Agro Housing Development in Arba Minch Ethiopia: A Research Topic On
Agro Housing Development in Arba Minch Ethiopia: A Research Topic On
Agro Housing Development in Arba Minch Ethiopia: A Research Topic On
BY
Yared Tesfaye
RAMITE 1630/09
ADVISOR: Besufkad
In partial fulfillment
The idea behind Agro-Housing is to create a close to home space where families can
produce their own food supply according to their abilities and choices. This will allow the
citizens more independence, freedom, and additional income. Production of food crops to feed a
growing urban population without further damaging environment, and feeding up farmland and
allowing it to return to its ecological setting.
Time is the basic limitation of the research to collect the necessary information from the
farmers in the city
Lack of privets study or research about agro housing in Arba Minch
No budget to achieve the research goal
Understanding
2. Chapter two Literature review
Ethiopia is an old country with a very young population. 45 percent of its 76 million people are
under 15 years. Large families, or rather, large dependency ratios, is closely linked with poverty.
If the dependency ratio increases with one, the probability of falling into poverty increases with
30 percent. Some international aid organizations think population growth will become the most
important challenge for the Ethiopian Government in the future. Life expectancy at birth
It is estimated that 40 percent of the population lives below the national poverty line of USD $ 1
a day, adjusted for purchasing power parity. As much as a third of household spending is non-
monetary; informal trade for goods or services.
One in six Ethiopians live in urban settlements, but the majority of such settlements have no
more than 2 000 inhabitants. Urban centers grow at a faster pace than the national average, 4.1
percent versus 2.7 percent, respectively. The difference of 1.4 percent is thought to be the result
of net migration to urban areas, rather than increased fertility.
Source United Nations Human Settlements Programmed Regional and Technical Cooperation Division
He described the vertical farm as ―the mass cultivation of plant and animal life for commercial
purposes in skyscrapers. Using advanced greenhouse technology such as hydroponics and
aeroponics, the vertical farm could theoretically produce fish, poultry, fruit, and vegetables. The
vertical farm is considered to promote sustainable agricultural practices more than that by
conventional farming, which refers to large scale, outdoor agriculture that embraces systems that
engage heavy irrigation, intensive tillage and excessive use of fertilizers, pesticides, and
herbicides. Environmentalists, urban farmers, architects, agronomists, and public health experts,
among others, have been joining this mini revolution as they partner to work out a way to
salvage a food-scarce, ultra-urbanized future. A wide number of technology experts have
converged on the concept of vertical farming, advancing the fields of robotics, aeroponics,
aquaponics, and hydroponics. Nonprofits organizations (NGO) aiming to promote
environmentalism and local economic prosperity, have been backing the vertical farm concept.
Similarly, for-profit ventures that seek to meet the demand for local produce have supported this
concept. Further, governments looking for ways to boost domestic food security have been
funding these endeavors. Numerous countries including Korea, Japan, China, Germany, the
United Arab Emirates, China, France, India, Sweden, Singapore, and the United States, have
convened to discuss vertical farming. They have repeatedly endorsed the concept as integral to
the long-term sustainability of their cities.
Urban centers in Ethiopia are characterized by small size settlements and the dominance of a
single primate city, the national capital, as the main administrative, economic and financial
center accounting for more than a fifth of the total urban population (Table 3). However, the
number of localities has been increasing rapidly. In 1984, there were about 320 localities with a
population of 2,000 or more but within ten years, it increased by two-third and reached 530 in
1994. In spite of the low level of urbanization, inadequate housing resulting in homelessness or
in overcrowded living arrangements, poor sanitation and shortage of health and educational
services and limited employment opportunities are common features of most urban centers
Analysis of contemporary urban structures has laid the foundations for the development of
various ideas of urban crop cultivation. My work presents the increasingly popular innovative
forms of urban management, which support the cultivation of crops, i.e., green roofs, city farms,
window farms (or window gardens) and vertical gardens.
