Table_1_Unraveling the role of informal mutual aid networks in maintaining urban farms in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo.XLSX

IntroductionThe multiple constraints of urban agriculture have prompted farmers in Lubumbashi to turn to informal mutual aid networks. The survey data collected from 88 farmers chosen at random from the 202 farmers previously interviewed enabled us to decipher the crucial role of mutual aid in maintaining urban farms.MethodsThe survey data collected from 88 farmers chosen at random from the 202 farmers previously interviewed enabled us to decipher the crucial role of mutual aid in maintaining urban farms.ResultsThe results show that 79.5% of the surveyed farmers resort to mutual aid to ensure the vegetable production cycle. More specifically, this mutual aid consists in sharing resources, for which the farmer would interact 15.1 times with other farmers, and in sharing agricultural know-how, for which the farmer would interact 11.6 times with other farmers. Four categories of resources are defined in this mutual aid network: highly exchanged resources with a high exchange intensity (hoes, watering cans, plant protection products and chicken droppings), highly exchanged resources with a low exchange intensity (land capital, spades, and seeds), lowly exchanged resources with a low exchange intensity (motor pumps and buckets) and non-exchanged resources (financing, labor, chemical fertilizers). Agricultural know-how such as soil preparation, soil fertility management, pest control and sales techniques are widely shared. Characteristics such as gender, age, experience, religious affiliation, and farmer status in the household are statistically significant explanatory factors of mutual aid. In addition, neighborhood relations, kinship and religious affiliation are social ties that enable farmers to help each other.DiscussionThe results provide useful information on the crucial role played by informal mutual aid networks in maintaining urban farms in the face of the negative consequences of chaotic urbanisation and climate change. The study recommends that policymakers and agricultural extension services take these networks into account when drawing up policies for disseminating innovations. For, although informal, they constitute powerful and inexpensive channels of communication in an inoperative institutional context of urban agriculture.

引言城市农业的多重约束促使卢本巴希的农民转向非正式互助网络。通过对先前访谈的202位农民中随机选取的88位农民所收集的调查数据，我们得以揭示互助在维持城市农场中的关键作用。
方法通过对先前访谈的202位农民中随机选取的88位农民所收集的调查数据，我们得以揭示互助在维持城市农场中的关键作用。
结果研究结果表明，79.5%的受访农民依赖互助来确保蔬菜生产周期。具体而言，这种互助体现在资源共享上，农民需与其他农民互动15.1次，以及农业技术的共享上，农民需与其他农民互动11.6次。在此互助网络中定义了四类资源：高度交流且交换强度高的资源（铁锹、水壶、植物保护产品和鸡粪），高度交流但交换强度低的资源（土地资本、铁锹和种子），低度交流且交换强度低的资源（汽油泵和桶）以及非交换资源（资金、劳动力和化学肥料）。如土壤准备、土壤肥力管理、病虫害控制和销售技术等农业技术得到广泛共享。性别、年龄、经验、宗教信仰和农民在家庭中的地位等特征是互助的重要统计解释因素。此外，邻里关系、亲属关系和宗教信仰等社会联系是农民相互帮助的社会纽带。
讨论研究结果提供了关于非正式互助网络在应对城市化混乱和气候变化负面后果中维持城市农场所发挥的关键作用的宝贵信息。研究建议政策制定者和农业推广服务在制定传播创新的政策时，应考虑这些网络。因为虽然是非正式的，但在城市农业运作不力的制度环境中，它们构成了强大的且低成本的沟通渠道。