The Dar es Salaam Milk System: dynamics of Change and Sustainability

Three major themes in the current discussion of African cities are poverty, the effects of economic structural adjustment programmes and the need for greater sustainability of urban systems. In relation to each of these the potential benefits of increased food production in urban and peri-urban areas have been highlighted. This paper uses the case of milk production and marketing in and around Dar es Salaam, Tanzania to explore the impacts of changing economic and policy contexts on one element of the urban food system. It is concluded that neither the limited number of commercial milk produces in the peri-urban zone nor the recently expanded number of small-scale urban producers are likely to form the basis of a sustainable, locally based milk system for the city. The enthusiasm for sustainable cities, and food production in urban and peri-urban zones to support them, should not be allowed to divert policy and limited investment funds toward agricultural activities and systems which have little long-term comparative advantage.