Green roofs
A green roof means an open area of roof covered with plants. This is one of the world‘s popular
ways of eco-compensation, i.e. investing in a given area in such a way that it increases its
environmental value. It is important that green structures can be implemented not only in the new
investments, but also in the those that already exist. The more popular the green roofs become,
the more diversity in both the plant cover and its purpose can be observed. A widespread type of
green roofs is dedicated to the restoration of a biologically active surface in towns and is usually
not available for use. This is an environmentally useful space which provides a habitat for birds
and other animals (Sznajda-Birnfeld et al., 2012)
Another type of green roofs are intensive green roofs, often referred to as roof gardens as this
name reflects their nature. The roofs are usually flat and resemble standard gardens or farms
(Rabiński, 2011). It is important to build them properly so they can support an additional weight
(up to 1500 kg per m2), so as to be able to cultivate there a wide range of perennials, bushes and
trees and to build additional elements, such as ponds, garden sculptures or garden houses.
Introduction of the elements listed above will need to ensure a proper thickness of a vegetation
layer, which can be up to 125 cm. Food produced on the roof of the workplace or dwelling
houses will be fresher, healthier and cheaper because of, inter alia, the lack of transportation cost
(Kania et al., 2013).
Vertical garden
Currently, the most popular type of unconventional urban farms are vertical gardens, which
support growing of not only perennials and creepers but also bushes on the facades of buildings.
They can be created on both outer and inner walls, in both public space and private houses. The
main advantage of creating the green walls is the functional use of building facades, which
brings benefits to ecology of urban areas as well as their inhabitants (Bribach, 2014).
Vertical gardens are vertical constructions fixed to the wall, made of a lightweight frame
which is mounted on a special fabric supporting plants and preventing the use of an automatic
water spraying system. The purpose of the fabric is to support the roots as well as to maintain an
appropriate amount of moisture and nutritive substances. The implemented watering system to
distributes also a fertilizer which is necessary to nourish the plants. In case the daylight is not
available, it is possible to use artificial light, which helps to locate the green wall inside or in a
shady place (Kania et al., 2013).
City farms
City farms are environment- and agriculture-friendly projects which enable people at all age to
visit a real farm located in the city Centre. They promote the development of wastelands in an
environmentally friendly way, while providing at the same time multiple benefits. Their activity
aims at improving the lifestyle in terms of healthy nutrition, environmental protection and
sustainable development, since the creation of a city farm ensures increased awareness of issues
such as environmental degradation, the use of renewable resources of the Earth and the reduction
of pollution resulting from the wasteful use of natural resources. The main purpose of building a
city farm is to persuade people to live according to nature by practical activities as well as
supporting the strategy of sustainable development and eco-development of urban areas. This
can be achieved through the development of environmentally friendly areas, acceleration of
organic waste recycling, improvement of water management, affecting the climate and biological
diversity of urban wildlife (Palej, 2010).
2.4 Theoretical Framework/Perspectives
Vertical farming is a concept that involves cultivating plants with livestock on vertically inclined
surfaces such as in skyscrapers in urban areas, where there is a lack of available land and space.
It is an agricultural technique involving large-scale food production in high-rise buildings that
enables fast growth and planned production by controlling environmental conditions and nutrient
solutions to crops based on hydroponics using cutting-edge greenhouse methods and
technologies.
2.4.1 Vertical Farming for Sustainable Development
Despommier recognized that current, industrial-based agriculture and land-utilization practices
are not sustainable and cannot be relied upon indefinitely to feed the world ‘s population. The
idea of vertical farming does not rely upon more land and more water in order to be effective. but
simply, it involves the utilization of high-rise, multistoried buildings, coupled with advanced
greenhouse and emerging light-emitting diode (LED) orogenic light-emitting diode (OLED)
technology to produce fruits and vegetables as well as fish, poultry, and small domesticated
animals (Despommier, 2009; Max, 2011).
Cultivating plants and raising fish and small animals in a controlled indoor environment ensures
year-round productivity, thus making production independent of the vagaries of seasonal
growing periods. Production would also be protected from adverse climatic events that normally
reduce yields or completely eliminate productive capacity. Despommier (2007) suggested that
with suitable technology and agro management skill, a vertical farm acre can produce the
equivalent of 4 to 6 soil-based acres. For some crops, especially those that grow in tight clusters
such as strawberries, one vertical farm acre yields the same amount of produce as 30 outdoor
acres. Vertical farms use less water, are less susceptible to diseases and pestilence, and would
need much less agro-mechanization to sustain operation.
