Drivers and Determinants of Urban Agriculture and its Relationship with Planning Laws in Nakuru city, Kenya

The study examines the drivers, determinants and socio-economic reliance on urban agriculture (UA) in Nakuru City, Kenya, contrasting its vital role in household survival against restrictive city planning frameworks. UA serves as a vital economic lifeline for households in the rapidly growing city, yet it remains hindered by prohibitive local regulatory frameworks. Based on empirical field data collected in 2024 from 398 household respondents and 135 schools, the study reveals that for 46.7% of households UA is a primary strategy for food security and income. It provides 25% to 50% of total earnings for 38.6% of practitioner households. However, a significant policy-practice gap exists in that 49.8% of practitioners view city by-laws as having a negative impact on their activities. The study findings highlights a severe gap between official city policy and local urban agriculture realities. The study advocates for harmonizing city planning laws to formalize UA as a recognized sustainable land-use category.

Urban Agriculture; Food Security & Household Livelihoods; City By-laws; Spatial Planning & Land Tenure; Urban Poverty Alleviation.

1. Bryld, E. (2003). Potentials, problems and policy implications for urban agriculture in developing countries. Agric. Hum. Values 20 (1), 79–86. https://doi.org/10.1023/A: 1022464607153. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. Chihambakwe, M., Mafonaya, P. & Jiri, O. (2019). Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture as a Pathway to Food Security: A Review: Mapping the use of Food Sovereignty. Challenges Vol. 10 Issue 1. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. Foeken, D., & Owuor, S. O. (2006). To subsidize my income: Urban farming in an East-African town (Nakuru). Brill / African Studies Centre, Leiden. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. Municipal Council of Nakuru (MCN) adoptive by-laws, (2004). [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. Nakuru County Government Environmental Management by-laws, (2014). [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. Cruz, M.G. & Medina, R.S. (2003). Agriculture in the City: A key to sustainability in Havana. Cuba. Ian Randle Publishers. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. Hallett, S., Hoogland, L. & Toner, E. (2016). Urban Agriculture: Environment, Economic and Social Perspectives. Horticultural Review, Vol. 44, First Edition. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. Hallran, A. & Majid, J. (2013). Planning the unplanned: Incorporating agriculture as an urban land use into the Dar es Salaam master plan and beyond. Environment & Urbanization. Vol. 25(2): 541–558. DOI: 10.1177/0956247813500903 www.sagepublications.com [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

9. Karanja, N., Njenga, M., Prain, G. & Kironchi, G. (2015). Assessment of Environmental and Public Health Hazards in Waste Water used for Urban Agriculture in Nairobi, Kenya. Tropical and subtropical Agro-ecosystems, February, 2015. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

10. Mutai, J.K. (2026) Assessment of the Effects of Urban Agriculture on Livelihoods and its Relationship with Planning Policies in Nakuru city, Kenya. Unpublished PhD-Urban Management Thesis, Egerton University, Kenya. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

11. Nkurumwa, B. (2018). Edible backyards: climate change and urban food (in) security in Africa. Agric. Food Society: 7 (1) pp1-5. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

12. Orsini, F., Kahane, R., Nono-Womdim, R., & Gianquinto, G. (2013). Urban agriculture in the developing world: A review. Agronomy for Sustainable Development, 33(4), 695-720. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

13. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-013-0143-z [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

14. Pedras, M.G., Paco, T.A., Monsees, H. & Junge, R. (2020). Urban agriculture as a keystone contribution towards securing sustainable and healthy development for cities in the future. Blue-Greens System: Vol.2 No.1. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

15. Republic of Kenya. (2019). Physical Planning and Land Use Act (2019). [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

16. Robineau, O. (2015). Toward a systemic analysis of city-agriculture interactions in West Africa: A geography of arrangements between actors. Land Use Policy 49, 322–331. https:// doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2015.08.025. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

18. Skar, S.L.G., Pineda-Mactor, R., Timpe, A., Polling, K., Bohn, K., Kulvik, M., Delgado, C., [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

19. Zasada, I. (2011). Multifunctional peri-urban agriculture - A review of societal demands and the provision of goods and services by farming. Land Use Policy, 28(4), 639-648. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2011.01.008 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

21. Wang, N., Zhu, L., Yuanhao, B., Chen, L. & Fei, S. (2021). Assessment of urban agriculture for evidence-based food planning: A case study of Chengdu, China. Sustainability 13(6): 3234. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

22. Zezza, A. & Tasciotti, L. (2010). Urban agriculture, poverty and food security: Empirical evidence from a sample of developing countries. Food Policy 2010, 35, 265-273. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

• Breeding for a Greener Future: Selective Breeding and Crossbreeding Approaches to Minimize Methane Emissions in Ruminant Livestock
• Determinants of Adoption of Post-Harvest Losses Prevention Techniques among Banana/Plantain Marketers in Lagos State, Nigeria
• Enhancing Rice Yield Prediction Using UAV-Based Multispectral Imaging and Machine Learning Algorithms
• Seed-Borne Fungi of Groundnuts (Arachis Hypogaea) and Their Management with Ginger (Zingiber Officinale) Extract In Makurdi, Nigeria
• The Influence of Landforms and Slope on Agricultural Cropping Patterns in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar District