.Is looking for water savingtechnologies to use in Accra.
Ghana WaterCompanyLimited
Provided piped water system tofarmers on application and nowabout 70% of the total farming land
in Plant Pool has been equipped withirrigation pipe lines. Farmers feel thewater fees are more affordable, andare willing to pay to sustain the pipewater supply.Cuts off water in the dry seasonwhich leads farmers to stopirrigation during this time.
Potentially apositive/negative influence
on waterinputs.
Currently apositiveinfluence onwater inputs.
LandsCommission – Odame Larbi,CEO
See article written by him, 1996,„Spatial Planning and Urban Fragmentation in Accra‟, Third World Planning Review, Vol. 18,No. 2,pp.193-215.Has written about the WB sponsoredStructure Plan for the Greater Accra
Metropolitan Area The planningperiod is 1993-2010Will know about progress with theland use policy being changed forthe first time since 1945.
Potentially apositive/negative influenceon land inputs.
Ministry of Food and Agriculture(MOFA)
MOFA‟s main goal is to create an environment for sustainable growth and development in the agricultural sector that would include: provision of food security; supply of raw materials for industry; creation of employment; reduction in poverty and the creation of wealth. Has advocated the interests of Dzorwulu and Plant Pool UA farming.
Is the only government body thathas direct contact with farmersthrough on-site outreach officers. Advocates a Food and AgricultureSector Development Policy (FASDEP)which has incorporated urbanagriculture.Includes a unit dedicated to UAissues.Has encouraged farmers to compost,noting that farmers would prefer touse compost instead of chemicalfertilizers.
Potentially apositiveinfluence overcompost/fertilizer inputs.
Potentially apositive/negative influenceover seed
inputs.
Currently apositiveinfluence (atoutreachlevel) of farmers’ self -organization.
Ministry of LocalGovernment(MLGRD),
Is responsible for the National Urban Policy.Is responsible for the National Decentralization Action Programme
Potential toencourageself-organization
8/6/2019 Plant Pool: A case study for analysing wellbeing through sustainable urban agriculture
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/plant-pool-a-case-study-for-analysing-wellbeing-through-sustainable-urban 36/60
36
Level of Governance
Organization Description and key findingsfrom readings and previousreports
Room forManoeuvre
meeting 11/5,1400-1530
(NDAP) to promote convergence of the decentralization efforts,consolidation of the processes of
resource allocation and management, building capacities for poverty-targeted development and governance at the local level and promotion of partnership and participation between local government, civil society, the private sector and traditional authorities.However 2010 review found problems with implementation of the NDAP including incomplete functioning of the local government sub-structures,inadequate capacity in terms of full complements of staff, weakness of
district departments, the low levels of internally generated revenues,planning and budgeting challenges and unsatisfactory conduct of public hearings. In practice, relationships between local authorities and central government ministries, departments and agencies, sectoral units,development projects and programmes; the scope of responsibilities; reporting mechanisms; needed to be worked out further.( http://www.gtz.de/de/dokumente/e n-national-decentralization- policy.pdf ) .
Local level democracy also provides the context for decentralized planning. Planning is not only required to be “bottom - up”; it is also required to be participatory. Thus decentralized participatory planning should see the active involvement of the sub-district structures, the communities, the chiefs and traditional authorities,CSOs/CBOs/NGOs and other interest groups making inputs into the draft district development plan which ultimately should lead to a
participatory budgeting framework in which the people decide with the local authorities the priorities of the district development plan and how the resources are to be appropriated to the programmes and projects in the plan(Draft Decentralization Policy Framework http://www.gtz.de/de/dokumente/e n-national-decentralization- policy.pdf ) .
Non-state actors will play critical roles in all aspects of policy implementation and review. Other
local governance-related bodies including development NGOs such as
and potentialforpositive/negat
ive influenceon land andwater inputs.
8/6/2019 Plant Pool: A case study for analysing wellbeing through sustainable urban agriculture
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/plant-pool-a-case-study-for-analysing-wellbeing-through-sustainable-urban 37/60
37
Level of Governance
Organization Description and key findingsfrom readings and previousreports
Room forManoeuvre
the Local Governance Network (LOGNET) and the Network of Civic Unions (NETCU), membership
organizations like organized labour,market associations, occupational and commodity groupings and faith- based organizations will periodically conduct alternative reviews and assessments of policy implementation to guide policy review (http://www.gtz.de/de/dokumente/e n-national-decentralization- policy.pdf).
Volta River Authority/GRIDCO
Owners of the land on which PlantPool farmers cultivate.From 2010‟s report, the farmers
were negotiating a MoU to clarifytheir terms of use on the land. Although Plant Pool is viewed as asecure cultivating space, there is stilla possibility of eviction if GRIDCOneeds to carry out major upgradingwork on its power lines and becausethere have reportedly been incidentsof conflict between farmers andGRIDCO workers when the latterhave carried out maintenance work on the power lines.There is lack of clarity over therelationship between VRA andGRIDCO and ownership of the land.
PotentiallynegativeInfluence over
land and land-use inputs.
Currently apositiveinfluence onland.
District/Local-levelGovernmentalOrganizations
AccraMetropolitan Assembly
Established bye-laws for UAReceives RUAF support for MPAPIncludes District AgriculturalDevelopment Unit that implicitlyrecognizes role of UA.Recommended by RUAF to assist UAby building marketing infrastructure.Waste Management DepartmentRecognizes that composting isbeneficial.Has noted that price of waste canget expensive if site is far fromwaste dump.Has note that farmers bring sacks tothe waste plant and return usingtheir owntransportation. If they need helpWMD will charge a fee fortransportation.Composting plant has, however,been closed down.
Potentiallypositive/negative influenceoncompost/fertilizer, land, soilandtransportationinputs.
Currentlypositive onthese inputs.
Town andCountryPlanningDepartment
Has called for farmers to be betterorganized to advance UA in AMA.Can provide for open spaces forurban agriculture in its layout, landdevelopment planning, or landschemes.Is working towards providing abetter system for the transfer,documentation, and mapping of
lands, which is anticipated to take
Potentially apositiveinfluence overland inputs.