A vertical farm would also help alleviate chronic unemployment issues faced in many urban
environments. Aside from offering jobs within the vertical farm infrastructure, additional
ancillary jobs opportunities would result from the incorporation of the farm into the life of the
community. First of all, the farm would need workers to construct and maintain the structure.
The vertical farm would also include a system of grocery stores, organic food markets and
eateries, and local distribution and transportation networks that would offer opportunities for a
variety of other food-service related positions (Despommier, 2009; Hwang, 2010).
2.4.2 Sustainable Urban Agriculture
In the 19th century, British social activist E. Howard designed a new city mode utilizing broad
farmlands to surround the beautiful living environment, putting all what is good offered by the
positive city life together with all the beauty and welfare provided by countryside in order to deal
with the traffic jams, environmental degradation and city disease caused by farmers ‘influx into
the big city. This should be the earliest urban agriculture theory.
Since the 20th century, along with the wide spread of urban agriculture in many developed
countries, research in its theory has been furthering. This article explains the theoretical bases of
urban agriculture mainly from the view of point of economics.
In some cases, it is true that the past is the future. Vertical farming is rooted in the agricultural
practices of the nineteenth century. During World War I and later during World War II, people in
communities were urged and supported by government officials to grow food in whatever spare
land was available in the cities and towns of the nation, as a method of augmenting the scarce
provisions available at that time. The future of sustainable urban agriculture has its roots in the
past.
2.5. Potential and Prospect of Vertical Farming
Vertical Farming can be potentially beneficial in increasing food production, maintaining high
quality and safety and contributing to sustainable urban farming. Well-known advantages of 15
growing food within the urban territory can be beneficial environmentally, socially and
economically. Vertical farms can also provide solutions for increasing food security worldwide.
Fatemeh Kalantari (2017).
Food security has become an increasingly important issue. Demographers anticipate that urban
population will dramatically increase in the coming decades. At the same time, land specialists
(e.g., agronomists, ecologists, and geologists) warn of rising shortages of farmland
(Despommier, D.2014). For these reasons, food demand could exponentially surpass supply,
increase by 40%, exceeding 9 billion people by the year 2050. The UN also projects that 80% of
the world ‘s population will reside in cities by this time. Further, it predicts that by 2050 we will
need 70% more food to meet the demands of 3 billion more inhabitants worldwide united nation
2015). Food prices have already skyrocketed in the past decades, and farmers predict that prices
will increase further as oil costs increase and water, energy, and agricultural resources diminish.
The sprawling fringes of suburban development continue to eat up more and more farmland. On
the other hand, urban agriculture has been facing problems due to land scarcity and high costs.
We desperately need transformative solutions to combat this immense global challenge
(Despommier, D.2014).
The logic of vertical farming is simple: produce more food on less land. The same rationale that
we use to stack homes and offices in limited and expensive land, such as in Hong Kong or
Manhattan, can apply to farming. Proponents of the vertical farm claim that it would create
compact and self-sufficient ecosystems that cover multiple functions, from food production to
waste management.
2.5.2. Climate Change
Ethiopia has already endured 10 major droughts since 1980. For the past four decades, the
average annual temperature in Ethiopia has been increasing by 0.37 degrees C per decade, with
the majority of warming occurring during the second half of the 1990s. Eighty-five per cent of
Ethiopians live in rural areas and most rely on subsistence farming for survival. With increasing
changes to the climate, Ethiopians are struggling to farm. The drought is worsening, and people
are going days without food and water.
(Trócaire) .
It will expose the young generation to the possibility to be responsible for their own health and
well-being by growing their own food.
Agro-housing will create jobs within the neighborhood and will permit more independence to
people.
Rainwater Harvesting – From the roofs and balcony rainwater will be collected for gardening
saving potable water from the city system.
Recycling -The metal structure as well as materials such as aluminum and glass will be recycled
and will reduce the cost of the end of life of the building.
The Agro-Housing project has a minimal footprint in order to free maximum ground surface for
gardening and rainwater harvesting.
