Demonstrates the intimate relationship between biological diversity and cultural diversity. The 15 contributors look at experimentation using crops such as rice, maize, beans and root crops, illustrated by case studies from India, Nepal and Nigeria among others. There are also studies of water harvesting in the Sudan and of the home gardens in South India.;The findings of this study show: farmers do experiment; farmers know their local environments intimately, and their experiments are usually site-specific; farmers have a close and detailed knowledge of local cultivators, and are well aware of the need to promote biological diversity; the experiments underlie the imporatnce of "in situ" conservation, including the protection of wild plants; and any attempts of local conservation of natural resources should involve the local inhabitants.;This collection emphasizes the importance of cultural factors and will contribute to the debate about biological diversity.

Over the past two decades, how has urban agriculture changed in sub-Saharan Africa? Is city farming now better integrated into environmental management and city governance? And, looking ahead, how might urban agriculture address the needs of the low-income households and modernizing cities of Africa? In this book, leading specialists in the fields of urban agriculture and urban environment present a unique collection of case studies that examines the growing role of local food production in urban livelihoods in sub-Saharan Africa. Amongst many issues, the authors probe the changing role of urban agriculture, the risks and benefits of crop-livestock systems, and the opportunities for making locally produced food more easily available and more profitable. Concluding chapters reflect on the policy and governance implications of greater integration of urban natural resources and the built environment, an expanded role for urban agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa and the crucial role of women in urban food systems. "African Urban Harvest" will be of interest to decision-makers, development professionals, researchers, academics, and students and educators in urban planning, development studies, African studies, and environmental studies.