Urbanisation and its impact on the use of natural resources in Africa
The aim of the project is to develop research partnerships and training to investigate the impact of urbanization on use of natural resources in selected Africa countries. It covers the following key questions: (i) What is the rate of urbanization around selected African towns and cities? (ii) What is the nature of the periurban environments, and how can they be defined and categorised? (iii) How do peoples’ livelihood strategies change along the rural-urban continuum especially in relation to the use of natural resources, resource niches, urban and periurban agriculture and the use of waste? (iv) How does the abundance, quality, access and supply of natural resources change along the rural-urban continuum? (v) How can planning structures and processes guiding urban development safeguard natural resources as a source of livelihoods within a dynamic urbanisation process? (vi) How can urban planning processes be best equipped to accommodate the temporally and spatially dynamic nature of the urbanization processes and expanding periurban zone. The programme has research sites in Botswana, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, South Africa and Tanzania. Collaborating agencies are Albert Ludwigs-Universität (Germany), Arnold-Berstraesser-Institut (Germany), Rhodes University (SA), Centre National de Recherche Agronomique (Côte d’Ivoire), Université de Bouake (Côte d’Ivoire), Mwenge University College of Education (Tanzania) and the World Vegetable Centre (Tanzania).
Time frame: 2011-2013
Contact: Charlie Shackleton