Currently apositiveinfluence overlabour and has
encouraged
8/6/2019 Plant Pool: A case study for analysing wellbeing through sustainable urban agriculture
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/plant-pool-a-case-study-for-analysing-wellbeing-through-sustainable-urban 38/60
38
Level of Governance
Organization Description and key findingsfrom readings and previousreports
Room forManoeuvre
25 years to complete. From the2010 report, the process is at thedesign level.
As of 2010, another 25-year landuse and administration projectdesigned to reform the landmanagement system is nearingcompletion of its design stages.Noted in 2010 that plans toreformulate a Green Belt have notworked out.Has encouraged Roman Ridgefarmers to apply to The LandCommission to gain securedesignation and gain local support todo this. Has noted that the farmersmay have an ally in the ExecutiveSecretary of the Land Commission,
who has previously worked onsustainable livelihoods issues.
self-organizationof farmers.
Local NGOs/Companies
Accra WorkingGroup onUrban andPeri-urban Agriculture(AWGUPA)
Membership includes Accra Metropolitan Authority‟s Department of Food and Agriculture, Planning and Coordination Unit, The Public Health Department, and The Town and Country Planning Unit; University of Ghana‟s Colle ge of Agriculture and Consumer Sciences and Department of Geography and Resource Development; Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR-STEPRI); IWMI-Ghana; Environmental Protection Agency-
Accra; Ministry of Food and Agriculture; Directorate of Extension; Enterprise Works Ghana; Ghana Agriculture Workers Union; New Times Corporation; Crop Farmers Association; Livestock Farmers Association.Is implementing a city strategicagenda on UA in Accra.Last year‟s research suggestedexpanding AWGUPA to includeadditional actors, such aslandowners and the media. Also suggested that there is roomfor AWGUPA to expand its work onland-related issues.
Has updated training at urbanproducer field schools withentrepreneurial training and use of business plans.
Currentlyinfluences allinputs. Hasthe potentialto positivelyinfluenceacross allinputs andencouragefarmers’ self -organization.
The CivilSocietyCoalition onLand (CICOL),meeting 13/5,1100-1230
CICOL is a network of civil society (CS) organizations working and advocating for equitable land tenure practices, policies and management in Ghana.Has highlighted plight of Ghanaian small-scale farmers, particularly women, kicked off their farmland to make way for large-scale jatrophy plantations (used for biofuels). Has been reported that the cultivation of
the bio-fuel plant has gone largely
Has thepotential topositivelyinfluence landinputs.
8/6/2019 Plant Pool: A case study for analysing wellbeing through sustainable urban agriculture
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/plant-pool-a-case-study-for-analysing-wellbeing-through-sustainable-urban 39/60
39
Level of Governance
Organization Description and key findingsfrom readings and previousreports
Room forManoeuvre
unregulated.In 2009, was invited by the Ministry of Lands and National Resources “to
partner with government in developing the good land administration system for the country. CICOL's activities should transcend not only the land rights issues into assisting communities in proper land use planning,sensitization and awareness creation, in sound environmental management and sanitation in our environment. All these affect the proper uses of our land." Involved in the Land for Life NGO/project (meeting13/5, 1600- 1730)
DzorwuluFarmers’ Association
Divided between Plant Pool,Dzorwulu and Roman Ridge sites.Potential to build knowledge sharingnetworks and social capital.Do not appear to work together formarketing of produce or shareequipment.Only came together for FStT.
EnterpriseWorks
Can have a positive influence onimproving marketing knowledge forfarmers.EW involved in helping to implementFStT program in Plant Pool.
IWMI has carried out a lot of testingon water quality.
Currentlypositiveinfluence onlabour inputs.
ILGS – Institute of LocalGovernmentStudies,(meeting11/5, 1100-1230)
The Institute was commissioned in 1999 as a project of the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development as part of efforts by the Government of Ghana to equip the local government system to play a pivotal role in development and poverty reduction. Works on local economic development and urban development issues. It also holds courses on environmental management and sanitation and
good governance and sustainable dev.
IWMI IWMI's sub-regional research portfolio focuses on efforts to reduce poverty and to provide improved food security through sustainable and efficient agricultural water use.
Provides technical support through its research, and facilitates the development of gender-sensitive policies and action plans on UPA which are integrated into the programmes of key gov. and non- gov. stakeholders.
IWMI also promotes knowledge
Is currentlypromotingself-organizationandinfluences allinputs. Hasthe potentialto positivelyinfluenceacross allinputs andencouragefarmers’ self -organization.
8/6/2019 Plant Pool: A case study for analysing wellbeing through sustainable urban agriculture
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/plant-pool-a-case-study-for-analysing-wellbeing-through-sustainable-urban 40/60
40
Level of Governance
Organization Description and key findingsfrom readings and previousreports
Room forManoeuvre
sharing on UPA to strengthen the capacity of local stakeholders.
IWMI and partners are contributing to improved food security and environmental sanitation by researching the safe and productive use of water, nutrients, organic matter and energy from liquid and solid waste.
Currently undertaking a Design for Re-use research initiative looking at contributing to solutions that will enable continuous operation of sanitation facilities. Design for Re- use is looking at four primary means to re-use waste for revenue. One
component will pilot the re-use of wastewater for irrigation, while another will pilot composting from fecal sludge.
From Pay Dreschel article: To showthe authorities how farmers andstreet-food vendors are takinghealth issues seriously,representatives from otherstakeholder groups were invited to join a “road show” event.Participants were taken on a bustour, starting from a farm wherewastewater is used, through themarket, and ending at streetrestaurants where the vegetablesare most commonly sold. At eachstop, participants learned first handabout health threats and risk reduction methods. Although theroad show required careful planningand facilitation, the methoddissolved the traditional separationbetween active teachers and passivelearners. By sharing their knowledgeof good practices, participantsbecome trainers, champions, andmediators.
Key actors: Pay Dreschel, Olufunke
Cofie.
ISSR (Institute of StatisticalSocial andEconomicResearch),meeting 11/51600-1730
ISSER is involved in The State of the Ghanaian Economy Report (SGER) and the Ghana Human Development Report (GHDR).
People’sDialogue onHumanSettlements/Ghana
Homeless
People‟s Dialogue on Human Settlements (PD) is community- based, non-governmental organization that works in partnership with the Ghana
Homeless People‟s Federation (the
Has thepotential toencourageself-organization.
