In the hyper-tech twenty-first century, urban North America is largely a service economy. New York City, for example, is currently dominated by a mix of high-end financial services, technology, and other specialized professions, while lower-skilled work is concentrated in tourism, food delivery, and other service-sector jobs. Manufacturing jobs, where they exist, persist as a legacy of strictly industrial zoning. Agrarian land uses, such as "urban agriculture," are almost non-existent—an esoteric hobby for foodies.
Yet Africa, as I discovered during my year-and-a-half-long journey through the Global South, blends pre-modern and modern economic orders, creating an "agrarian urbanism." Dar es Salaam, Tanzania's largest city, is no less bustling or vibrant than New York, but its sources of economic activity are vastly different. While by no means outdated, agriculture is a driving force of both the city's economy and its daily life.