Hydroponics is easy and simple way to grow plants, considered by many more advantageous
than the cultivation in soil because it makes possible to give plants maximum levels of the exact
nutrients they need. Precise control of nutrient uptake allows reap higher yields faster.
East Asia, Spain and Israel have increased the implementation of hydroponic farm, while NASA
has developed a research program for a system hydroponic food production to be used in space
missions.
2 Aeroponics
Aeroponics the principle of aeroponics is to grow plants suspended in closed or semi closed
environment by spraying the pant s dangling roots and lower stem with an atomized or sprayed.
Nutrient-rich water solution.
The leaves and crown extend above. The roots of the plant are separated by the plant sup-port
structure often closed call foam is compressed around the lower stem and inserted into an
opening in the aeroponic chamber.
Which decreases labor and expense. For lamer plants trellising is used to suspend the weight of
vegetation and fruit
3 Cacophonic
Dry coconut stands are very rich in nutrients cacophonic is simple methodology of growing
plants in coir. The plant seeds are embedded in to the a pot of full of coir and is water every day
for its growth
4 Aquaponics
Aquaponics refers to any system that combines conventional aqua culture (raising aquatic
animals such as snails, fish, crayfish or prawns in tank)with hydroponic system (cultivating plant
in water ) in a symbiotic environmental in an aquaponic system, water from an aquaculture
system is fed to hydroponic system where the by products are broken down by nitrifying bacteria
initially into nitrites and subsequently in to nitrates which are utilizes by the plant as nutrients
and the water is then recirculated back to the aquaculture system
Trellis
The A-frat-nitriles design was the 11 'St Developed the IKEA innovation lab numerically success
full hydroponic Space10 along-side architects sine land system to exhibit a vertical on mutation.
holmane mads-ulrik nusum. the spherical Varieties of this design consist of pipes •Grow room•
IS a DIY garden
3.14 CONCLUSIONS
In the name of progress, man is turning the world into a fetid and poisonous place (and this
is "anything but" a symbolic picture). It is polluting the air, water, soil, animals and himself,
to the point that it is legitimate to ask whether, In a hundred years, you can still live on earth
-Erich Fromm
We already have the statistics for the future the growth in percentages of pollution,
overpopulation, and desertification The future is already m place
-Gunter Grass
By me the appropriate form for vertical farming can be good solution for these all reviews, for
this as per technology and consideration small multi storey vertical farms are to be built with
hydroponic method in urban areas integrated with other functional space such as office, mixed
use, apartment building and so on.
3 CASESTUDY
In the past few decades, the conservation about urban agriculture and vertical farming has
proliferated and many contemporary architects have started to join in. These precedents may
involve agriculture in architecture at various levels from the scale of a city to a scale of a
single institutional building, but however, an agricultural component Is always Included as
the main conceptual consideration in the design. The followmg studies exhibit how urban
agriculture has been explored and what kind of forms are using for vertical farming.
The environmental situation in China worsens by the day, with billions being spent on
infrastructure and development projects for rapidly urbanizing agricultural land, small scale
towns and villages, The Chinese have no other choice but to urbanize these spaces order to
accommodate the rapidly growing urban population. By 2025, the government of China
passed a rule that involved mandatory displacement of 250 million farmers
and rural dwellers from the country side to the cities. This not only creates housing shortage
but also causes forced lifestyle changes and culture shifts
2.9.3 CONCEPT
The concept of Agro-Housing is a housing program that will allow the formation of a new
social and urban order and that can be replicated as it represents basic human values lost In
the process of modernization and progress Agro-Housing will reduce the need for
commuting and the extra development of the transportation system and it will replace the
urban zoning strategy by more sustainable urban conception.
Irrigation controller
GROWING METHODS
Soil-less material: coco peat, rock wool, volcanic ash, perlite, etc.