8/6/2019 Plant Pool: A case study for analysing wellbeing through sustainable urban agriculture
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/plant-pool-a-case-study-for-analysing-wellbeing-through-sustainable-urban 41/60
41
Level of Governance
Organization Description and key findingsfrom readings and previousreports
Room forManoeuvre
People’s
FederationFederation) to find permanent solutions to urban poverty in Ghana through the improvement of human
settlements and shelter conditions.(see http://www.sdinet.org/country/ghan a) focuses on the capacity building of federation communities.Runs savings groups amongst slumdweller communities
Markets Plant Pool farmers sell products asindividuals to the queens so there ispotential to self-organize to sell as agroup and boost their bargainingpower.The price of one bed of cabbage is100 CD, the cost of buying from
farmers is eight CD. Transportationcost does affect the profit and theprice of product. The price isdifferent in different market andfrom different farming area.Consumers complained about UA‟swater quality and fertilizer use. Thusmarketers prefer rural products andthink that UA should stop. They notethat resource for UA is poor, whilecost of production is high.
Currentlyinfluencestransportinputs, Hasthe potentialto influencewater and
fertilizer/compost inputsand encouragefarmers’ self -organization.
Plant PoolFarmers’
Association
Although still young, has strongcollaboration amongst members andwith external actors such as theMOFA, Enterprise Works and other
institutions to improve agriculturalpractices.Potential to work together withDzorwulu FA.
Currently andpotentially apositiveinfluence on
farmers’ self -organization.
InternationalOrganizations
Zoomlion Runs sorting and composting plants throughout Ghana and Accra Conducts public educationcampaigns on sanitation.Has acquired lands in all the regionsfor commercial farming usingcompost. A subsidiary of Zoomlion undertakeslandscaping, beautification of parks,gardens, and horticultural activitiesin the cities.
Has noted that the governmentshould use subsidies and incentivesto encourage composting. Inparticular has referred to TheGreening Ghana project whichshould use compost. Zoomlion ownsThe Plant Pool Company whosedepot is located next to the PlantPool site.
Currentlyinfluencescomposting/fertilizer inputs.Has thepotential tofurtherinfluencecomposting,land andtransport
inputs.
ColombiaUniversity’s
EarthInstitute’s
MillenniumCitiesInitiative(MCI)
“Working closely with the Mayor and the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, as well as with other Ghanaian officials,scholars, scientists, community members and development partners,MCI will help address the city‟ s most pressing challenges, including flooding, water security and
Has thepotential toinfluence land,water, labourandtransportationinputs.
8/6/2019 Plant Pool: A case study for analysing wellbeing through sustainable urban agriculture
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/plant-pool-a-case-study-for-analysing-wellbeing-through-sustainable-urban 42/60
42
Level of Governance
Organization Description and key findingsfrom readings and previousreports
Room forManoeuvre
sanitation issues; in-migration and unplanned settlements; congestion; pollution; and the need for detailed
and far-sighted urban planning” (fromhttp://mci.ei.columbia.edu/?id=locations_accra). “MCI will take an in -depth look at the water and liquid waste disposal systems and has agreed to help two sprawling Accra neighborhoods become viable residential and commercial centers with ready access to public goods and services.” (fromhttp://mci.ei.columbia.edu/?id=locations_accra).
CooperativeHousingFoundation(CHF)International
International NGO using funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to work on slum upgrading in Accra. CHF is implementing The Slum Communities Achieving Livable Environments with Urban Partners (SCALE-UP) Program which focuses on “training and empowering residents and grassroots organizations to participate actively in designing and implementing physical and social improvement programs in partnership with local non- governmental organizations.”
( http://www.chfinternational.org/gh ana ) .The organization is working with Zoomlion to promote a composting project and is approaching Plant Pol farmers to provide them with training and facilities to for composting.
MillenniumCities Project(meeting11/5, 0900-1030)
“The immediate objective of the Millennium Cities Initiative (MCI) ( http://www.mci.ei.columbia.edu ) ,established by The Earth Institute,Columbia University, in early 2006, is to help a number of Millennium Cities across sub-Saharan Africa achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).” “The ultimate objective of the MCI is to develop an approach that can be used by under-resourced, medium- size cities in sub-Saharan Africa to attain the MDGs on their own, or with minimal assistance from outside.These objectives are being pursued in the framework of helping the Millennium Cities formulate Integrated City Development Strategies. These strategies combine the economic and social components of a development strategy,
recognizing that the sustainable
8/6/2019 Plant Pool: A case study for analysing wellbeing through sustainable urban agriculture
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/plant-pool-a-case-study-for-analysing-wellbeing-through-sustainable-urban 43/60
43
Level of Governance
Organization Description and key findingsfrom readings and previousreports
Room forManoeuvre
delivery of social services requires cities to stimulate enterprise development, create employment
and foster economic growth and development – in brief, to eradicate extreme poverty, the first and most basic of the MDGs.”
8/6/2019 Plant Pool: A case study for analysing wellbeing through sustainable urban agriculture
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/plant-pool-a-case-study-for-analysing-wellbeing-through-sustainable-urban 44/60
44
The objectives and key findings of our focus groups with farmers were as
follows.
Aspirations and activity mapping
We asked the farmers to draw and share what they see themselves in 5years in order for us to learn about the different dimensions of wellbeingthat are valuable to the farmers. We found that some farmers wanted tokeep farming or to expand their farms, i.e. material wellbeing. Some otherswanted to have a good education for themselves and for their children, i.e.relational wellbeing. Some wanted to be respected by planning bodies, i.e.subjective wellbeing.
On top of the aspiration exercise, we also asked the farmers to map theircore activities in relation to farming on a seasonal basis throughout the year.This included mapping when farmers planted and harvested differentproduce, mapping of changing weather patterns and soil quality and their
impacts on production, the use of various inputs into farming processes suchas seeds, fertilizers, chemicals, labour, water etc. This helped us to gain an
insight into the level of coordinationand organization of the group, thedifferences in knowledge aboutdifferent produce, the attitudes of farmers to the use of different inputs,and the various issues concerningenvironmental management of theirbeds, how farmers resolved issuessuch as water shortages and theimpact of changing weather patterns,
and which farmers were more vocaland which were more marginalisedwithin the group.
