De l’agriculture « dans » la ville à l’agriculture « de » la ville de Ouagadougou : une (re)considération pour valoriser un fleuron urbain malmené

Abstract

Urban agriculture (UA) in the South, long analyzed in the light of ideological debates, was generally considered as the “daughter of crisis” or poverty, a survival activity for the “damned” or “losers” of the city. Its place in the city was put to the test, and the activity was abused. Today, studies and researchers recognize certain advantages: providing fresh food, temporary employment, a source of income, an environmental management tool. But does it have a place in the city? This study examines the place of agriculture in urban planning and public policy in the city of Ouagadougou. The study sets out to demonstrate that agriculture is an “overlooked” aspect of urban planning, an urban jewel that is ill-treated and underestimated in urban public policy, yet deserves its place in the urban “body” of Ouagadougou in view of its multifaceted benefits for the city. The research combined an analysis of regulatory texts with quantitative and qualitative surveys of market gardeners and urban planning stakeholders. Data from the field show that in Ouagadougou, while agricultural practices are legion in the urban interstices, agriculture is struggling to be included in urban planning and public policy texts and documents. Admittedly, there have often been “favorable or permissive” measures or attempts to include UA in urban planning instruments, in this case the master development plan for Greater Ouaga (SDAGO), but these have not materialized. And yet, in addition to supplying fresh food, urban agriculture is an essential part of the urban economy. It is a marginalized chain economy in which several players earn their living and survive.

Keywords

• urban planning
• urban agriculture
• urban economy
• territorial economy
• sustainable urban development