Exploring the Association of Urban Agricultural Practices with Farmers’ Psychosocial Well-Being in Dar es Salaam and Greater Lomé: A Perceptual Study

Akuto Konou, Kossiwa Zinsou-Klassou, Victoria M. Mwakalinga, Baraka Jean-Claude Munyaka, Armel Firmin Kemajou Mbianda and Jérôme Chenal
Additional contact information
Kossiwa Zinsou-Klassou: Centre d’Excellence Régional sur les Villes Durables en Afrique (CERViDA—DOUNEDON), University of Lomé, Lomé 01 BP 1515, Togo
Victoria M. Mwakalinga: School of Spatial Planning and Social Sciences, Ardhi University, Observation Hill Plot No. 3, Block L University Road, Dar es Salaam P.O. Box 35176, Tanzania
Baraka Jean-Claude Munyaka: Communauté d’Études pour l’Aménagement du Territoire (CEAT), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
Armel Firmin Kemajou Mbianda: Communauté d’Études pour l’Aménagement du Territoire (CEAT), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
Jérôme Chenal: Communauté d’Études pour l’Aménagement du Territoire (CEAT), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 16, 1-26

Abstract: African urban agriculture (UA) has garnered attention for its contributions to food security and socio-economic improvement. However, its impact on the psychological well-being of farmers has received minimal focus. This study explores the psychosocial effects of UA by surveying 733 farmers in Dar es Salaam and Greater Lomé. Utilizing the Mental Health Continuum–Short Form (MHC-SF) and bespoke questionnaires, our research evaluates the emotional benefits of urban farming. Findings from regression analyses and spatial assessments conducted using Python and QGIS 3.32.2-Lima indicate significant variations in UA-related happiness across different city zones, with peripheral farmers experiencing greater satisfaction than their urban counterparts. Notably, female farmers reported higher levels of happiness, underscoring UA’s potential to empower women. This study advocates for the integration of UA into urban planning frameworks to foster psychologically beneficial urban environments.

Keywords: urban farming; psychological well-being; food security; socio-economic conditions; spatial analysis; gender empowerment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/16/6747/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/16/6747/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:16:p:6747-:d:1451410

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().