Mapping of “flow”
We engaged the farmers in mappingwhere they farm and live, and the flowof different farm inputs on/around thesite. We found that privatization of inputs such as fertilizers brought thefarmers into a cycle of dependencyand negatively impacted their
economic wellbeing and also theenvironment. The map we used torecord farmers‟ plots helped improveunderstanding among farmers and hasthe potential to help facilitateenumeration and further collaborationwithin the farmer association.
APPENDIX 4
OBJECTIVESOF FOCUSGROUPS
8/6/2019 Plant Pool: A case study for analysing wellbeing through sustainable urban agriculture
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/plant-pool-a-case-study-for-analysing-wellbeing-through-sustainable-urban 45/60
45
Mapping of “external organizations”
We asked the farmers and mapped their perceptions on the power of different external organizations and the relationship of these organizationsto the Plant Pool Farmer Association. The exercise would help input into our
stakeholder analysis and the process of formulating potential strategies byhelping to locate „room for manoeuvre‟ for farmers‟ recognition andparticipation in decision making by providing entry points for potentialcollaboration with external organizations.
World Café
We came up with some initial
strategies based on the diagnosis of
the Plant Pool context before the
exercise. We wanted farmers‟ opinions
and inputs into these proposed
strategies and received substantial
feedback on their benefits, constraints
and feasibility. The exercise was also
useful in helping us to reconsider the
entry points for self-organization
efforts and coproduction to improve
SUA and gain recognition of farmers
from government agencies and other
significant stakeholders.
8/6/2019 Plant Pool: A case study for analysing wellbeing through sustainable urban agriculture
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/plant-pool-a-case-study-for-analysing-wellbeing-through-sustainable-urban 46/60
46
Date MethodologyStakeholder(s)involved
Purpose / Outcome
May 9th Presentation, Q&Asession and discussion
IWMI and local facilitator- Sowah
To present and discussour preliminary diagnosiswith IWMI staff andarrange field visits
May10th
Transect walk Local facilitator - Sowah To understand thegeneral conditions of Plant Pool, in particularthe farm inputs andfarmers‟ activities
Focus group Plant Pool Farmers To learn about farmers‟ aspirations and exploretheir farming activitiesthroughout the year
Semi-structuredinterviews
Plant Pool Farmers To explore farmers‟ activities, obstaclesimpacting SUA andcollect information forfarmer‟s profile
May11th
Presentation and Q&Asession
Millennium City Initiative To understand the visionof the Millennium Cityproject, UA‟s role in thisvision and the localgovernment structure inrelation to UA
Presentation and Q&Asession
Institute of LocalGovernment Studies
To understand the localgovernment structureand processes, and howcivic society canparticipate in policy-making
Presentation and Q&A
session
Ministry of Local
Government
To learn about the
progress made withdecentralization, keyproblems with theprocess, and the extentto which the newstructures provide civilsociety with a voice indecision makingprocesses
Presentation and Q&Asession
Institute of Statistics andSocial Economic Research
To understand how thecountry‟s development isinterpreted by thegovernment and whatthe key indicators beingused to this end
May12th
Participatory mapping Plant Pool Farmers To map out wherefarmers live and the flowof inputs/outputs
Focus group Plant Pool Hired Labour(UA boys)
To explore the statusand conditions of thehired labour in UA
Semi-structuredinterviews
Plant Pool Farmers To explore farmers‟ activities, obstaclesimpacting SUA andcollect information forfarmer‟s profile
In-depth interviews Plant Pool Farmers To learn about farmers‟ aspirations, examineconditions of poverty andfactors impacting
farmer‟s wellbeing Presentation and Q&A Zoomlion To understand its
APPENDIX 5
FIELD TRIPSCHEDULE
8/6/2019 Plant Pool: A case study for analysing wellbeing through sustainable urban agriculture
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/plant-pool-a-case-study-for-analysing-wellbeing-through-sustainable-urban 47/60
47
Date MethodologyStakeholder(s)involved
Purpose / Outcome
session perspective on wastemanagement andcompost production, andlearn about the potential
of co-production inmaking compost withfarmers
Presentation and Q&Asession
Department of Cooperatives
To learn about the keyprocedures required forFAs to register with theDoC, the benefits for FAsof registration and howthe DoC handlesproblems within FAs,with particular referenceto the problemsconcerning Plant Pool‟sFA
May
13th
Presentation and Q&A
session
Enterprise Works To understand its role in
UA and how farmercooperatives can benefitfrom the government
Presentation and Q&Asession
GIDA To understand thecurrent practices of irrigation and theirimpacts on UA
Presentation and Q&Asession
Land for Life To understand thedifferent pressures onland tenure and securityin Accra, the impact of government‟s policies onthese, and whatstrategies are required toalleviate them
Presentation and Q&Asession
People‟s Dialogue andGhana Federation of Urban Poor
To understand theirdifferent roles and howthey performenumerations, run savinggroups, facilitate self-organization, and gainrecognition for the urbanpoor from thegovernment as a meansof improving thecondition of the urbanpoor
May14th
Focus group Plant Pool Farmers To map out farmers‟ perspectives withexternal organizations
and potentials for co-production
Semi-structuredinterviews
Plant Pool Farmers To explore farmers‟ activities, obstaclesimpacting SUA andcollect information forfarmer‟s profile
In-depth interviews Plant Pool Farmers To learn about farmers‟ aspirations, examineconditions of poverty andfactors impactingfarmer‟s wellbeing
May16th
Presentation and Q&Asession
MoFA and MoFAextension department
To learn about MOFA‟sinterpretation of the roleand significance of UA
within the country‟s
8/6/2019 Plant Pool: A case study for analysing wellbeing through sustainable urban agriculture
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/plant-pool-a-case-study-for-analysing-wellbeing-through-sustainable-urban 48/60
48
Date MethodologyStakeholder(s)involved
Purpose / Outcome
agricultural policies anddevelopment. Tounderstand the particularroles and responsibilities
of the MOFA extensiondepartment and howMOFA interprets and ispromoting sustainableurban agriculturaldevelopment.
Presentation and Q&Asession
Town and CountryPlanning
To understand the landadministration andregulations of the cityand their impacts onUA/PUA
May17th
Focus Group – WorldCafé
Plant Pool Farmers To test out and examinethe feasibility of ourproposed strategies onSUA
Participatory Video Plant Pool Farmers To get farmers involvedin making a video toshow their stories toexternal organizations
Semi-structuredInterviews
Plant Pool Farmers To explore farmers‟ activities, obstaclesimpacting SUA andcollect information forfarmer‟s profile
In-depth interviews Plant Pool Farmers To learn about farmers‟ aspirations, examineconditions of poverty andfactors impactingfarmer‟s wellbeing
Presentation and Q&Asession
AWGUPA To understand thecurrent practices of stakeholder involvementin UA/PUA
Semi-structuredInterview
Market Women Association
To understand thevegetable marketoperation and theirrelationship with farmers
May19th
Presentation and Q&Asession
IWMI and stakeholdersinvolved in the research
To present and sharefindings and getfeedback for furtherresearch
8/6/2019 Plant Pool: A case study for analysing wellbeing through sustainable urban agriculture
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/plant-pool-a-case-study-for-analysing-wellbeing-through-sustainable-urban 49/60
49
Our group used the lens of the agricultural value chain to analyze the
complex range of activities, rules, norms, and power relations that frame
how products and services flow between various actors. We conducted a
preliminary value chain analysis prior to the Accra trip to uncover topics to
be explored on the field. To further focus our research, during fieldwork and findings analysis, we examined all of the topics below in relation to our
framework and hypotheses.
Differentstages in value
chain
Focus topic on the ground with farmers
Finance Channels and ease to access credits?Interest rate? Any trainings from FStT, FA, MoFA?Degree of financial knowledge?Habit of keeping financial ledger?
Cultivation Inputs: Seeds, Water, Fertilizers, Labour, ToolsSource/suppliers of inputsHow much inputs are needed?Cost and reliability of input supply?Price fluctuation?Collective purchase of inputs? Any trainings from FStT on using inputs? Any variable costs?
Collection How often to hire labour?Where? Cost?Relationship with the hired labour?Farmers helping each others on harvest?
Marketing Channels to sell produces? Any trainings from FStT on marketing?Source of market information about demand and price?Collective bargaining?Price stability? Any processing of produce before sale?
APPENDIX 6
AGRICULTURALVALUE CHAIN
8/6/2019 Plant Pool: A case study for analysing wellbeing through sustainable urban agriculture
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/plant-pool-a-case-study-for-analysing-wellbeing-through-sustainable-urban 50/60
50
The criteria used to assess the influence of planning processes on urban
agricultural practices are the following.
Economic
Farmers have the market information and knowledge to decide on
the most appropriate marketing channel and price for their produce;
Farmers have adequate access to funding to invest inputs into urban
agriculture;
Income from UA activities enables farmers to meet their material
needs;
Social
Farmers do not contract disease from agricultural practices;
There is no discrimination in terms of ethnicity, religion, age etc
amongst the farmers (e.g. between Christians and Muslims);
Environment
Use of chemical inputs is minimized;
Animal waste generated in the agriculture process is inputted safely
into the agriculture process through compost;
Soil remains healthy and microbial flora is intact;
Farmers use safe water for irrigation;
Transportation of inputs, outputs and of the farmers themselves
does not involve long distances or time-consuming practices.
Built Environment
Farmers possess legally valid land tenure;
Water system provides adequate amounts of water for urban
agriculture;
Political
Recognition and participation of farmers in urban planning processes
including opportunities for farmers to participate in decision making
that impact their wellbeing;Urban planning at the local level considers appropriate infrastructure
and/or techniques that can provide accessible and affordable, and
timely access to water and waste composting resources;
There is credible commitment from urban planning organizations to
support and work with farmers and FAs;
Farmer associations have established levels of cooperation,
reciprocity, solidarity, respect, trust and communication which allow
them to act together to strengthen their negotiating power with
institutions and enable sharing of information.
APPENDIX 7
CRITERIAFOR SUA
8/6/2019 Plant Pool: A case study for analysing wellbeing through sustainable urban agriculture
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/plant-pool-a-case-study-for-analysing-wellbeing-through-sustainable-urban 51/60
51
We will scrutinize the interactions between organizations involved in
planning and the farmers using the theoretical lenses of collective action and
coproduction as established in the work of Elinor Ostrom and the New
Institutional Economics School.30
Collective action
Collective action will help to shed light on the key institutional norms that
underpin cooperative interactions amongst the farmers and civil society.
These norms include cooperation, reciprocity, respect, solidarity and trust.
These norms help bind farmers to work collectively for their mutual benefit.
In previous years, membership of the FA at Plant Pool have helped the
farmers to access training and other services such as piped water from
GWCL. The farmers have also collectively participated in numerous research
projects with IWMI, RUAF, and University of Ghana. However, despite these
efforts, there has been little collaboration in many areas such as accessing
credit facilities; collectively purchasing key inputs such as compost,
equipment and fertilizers; and the production, planning and marketing of
produce.31
Co-production
Joshi and Moore, refining Ostrom‟s concept of coproduction, define
institutionalized coproduction as the provision of public services through a
regular long-term relationship between weak and under-resourced public
agencies and organized group of citizens, where both make resource
contributions. 32 This definition implies that public agencies recognize and
provide the means for civil society to actively participate in decision-making
processes. Public agencies also need to show a level of credible commitment
where they need to reciprocate efforts made by civil society to maintain or
even improve delivery of services by increasing their engagement.
Finding potential areas for coproduction would involve identifying issues for
which farmers and public agencies have shared interests. Potentials to build
credible commitment (by, for example, highlighting complementary aspects
of SUA for either party or by proposing incentives to encourage greater
levels of input from either side) would then need to be explored. Strategies
could then be formulated to encourage coproduction and thereby improvethe terms of recognition for farmers in planning processes. Greater
recognition and participation in planning processes could in turn advance
farmers‟ pursuit of their aspirations and wellbeing.
APPENDIX 8
COLLECTIVEACTION ANDCOPRODUCTION
8/6/2019 Plant Pool: A case study for analysing wellbeing through sustainable urban agriculture
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/plant-pool-a-case-study-for-analysing-wellbeing-through-sustainable-urban 52/60
52
The following table outlines implementation steps, monitoring indicators and
related stakeholders for the four strategies.
Strategy Steps for implementationby PPFA and farmers
Who willmonitor?
