Within the estimated total urban population of over 200 million in the region, there are many farmers in and around cities and large towns - in some cities it is estimated that 10 percent or more of the population are engaged in urban agriculture. This farming system is very heterogeneous, encompassing small-scale but capital-intensive, market-oriented, commercial vegetable growing, horticulture, dairy farming and livestock fattening, and part-time farming by the urban poor to cover part of their subsistence requirements. But the level of crop-livestock integration is often low. There are some environmental and food quality concerns associated with urban farming, but overall this is a dynamic farming system that has considerable growth potential.

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