Is urban/peri-urban agriculture (UPA) a viable livelihood strategy? Evidence from Ethiopia

The growing of poverty, hunger and lack of formal employment opportunities in the towns has stimulated the development of urban agriculture. Despite the glaring fact that UPA plays indispensible role in the lives of the poor living in all Ethiopian towns (including the capital Addis Ababa), city administrations and policy makers owe little attention to the support of this sub sector. This paper tries to assess the economic/financial sustainability of urban agriculture in central Ethiopia. To achieve the objective a combination of primary and secondary data is used. Primary data is collected from 280 urban and peri-urban vegetable farmers using questionnaires and structured interview specially designed for this study. Assessed from its financial/economic point of view, urban agriculture is a viable livelihood strategy. But it could be more reliable if legal recognition and support is given to the sub sector.