Asia Tallino Humanities and Social Science
Sustainable Urban Farming Practices in Pikine
Urban Agriculture has been proclaimed around the world in the past few decades as an extremely effective method for not only providing food to a community, but also for providing jobs & more stable income generation. As the majority of the populations in the world are projected to live in cities by 2030, urban agriculture is becoming more recognized for poverty alleviation. However, in many places, such as Pikine, a city in the Dakar region of Senegal, urban farmers are struggling to find the economic support and land they need to continue and expand their production of perishable foods in and near urban areas. This summer I will be conducting independent research while working with urban farmers & members of Provania, a small farmers association, in Pikine. The purpose of this study is to research how current farming methods and possible waste-reuse strategies, such as composting, are managed and/or supported by farmers and municipal policies.
Message To Sponsor
This study will contribute to the movement to gain more knowledge and scholarly evidence on sustainable urban agriculture and its impact; whether that city is abroad, or right here in California. On a more personal level, SURF and the JSB Fund have enabled me to actually do what I'm profoundly interested in and have been working towards. I am so grateful for the amazing opportunity to conduct an independent research project as an undergraduate. I hope to gain experience in different types of urban farming, and to bring back useful practices, ideologies and/or characteristics for urban farming, and in life in general.