Indicators forassessment
Farming bythe book
•New FA executives(following appointment)organize a meeting to discussthe value of creating theirown constitution;•Work with Dzorwulu FA anddraw from their experience
on how to develop aconstitution;•Include all FA members todecide on content of theconstitution and vote all rulesbefore they are accepted;•Make available thecompleted constitution for allmembers.
•MoFA EO •Member turnout fordiscussions and draftingof constitution;•Number of controversiessolved by referring toconstitution;•Decline in time of
number of amendmentsmade.
Acttogether,growtogether
(a) On enumerationscheme:
•Decide information to berecorded;•Identify groups with existingbonds who gatherinformation on each other;•Collate profile informationand share it at FA meetings;•Pass information onto MoFAEO.
(b) On saving scheme:•Use membership dues of FAas basis of scheme to createsavings ledgers;•Decide collectively howmoney will be used, loanedand repaid;•Include mechanisms tomonitor repayments.
•MoFA EO;
•People‟s
Dialogue.
•Number of farmersproviding/refusinginformation; attending FAmeetings, andcontributing to savings;• Assess whether
positive/negativeparticipation is correlatedwith demographiccharacteristics (e.g.unequal participationbetweenChristians/Muslims,young/old etc.);•Frequency of profileupdate;•Total funds in savingsscheme and reasons foruse.
APPENDIX 9
STRATEGYIMPLEMENT-ATION
8/6/2019 Plant Pool: A case study for analysing wellbeing through sustainable urban agriculture
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/plant-pool-a-case-study-for-analysing-wellbeing-through-sustainable-urban 53/60
53
Nothinggoes towaste
•Involve civil societyadvocates (e.g. EnvironmentProtection Agency) to informfarmers about risks of chemical use and motivatethem to participate in project;•Organize meetings withinvolved stakeholders (e.g.waste providers) to evaluatewillingness and to buildrelationships betweendifferent actors;•Ensure CHF/Zoomlionremain involved in the projectfollowing transition of thefacility management,monitoring project progressand resolving any significantissues with PPFA.
•CHF/Zoomlion;•MoFA EO;•NGO (i.e.Environmen
t Protection Agency) onchemicaluseawareness.
•Number of farmersinvolved;•Daily hours farmersdedicate to composting;•Possible decrease in
daily hours devoted tofarming;•Total amount of compost generated everythree months;• Amount, if any, of surplus compost sold;• Amount of fertilizerused.
Protecting
Plant Pool
•Farmers/FA erect signs to
warn about encroachment;•Create maps illustratingfarmers‟ beds and theencroached areas;•Develop ledgers andmaintain to record and profileencroachers;•Seek assistance from MoFAEO and report incidents toGRIDCO/AMA BIU;•Invite representatives of GRIDCO/AMA BIU/MoFA EO,to take part in FA meetingsso that information can beshared;
•See possibility to work withother sites through MoFA EOsto share strategies forpreventing encroachment.
•GRIDCO;
• AMA BIU;•MoFA EO.
•Reduction in number
and size of existingencroachments;•Level of response andquality of relationshipwith institutions;•Number of meetingsattended byGRIDCO/AMA BIU;•Frequency of profile and
encroachment ledgerupdate.
8/6/2019 Plant Pool: A case study for analysing wellbeing through sustainable urban agriculture
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/plant-pool-a-case-study-for-analysing-wellbeing-through-sustainable-urban 54/60
54
Ghana’s Shared Growth and Development Agenda
(2010-2013)
Developed to follow the Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy II (2006-
2009), Shared Growth and Development Agenda plans for a structuraltransformation of the Ghanaian economy in order to ensuring and sustaining
macroeconomic stability. For that purpose, it envisions the development of
an increasingly competitive private sector, characterized by industrialisation,
manufacturing, modernised agriculture and a “sustainable” exploitation of
Ghana‟s natural resources, namely oil and gas.
Human development is among one of the main objectives of the agenda,
but it is immediately followed by the words “employment and productivity”,
which connotes that economic growth and consequent inclusion of people in
the formal labour market are understood as the main mechanisms to
address poverty.
In that context, the document focuses on improving real standard of living
(access to better food, housing, clothing, water, education, health, transport
facilities), however, such improvement is to be measured in relation to
access to tangible goods and services. Again, it is noticeable the focus on
infrastructure to allow for an “orderly development”, which undermines
citizens‟ diverse values and aspirations, and their own perceptions on
“standard of living” 33.
Regarding agriculture, the policy‟s main goal is to promote and support
large-scale enterprises, using science, technology and innovations to
accelerate agricultural modernization and increase productivity, enhancefood security, create employment opportunities, and boost agricultural
export earnings. In the case of small scale farmers, actions like securing
access to extension, storage, price stability, credit, markets and land and
developing improved seeds/planting materials are planned as instruments to
enhance productivity.
Millennium City Plan for Accra
The Millennium City Plans aims to design effective viable strategies for Accra
to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). It is stated to seek
solutions for the city‟s most pressing challenges, including flooding, watersecurity and sanitation issues; in-migration and unplanned settlements;
congestion; pollution; and the need for detailed and far-sighted urban
planning.
In December 2009, the Metropolitan Assembly launched its vision for the
project, which is “to make Accra a modern city with the provision of utilities
daily, good environment and unlettered roads, effective drainage system,
healthy private and public toilets, disciplined people, effective transportation,
modern hospital to meet the challenges of the time and effective housing
programme to meet the accommodation needs of the people.”
APPENDIX 10
POLICYANALYSIS
8/6/2019 Plant Pool: A case study for analysing wellbeing through sustainable urban agriculture
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/plant-pool-a-case-study-for-analysing-wellbeing-through-sustainable-urban 55/60
55
Once more, it is possible to identify the focus on infrastructure as the
panacea to reduce inequality, or at least its visual manifestations in the city.
Aligned with this vision, halting of informal settlements gains a new force.
As declared by mayor Dr. Vanderpuije, “the new Accra is to see the end of
further slum development while existing slums would be upgraded” 34
.
Furthermore, along those same lines, during a field research Q&A session
about the Millennium City Project, realized on May 11 th 2011, a
representative from AMA emphasised the migration and urban growth
factors as a big problematic, which needed to be “contained”, since not all
migrants are able to secure a job and represent an increased demand for
public services.
