Future of Food: Journal on Food

Africa’s future: Demarginalizing urban agriculture in the era of climate change

Bright Nkrumah
University of Kwazulu Natal

Africans are migrating to cities. With the continent’s cities projected to double in population by 2050, the issue of food insecurity in urban areas is increasingly becoming a major concern. To sustain this urban explosion, the question of how to maintain constant food supply to urban residents remains an urgent priority since these locations do not always get access to adequate food. There has, however, been little work on examining urban agriculture (UA) as an alternative means of reducing hunger in Africa, especially in the face of climate change. Some city authorities have argued that UA must be shifted to rural areas since they constitute a public health nuisance. The paper, however, is based on the hypothesis that food production in locations with high demands mitigates against climate change and addresses Africa’s food insecurities by exploiting new avenues for cultivation. To this end, an extensive literature review was conducted, resulting in the identification of different degrees of opposition from policy-makers and urban authorities, who usually underrate the actual contribution and value of UA to urban food security. It is recommended that considering the increasing recognition of urban farming, planners and policymakers must collectively design interventions to enhance urban food production.

 

Keywords : Urban agriculture, climate change, Africa .

Myanmar High School Students’ Perceptions of College and International Readiness in Western Society

Mark Speckien
Louisiana Tech University
Mark Speckien
Louisiana Tech University
International students are more likely to experience mental health issues and increased stress. Mental health is often surrounded by negative societal stigmas that act as barriers to seeking support and tend to lead to greater mental health concerns. International students tend to seek socioemotional support from other international student peers rather than seeking out counseling services. However, this study shows that LGBTQIA+ international students were less likely to seek socioemotional support from other international student peers due to fear of their sexual orientation being discovered and their families finding out about their identity. This study examines how LGBTQIA+ international students talk about their experiences on and off campus in relations to their socioemotional well-being. Specifically, this study sought to better understand the complexities of LGBTQIA+ students’ identities, and the challenges they faced in terms of their socioemotional well-being. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.
Keywords : international students, socioemotional well-being, mental health, identity development, intersectionality, LGBTQIA