## 1 Introduction  
Urban agriculture involves crop and livestock production in open areas surrounding and within cities, ranging from small vegetable gardens to activities on community lands [1]. The activities of urban agriculture are threatened by urban growth, especially in developing countries [2, 3], while they assist urban dwellers to help satisfy their food needs [1]. Due to non-recognition by policymakers, little attention and support hinder the realization of the opportunities offered by urban agriculture. Urban agriculture can help curb the effects of food price crises, increase the resilience of some urban poor, and improve their lives [1]. As cities grow, there is a challenging shift from organized to haphazard farming. This is a result of urban farming being either considered illegal or simply caused by a lack of clear policies on how urban farming should be considered. A study by [PERSON] [4] established that urban food production has a significant contribution to household food access and security in Bulawayo townships, thereby improving dietary diversity and nutritional intake. A few farmers who produced surplus traded it in informal township markets, raising income that they could use for other household necessities such as basic medication, transport fares, and other food commodities. In the Harare metropolitan area, a study revealed that maize is the main crop produced during the wet season, while vegetables are produced throughout the year [5]. However, [PERSON] [4] pointed out how urban agriculture's potential was constrained by a complex of factors that include invasion due to the growth of built-up areas, land tenure insecurity, erratic water access, small plot sizes, inadequate capital for optimizing plot productivity, and ambivalent application of urban land-use laws. A similar study by [6] confirmed that urban agriculture contributes significantly to food security in Old Pumula, Bulawayo, but also revealed that urban farmers are faced with severe land shortages and are restricted by by-laws from practicing urban agriculture. Evidently, urban agriculture is valuable enough that trends in production need to be analyzed as cities grow. A number of studies have indicated that cities are growing and increasing so much in developing countries in Africa [7; 8; 9; 10]. The studies have shown a withdrawal of vegetation cover in areas near the peripheries of the cities while the built fabric is expanding. While these Land Use Land Cover (LULC) transitions are evident, little focus has been placed on understanding the implications for urban agriculture, which may have detrimental effects on the quality of life in cities. Although previous studies such as [PERSON] et al. [11], [PERSON] [5], and [PERSON] and [PERSON] [6] stressed the value of urban agriculture in sustaining the lives of citizens, especially the low-income strata, studies that relate the growth of cities to food security in Zimbabwe are scarce. Unfortunately, as most of the planted area is not registered with the municipalities for the purposes of formal agriculture, it is hard to quantify the contribution of urban farming to livelihood and food security in response to city expansion trends. Quantifying the responses of urban farming yields to city growth helps policymakers and other stakeholders, such as development partners, identify mechanisms for ensuring that residents, especially the urban poor, have basic access to food provision. It can also inspire the government and municipality of Harare to craft relevant policies to regularize urban farming and make it a vital component that enhances the food security of the urban poor. Unfortunately, urban farming is not part of urban planning and policy. On the other hand, the growth of cities is concurrent with other growing global challenges, such as increasing pollution levels, which compromise air quality and negatively affect the climate system [12; 13].