Decentralisation Policy
The Decentralization Policy intends to widen the opportunities for citizens to
participate in local decision-making processes. Concerning economic
development, a decentralized state is expected to address poverty and lower
inequality by making public services more responsive to the needs of its
people. Decentralization, therefore, has been regarded as a normatively
justified policy, as it is closely linked to a democratization process.
The new Local Government System, in place since the review of the Act 480
of the National Development Planning System Acts (1994), in 2010, is a
response to the criticisms to the old system, reflected in the Constitution
among other legislative instruments, which had a lot of drawbacks because
was centrally planned and did not reflect citizens‟ perspectives.
Currently, Ghana‟s political structure consists of the Ministry of Local
Government in the policy-making level, followed by the Regional
Coordination Council, which is responsible for the coordination and
monitoring of the local level bodies, namely the District, Municipal and
Metropolitan assemblies. These assemblies and its sub units (sub-metros,
councils and unit committees) are the implementation front, and are
responsible for mobilization and allocation of resources at the local level, in
addition to budgeting, planning, and delivering services.
Through these policies, functions, powers, means and competences are
being transferred from the national level, however, budgets are still
centralized, since only 6% of the national revenue goes to the District
Assembly Common Fund and then distributed according to a number of
criteria, along with guidelines on how to spend it.
Moreover, the complexity of the Local Government System‟s reporting
structure, intensified by the fuzzy definition of traditional authorities‟ roles,
seem to a major obstacle for local bodies, especially the Assemblies, to
effectively engage with citizens and take their inputs to the highest levels of
policy making.
8/6/2019 Plant Pool: A case study for analysing wellbeing through sustainable urban agriculture
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/plant-pool-a-case-study-for-analysing-wellbeing-through-sustainable-urban 56/60
56
Ghana’s Budget Report
In the matters concerning agriculture, to ensure the growth of incomes in
the sector and the reduction in income variability, the policy encourages
farmers in addition to their food crop farming activities to diversify into the
cultivation of cash crops and livestock for which they have comparative and
competitive advantages.
To support small-scale agriculture, the Budget Report presented the Small
Farm Irrigation Project, which consists of the construction of irrigation
facilities for an area of 492 ha designated for crop production. Additionally,
the document registers the Ministry intention to increase the involvement of
the private sector and NGOs in the delivery of services such as farmer
training, Farmer Based Organization (FBO) development, input procurement
and distribution and provision of technical services.
8/6/2019 Plant Pool: A case study for analysing wellbeing through sustainable urban agriculture
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/plant-pool-a-case-study-for-analysing-wellbeing-through-sustainable-urban 57/60
57
1 Kraus, J., 1991, „The Struggle Over Structural Adjustment in Ghana‟, Africa
Today Vol. 38 (4) pp.19-37.
2 Louis, K., 2005, „The Lament of a Nation: Ghana‟s SAP Experience‟,
Ghanaweb , Accessed 07/06/2011. Available from:
http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/features/artikel.php?ID=8045
3
3 World Bank, 2011, „Ghana: World Bank Approves US$215m for Ghana‟,
Portal to Africa , Accessed on 5/06/2011. Available from
http://portaltoafrica.com/news/africa/finance/world-bank-approves-us215m-
for-ghana/
4 World Bank, 2011.
5 Ghanaweb, 2010, „Ghana Attains Middle Income Country Status‟, Accessed
01/06/2011. Available from:
http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=1
96857
6 „The Gini coefficient is a measurement of income inequality‟, The 2006 CIA
World Fact Book: Country Comparison: Distribution of Family Income ,
Accessed 01/06/2011. Available from:
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-
factbook/rankorder/2172rank.html
7
Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy, 2003, Accessed 02/06/2011. Availablefrom
http://siteresources.worldbank.org/GHANAEXTN/Resources/Ghana_PRSP.pdf
8 Ghana Districts, 2011, „AMA Demographic Characteristics‟, Accessed on
June 02 2011. Available from
http://www.ama.ghanadistricts.gov.gh/?arrow=atd&_=3&sa=3004.
9 RUAF, 2011, „Urban Agriculture in Accra‟, Accessed on June 02 2011.
Available from http://www.ruaf.org/node/498#intro
10 As defined by the Wellbeing in Developing Countries Research Group in
White, S. C., 2010, „Analysing Wellbeing: a Framework for Development
Practice‟, Development in Practice , Vol. 20, No. 2, March, p. 158.
11 White, S. C., 2010, „Analysing Wellbeing: a Framework for Development
Practice‟, Development in Practice , Vol. 20, No. 2, March, pp. 158-172.
12 Frediani, A.A., 2010, ‘Sen’s Capability Approach as a framework to
the practice of development’, Development in practice, Vol. 20, No.2,
p.175.
13 Sen, A., 1999, Development as Freedom , Oxford University Press: Oxford,
p.87.
LIST OF
REFERENCES
8/6/2019 Plant Pool: A case study for analysing wellbeing through sustainable urban agriculture
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/plant-pool-a-case-study-for-analysing-wellbeing-through-sustainable-urban 58/60
58
14 Based on Nussbaum, M., Sen, A. (eds), 1993, The Quality of Life . Oxford
University Press: Oxford. Agency involves an individual‟s consciousness
about their situation and willingness to act, as much as his/hers concrete
skills and capacities to do so.15 Based on Levy C., 2010, „Perspectives and Potentials in Planning‟, lecture
given at the Development Planning Unit, UCL, 1 October. State-led
modernisation refers to the dominant development approach in the 1950s-
60s where a „strong‟ state was viewed as the stimulator of development and
economic planning through such strategies as state-led industrialisation. The
general failure of this development model led to the emergence and current
pre-dominance of the neo-liberal development model where the state has
withdrawn from its previous role in economic planning. Instead the state has
become the enabler of economic development by providing incentives for
the market and private sector to determine the trajectory of economicdevelopment, which sees the shrinking of the size and power of the state as
it withdraws from public service provision.
16 See Figure 2 and description, p.156 in Allen A., 2001, „Urban Sustainability
under Threat: the Restructuring of the Fishing Industry in Mar del Plata,
Argentina, Development in Practice , Vol. 11, No. 2, pp. 152-173.
17 Based upon Dubbeling M., Van Veenhuizen, R., De Zeeuw H., 2011, „The
Role of Urban Agriculture in Building Resilient Cities in Developing
Countries‟, Journal of Agricultural Science , No. 149, pp. 153-163. This
interpretation of SUA shows how urban agriculture has the potential to
provide a significant source of local livelihoods, improve a city‟s vulnerabilityto food insecurity, mitigate the impacts of climate variability and flooding,
and overall help place Accra‟s urban planning on a more sustainable path.