Trellis system
CONTROL
•Full range of climate and irrigation controllers, according to one's needs-
ACTIVE VENTILATION/COOLING
•Circulation fans
•Shading/thermal screens
HANGING SYSTEM
•Versatile system fit for a variety of crops and treatments
7 AXONOMETRIC PROGRAM OF
AGRO-HOUSING
WINTER SUN AND AIR VENTILATION SUMMER SUN AND AIR VENTILATION
Planning
Groundfloorplan
3RD FLOOR PLAN
Rooftop plan
South Elevation
2.9.6 AGRO-HOUSING - CONSTRUCTION & MATERIALS
The proposed structure of the building Is composed of metal columns and beams on a grid of
10m x 9m, on top of the corrugated steel sheets, a five-centimeter concrete layer will be applied,
these lightweight steel sheets will be prefabricated and installed onsite. Additionally, the
concrete staircase is stabilizing the building's structure. This prefab steel system will create
flexible spaces in the building and will contribute to the sustainability of the project, In the end
the building's life, it will be easily recycled, Facade - The exterior panels is prefabricated using a
modular grid, The glazed panels have sliding shading in the same dimension. The other panels
on the facade is covered with terracotta tiles, a sustainable material, Materiality - The choice of
materials in the building is consider thermal qualities and abilities to be recycled at the end of the
building. Insulation Using structurally insulated panels to determine the energy efficiency of the
building and reduce texture energy expenses. End of life - A majority of the suggested building
materials: steel, aluminum, and terracotta tiles are recyclable
Chapter three: research materials and methodology
Agro-housing
Data collection
Data analysis
Development of
proto type
No Specific Data need Source of data Data collection Data Present
objective method Analysis
2 ways how agricultural Case study Standard guide line Study project on agro- Analyze and
farms is Incorporated in Literature Recent project in the housing interpret to the
review contacts of the site
to urban housing world and in east Standard book for
vegetable Caracter and
Africa
aria coverage
3 a sustainable systems Literature Basic vertical farming standard and type of Analyze and
and materials for agro review on system vertical farm interpret to the
contacts of the
housing system use in Basic material uses for standard material uses
community
vertical farming for vertical farming
vertical farming
4 develop a prototype Selecting Site analysis Site visit Data interpretation Architectural
soft ware
housing unit for agro- Specific site Internet explore
housing development
The study will carry out in Arba Minch Limat sub city The city was selected for three main
reasons. One, it is the one of largest city in Ethiopia harboring more than 5 % of the total urban
population in the country; thus, it was assumed that it holds many of the urban farmers. Two,
knowing that few researches are done so far in this issue, the study improves knowledge about
the role that urban agriculture plays in the study area and can be one of the baseline references.
And last but not least, it was assumed that research findings have good representing value for
other cities in the country and similar urban areas elsewhere. Use of administrative units was
found to be suitable to select representative study sites within the city. representative sub-city for
the study. Major criteria were presence of urban agriculture office and location of sub-cities.
3.2 Research Approach
Sampling frame is a list or set of directions for identifying all elements in a study population.
Therefore, the sampling frame for this study is the list of local producers of vegetable by
stakeholder in Limat sub-city. The total size of sampling frame in the local producer and land
owner are determined to be identifying sample size of household.
A sample design is a definite plan for obtaining a sample from a given population before data
collection the study will use random sampling method. Random sampling technique was applied
to collect data from the concerned government offices.
3.5.1 Population
The random sampling technique is used to collect data from urban farmers who produce and sold
vegetables in the city. Specifically, urban farmers who produced and sold vegetable in their own
housing unit in Limat sub city.
selecting a sample household from this kebele to providing representative and reliable data;
facilitating revisit or asking supplementary questions about urban agriculture activity and others
relative question around the progress of the work and its difficulty during analysis.
Both types of questioners are use and survey household to address the question so closed ended
and open-ended questionnaire the entire questionnaires will prepare in English and then translate
into Amharic, because Amharic is either the responses’ mother thong language or they can speak
and read without problem.
Data Analysis
data analysis of prototype vertical farming
4.1 INTRODUCTION
Vertical farming has been started in Ethiopia recently it is not practice in most of the urban space
but recently the idea is been followed by the Adiss Ababa city government administration in
order to sustain the food quality and quantity of the city it is not satisfied because of the idea is
new and lack of advanced material it is difficult to introduce the system rapidly white peoples try
to participate in the system there is also mis understanding of the so city that vertical farming is
profitable simultaneal people have no habit of farming .