Urban and peri-urban agriculture in Sarajevo region: an exploratory study
In 2010, agriculture share in GDP was 8.6% and 19.7% of the total labour force was employed in agriculture. About 39% of the total population is urban. This exploratory study aims at providing an overview of urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) in BiH especially in terms of legal, legislative and regulatory framework, governance and actors as well as the role of extension and advisory services. The paper is based on an extended literature review and on primary information collected by semi-structured interviews, carried out in summer-autumn 2011, with 30 urban gardeners, extension agents, representatives of NGOs and officers in the municipal Departments for Urban Planning and Economy in Sarajevo region. The paper (1) analyses references to UPA in the main agricultural development policies in Bosnia; (2) screens international projects dealing with UPA during the post-war period in Sarajevo region, and promoting and implementing organisations, (3) assesses focus on UPA by extension agents; (4) analyses urban planning and zoning regulations in Trnovo, Istocna Ilidza (IsI), Istocno Novo Sarajevo (INS), Pale, Sokolac, Vlasenica and Milici municipalities; (5) analyses budget dedicated to agriculture in the urban municipalities of IsI and INS; and (6) provides some recommendations for UPA development. Semi-structured interviews focused also on economic, environmental, aesthetical and social (gender, inter-ethnic conciliation and cross-cultural cooperation) benefits of UPA in the post-war Sarajevo and East Sarajevo. UPA can bring about sustainable social, economic and environmental benefits therefore, for insuring its long-term development, legal, legislative and regulatory framework as well as governance should be improved. UPA can not be developed without conducive and enabling land use policies and regulations and frameworks facilitating access to and securing use of urban spaces for agricultural purposes. Governance can be upgraded by designing and implementing strategies and 1585 Journal of Central European Agriculture, 2013, 14(4), p.1585-1597 DOI: 10.5513/JCEA01/14.4.1401