18 See Appendix 7 for a more detailed breakdown of these criteria.
19 This has involved incorporating democratization, transparency and public
accountability, greater popular participation in decision making and effective
policy and development planning. For further details see Gough, K. and
Yankson, P., 2001, „The Role of Civil Society in Urban Management in Accra,
Ghana‟, in Tostensen, A., Tvedten, I. and Vaa M. (Eds.), Associated Life in
African Cities – Popular Responses to the Urban Crisis , Uppsala: Nordiska
Afrikainstitutet.
20 Gough, K. and Yankson, P., 2001, „The Role of Civil Society in Urban
Management in Accra, Ghana‟, in Tostensen, A., Tvedten, I. and Vaa M.
(Eds.), Associated Life in African Cities – Popular Responses to the Urban
Crisis , Uppsala: Nordiska Afrikainstitutet.
21 Al-Khalifa K., Shahar Brinenberg S., Chi X., Egborge E., Jeffery T., Nwogu
A., Solomon V., Song J., and Tao Y., 2010, Promoting Sustainable Urban
Agriculture in Accra, Ghana - 2010 Case Study: Plant Pool and Roman Ridge ,
Development Planning Unit, UCL.
8/6/2019 Plant Pool: A case study for analysing wellbeing through sustainable urban agriculture
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/plant-pool-a-case-study-for-analysing-wellbeing-through-sustainable-urban 59/60
59
22 Gough, K. and Yankson, P., 2001, „The Role of Civil Society in Urban
Management in Accra, Ghana‟, in Tostensen, A., Tvedten, I. and Vaa M.
(Eds.), Associated Life in African Cities – Popular Responses to the Urban
Crisis , Uppsala: Nordiska Afrikainstitutet, p. 141.23 Previous years‟ studies found that Plant Pool farmers managed to self -
organize as a FA. However, Plant Pool farmers, MoFA, and the TCPU were all
found to agree that farmers needed to be better organized and more willing
to collaborate for them to improve their terms of recognition in relation to
urban planning processes. For further details see Al-Khalifa K., Shahar
Brinenberg S., Chi X., Egborge E., Jeffery T., Nwogu A., Solomon V., Song
J., and Tao Y., 2010, Promoting Sustainable Urban Agriculture in Accra,
Ghana - 2010 Case Study: Plant Pool and Roman Ridge, Development
Planning Unit, UCL.
24 During in-depth interviews, farmers Carlos Salasie and EmmanuelQuarshie pointed out that, because Muslims and Christians shared the
leadership roles in the association, the group was more cohesive and
conflicts were easily resolved.
25 The Department of Cooperative‟s mission is that cooperatives and farmer-
based organizations “operate as efficient member-owned and managed
business enterprises”.
26 One of many privatized inputs into UA in Accra; IWMI meeting at ABH,
9th May 2011
27
SAPs increase pressure on land in two main ways: firstly, raised interestrates make investment and speculation on land more attractive, and
secondly pressure to develop and urbanise creates even higher demand for
„undeveloped‟ land. See Yeboah, I. E. A., 2000, „Structural Adjustment and
Emerging Urban Form in Accra, Ghana‟, Africa Today , Vol. 47, No. 2 and his
follow-up article Yeboah, I. E. A., 2003, „Demographic and Housing Aspects
of Structural Adjustment and Emerging Urban Form in Accra, Ghana‟, Africa
Today , Vol. 50, No. 1 for a compelling explanation of how Ghana‟s SAPs
have contributed to the acceleration of Accra‟s urban expansion.
28 The National Building Regulation, Part II, Sub-Part I, Item 13 states that
“(3) No building shall be erected over a drain, culvert, watercourse, high
tension cable or sewer; except that a District Planning Authority may pass
the building plans if it considers that it can properly agree to the proposal in
the circumstances of the case.”
29 See in the notes reference from TCP meeting.
30 We drew heavily on the following works for our definitions of collective
action and co-production: Ostrom E, 1990, Governing the Commons: the
Evolution of Institutions for Collective Action , Cambridge; New York:
Cambridge University Press; Poteete A.R., Janssen M.A. and Ostrom E.,
2010, „Chapter 9: Pushing the Frontiers of the Theory of Collective Action
and the Commons‟, from Poteete A.R., Janssen M.A. and Ostrom E.,
8/6/2019 Plant Pool: A case study for analysing wellbeing through sustainable urban agriculture
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/plant-pool-a-case-study-for-analysing-wellbeing-through-sustainable-urban 60/60
Working Together: Collective Action, the Commons, and Multiple Methods in
Practice , pp. 215-247, Woodstock: Princeton University Press; and Ostrom,
E., 1996, „Crossing the Great Divide: Co-production, Synergy and
Development‟, World Development, Vol. 24, No. 6, pp. 1073-1087.31 Beckwith L., Chaware K., Coll F., Cowan L., Egeh B., Gitonga K., Guilbert-
Billetdoux A. and Musi S., Salazar D., Valerio A., Ziegler T., 2009, Promoting
Sustainable Livelihoods through Sustainable Urban Agriculture – Case Study:
Dzorwulu, Ghana , Development Planning Unit, UCL and Al-Khalifa K., Shahar
Brinenberg S., Chi X., Egborge E., Jeffery T., Nwogu A., Solomon V., Song
J., and Tao Y., 2010, Promoting Sustainable Urban Agriculture in Accra,
Ghana - 2010 Case Study: Plant Pool and Roman Ridge , Development
Planning Unit, UCL.
32 Joshi A. and Moore M., 2004, „Institutionalised Co-production: Unorthodox
Public Service Delivery in Challenging Environments‟, The Journal of Development Studies , Vol. 40, No. 4, April, pp. 31-49.
33 Nevertheless an effort has been done on understanding people‟s evaluation of the
current status of public services quality and administration efficiency, in a document
named Consultative Citizen‟s Report Card.
34 AMA, 2010, Accra declared Millennium City. Available from
http://ama.gov.gh/ama/page/5177/accra-declared-millennium-city. Published in 1st
March 2010. Accessed on May 19, 2011.