Experience project horticulture in urban and peri-urban FAO on securing access to resources (land and water) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo | L’Expérience du Projet d’Horticulture en Zone Urbaine et Périurbaine de la FAO sur la Sécurisation de l’Accès aux Resources (Terre et Eau) en République Démocratique du Congo

Urban and peri-urban horticulture play key roles in supplying food for cities that are currently undergoing intensified urbanization. But urban and peri-urban horticulture can be carried out only on land with the proper water and agricultural infrastructures. The increasing population in and around large cities accentuates the problem of access to arable land for horticultural activities. An FAO urban and peri-urban horticulture (UPH) project for land tenure security in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DCR) provided for the establishment of a Municipal Committee for Consultation (MCC) at the Municipal Bureau of Horticulture (MBH), whose role it is to involve the various services and expertise required to ensure integrated development of the UPH, as well as to manage the steps necessary for procuring the occupancy of good horticultural land. The MCC includes a technical committee composed of experts from MBH, Land Affairs, Cadastre, Urbanism and Rural Development, which is in charge of studying the available means and opportunities for obtaining the market-gardening areas targeted by the Land Law. This work is then forwarded to the MCC plenary for decision and action. To secure access to water, constraints related to access to water are identified by MBH experts. Feasibility studies are carried out by the National Consultant in rural engineering, and a Memorandum of Understanding is set up in order to allow the implementation of construction of hydro-farm works. Treadle pumps and a drip irrigation system are also used for securing access to water. Securing access to land and water requires the involvement of State agencies to ensure its success. It is therefore necessary to continue to inform politicians so that they may give the requisite attention to the problem of land tenure security, which, if not carefully monitored, discourages large numbers of producers.