The Lived Experience of Food Sovereignty: Gender, Indigenous Crops and Small‐Scale Farming in Mtubatuba, South Africa

Abstract

Food sovereignty has become a powerful concept to critique the dominant global food regime. Although it has not taken root in South Africa as fiercely as elsewhere, we use this concept to explore how one small-scale farmer seeks to wean herself from the dominant food system in the small town of Mtubatuba, KwaZulu-Natal. Using ethnographic methods and in-depth interviews about this single intense and extreme case, we explore this farmer's commitment and argue that it constitutes what we call the 'lived experience of food sovereignty'. If food sovereignty is concerned with small-farmer control over decisions about food cultivation, distribution and consumption, we examine this farmer's praxis and explore the obstacles she faces. These include gendered and racialized agrarian questions, land struggles, social reproduction and perceptions of her indigenous crops. We also examine the networks, knowledge, systems and methods that have allowed her to cultivate her self-reliance. We are also indebted to Ms Fakazile Mthethwa for sharing with us her time, knowledge and attention, and we thank Smanga Khumalo, Mohammed Khan, Nokuthula Ngubane and Menzi Bhengu for research assistance. Garrett Graddy-Lovelace provided excellent feedback on an earlier draft. We also thank the anonymous reviewers of this Journal for their comments and suggestions. bs_bs_banner 1 Subsistence agriculture in Mtubatuba, as elsewhere in the rural hinterlands of South Africa, typically refers to agricultural production on small plots of land, usually for domestic consumption and augmenting other sources of food.In fact, what we have seen in this area is that far from indicating self-sufficiency, in many cases subsistence farming means relying on remittances and social grants not only to buy food but also to cover the monetary expenses of farming (such as buying implements, seeds and paying for transport). On the racialized history of subsistence agriculture in this regard, see Bundy (1979) and Mbeki (1964). 2 Imifino is an isiZulu term for edible wild or weedy leafy green vegetables. The term itself is dynamic and subjective and indicates the importance of a plant for the indigenous peoples using the term.

Prospects of orphan crops in climate change

“…Importantly, the significant role played by women in the production and conservation of orphan crops offers opportunities for gender empowerment through their involvement in the food systems (Mabhaudhi et al 2017a, 2019). Promoting gender equality and women empowerment is inextricably linked to the strengthening of sustainable food systems to fight hunger and malnutrition and improving the livelihoods of rural populations (Ngcoya and Kumarakulasingam 2017).…”

The impact of interventions in the global land and agri‐food sectors on Nature’s Contributions to People and the UN Sustainable Development Goals

“…Some of the prominent synergies between response options and SDGs in the literature include positive poverty reduction impacts (SDG 1) from activities like improved water management or better management of supply chains, or positive gender impacts (SDG 5) from livelihood diversification or use of local seeds. For example, women play important roles in preserving and using local seeds, which can empower them to take more active roles in agricultural production (Bezner Kerr, 2013; Ngcoya & Kumarakulasingam, 2017).…”

Small-Scale Agriculture as a Panacea in Enhancing South African Rural Economies

“…Despite the important role of small-scale agriculture in South African rural economies, studies have shown that there are insufficient details and reliable empirical evidence about the existence and operation of small-scale agriculture in rural areas. This includes the shortage of recorded data about the trades, value and volume production of small-scale agriculture in South Africa (Lahiff & Cousins, 2005;Ngcoya & Kumarakulasingam, 2017). Based on the aforementioned circumstances, data pertaining to agriculture is being collected through community surveys by Statistics South Africa, with the intention of understanding the nature of small-scale agricultural practice at the level of households in South Africa.…”