The organisation of urban agriculture in Cape Town, South Africa: A social capital perspective

Abstract

This article explores urban agriculture in Cape Town and its organisational forms. Based on a literature review of peerreviewed articles and grey literature, it examines the state of linkages among urban farmers and various supporting organisations of urban agriculture. Moreover, it examines the coordination of activities among key supporting organisations. By analysing the roles of state and non-state actors and linkages, the article discusses implications for the development of urban agriculture. This article suggests that a lack of effective coordination of initiatives among supporting actors presents a significant pitfall in the development of urban agriculture. Furthermore, the failure of farmers to self-organise is identified as equally detrimental. Therefore, it calls for improved synergies between state and non-state actors involved to ensure that the gains of urban agriculture are enhanced.

Resilient Governance Regimes That Support Urban Agriculture in Sub-Saharan Cities: Learning From Local Challenges

“…Tamale (Ghana) Kampala (Uganda) Cape Town (South Africa) Multi-sector approach to Governing Urban Food Systems Sources Bellwood-Howard et al, 2015ain Gyasi et al, 2014Kuusaana and Eledi, 2015;Nchanji et al, 2017;Cabannes and Marocchino, 2018;Edwin et al, 2020Vermeiren et al, 2013Sabiiti et al, 2014;Ministry of Land, Housing Urban Development, 2017;Mugisa et al, 2017;Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), 2019Bidandi and Williams, 2020;Ruhweza, 2020;Mwesigye andBarungi, 2021 Battersby et al, 2011;Battersby and Marshak, 2013;Olivier and Heinecken, 2017;Paganini and Schelchen, 2018;Kanosvamhira, 2019;Crush et al, 2020;Gajjar, 2020;Haysom et al, 2020 Physical conditions…”

“…The first is related to the evolution of policies as the rules in use, which respond to the high levels of income inequality and food and nutritional insecurity in more than 30% of the population. Secondly, for communities that struggle with crime, domestic violence, drug abuse and high levels of unemployment, UA provides a hard to quantify sense of meaning and empowerment beyond ecological and economic benefits (Olivier and Heinecken, 2017;Kanosvamhira, 2019). The attributes of the urban farming community in Cape Town exemplify both their struggles with poverty and food insecurity, and an ability to rise above them, collectively.…”

“…The association of urban farming as a countermeasure against food and nutrition insecurity led to the promulgation of the Food Gardens Policy (FGP) of ( 2013) (Department of Social and Economic Development), in addition to the previous Urban Agriculture Policy (UAP) of 2007 (Department of Agriculture) (Kanosvamhira, 2019).…”

“…The UAP also guides activities where a group of people come together to produce food collectively, such as communities and NGOs. Soil for Life, a significant UA NGO in Cape Town has an official Memorandum of Understanding with the City of Cape Town, enabled by the UAP (Kanosvamhira, 2019). The FGP governs the establishment of sustainable food gardens to achieve food security in low-income areas.…”

Reflecting on the Potential and Limitations of Urban Agriculture as an Urban Greening Tool in South Africa

“…Cape Town has a long history of supporting UA (Rogerson, 2010), and was the first South African city to develop an urban agriculture policy (Olivier and Heinecken, 2017). In this sense, Cape Town is the leading city in South Africa when considering UA initiatives, with ∼6,000 farmers, supported by NGOs, private companies as well as provincial and local government departments, all partnering to facilitate and enhance urban farming projects (Kanosvamhira, 2018). Here, UA is considered a community development initiative to address past economic and social imbalances that still burden the City (Battersby and Marshak, 2013).…”