Use and users of municipal commonage around three small towns in the Eastern Cape, South Africa

Davenport, N.; Gambiza, James; Shackleton, Charlie M.

doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2010.11.003

Cited by 28 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…These findings point to the intergenerational aspects of the practice and its potential for transmitting cultural traditions and ecological knowledge [11]. Respondents equally grew up in rural and urban environments, tentatively supporting the findings by Mollee et al [24] that a rural background does not necessarily result in higher urban collection events, as has been posited by other researchers [63]. The urban/rural classification method used in this study is approximate and possibly even under-represents urban childhood environments.…”

Section: Who? Urban Foragerssupporting

confidence: 86%

Urban Foraging in Berlin: People, Plants and Practices within the Metropolitan Green Infrastructure

2018

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Gathering wild plants in cities (urban foraging) is likely an important, but understudied human-nature interaction globally. As large European cities are critically understudied in this regard, we performed in-depth ethnography-based interviews in Berlin, Germany, to shed light on the cultural background of foragers, their motivations and which plants and fungi are gathered for which purposes. Results demonstrate multiple uses of 125 taxa, mostly frequently-occurring species but also some Red List species, from a range of formal and informal greenspace types. Both native and non-native species were gathered, with significant differences in use patterns. Use for food was most common, followed by medicinal uses, and personal enjoyment was a frequent motivation, indicating that urban foraging combines provisioning and cultural ecosystem services. Familial and childhood foraging exposure were common, pointing to influences of early-in-life exposure on later-in-life activities and transgenerational aspects of the practice. Results further suggest legacy effects from the post-war and communist eras on foraging knowledge. Although non-commercial foraging is allowed in Berlin, over-harvesting was not evident. Interviews indicate that stewardship of urban biodiversity is common among foragers. Results thus suggest considering urban foraging as a promising vehicle for linking humans with nature when developing a biodiverse urban green infrastructure.

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Section: Who? Urban Foragerssupporting

confidence: 86%

Urban Foraging in Berlin: People, Plants and Practices within the Metropolitan Green Infrastructure

2018

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“…However, own production has been proven to improve food security of poor households in many communities by reducing the dependence on purchased food [11,16,17]. Furthermore, in many South African communities, the collection of wild foods has been noted as an important strategy for households to access food [18][19][20]. Some urban households even grow indigenous or domesticated vegetables for consumption and selling any surplus to alleviate both food insecurity and poverty [21,22].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Voices of the hungry: a qualitative measure of household food access and food insecurity in South Africa

Chakona

Shackleton

2017

Agric & Food Secur

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Background: South Africa is rated a food secure nation, but large numbers of households within the country have inadequate access to nutrient-rich diverse foods. The study sought to investigate households' physical and economic access and availability of food, in relation to local context which influences households' access to and ability to grow food which may affect the dietary quality. We sought to understand self-reported healthy diets, food insecurity from the perspective of people who experienced it, barriers to household food security and perceptions and feelings on food access as well as strategies households use to cope with food shortages and their perceptions on improving household food security.Methods: Focus group discussions were conducted along a rural-urban continuum in three South African towns situated along an agro-ecological gradient. Participants were asked about their knowledge of healthy diets, factors influencing their food consumption, their perceptions regarding food insecurity, barriers to food security, coping strategies and solutions to improve access to nutrient-rich foods.Results: A total of 91 people participated in 11 focus groups, with 76% females. The majority of participants aged between 31 and 50 years. Participants were knowledgeable about healthy diets but had limited access to it hence consumed monotonous diets. The perceptions provided insights into the pressing issues of inadequate access to food, food insecurity, coping strategies and ideas on improving food security. The majority of participants reported on experiencing food insecurity and female-headed households, unemployed and orphaned children were most vulnerable. Focus group participants highlighted the complexity of the food system in their communities which relies on own production, collecting from open spaces, donations and to a larger extent purchase, in the context of unemployment, low income, water and land shortages as well as theft. Conclusion:The results provide a significant contribution from a needs assessment perspective from the communities, identify "hidden" constrains in household food access and provide effective future solutions for improving food security in the communities. Government should assist with capacity building, employment creation and providing resources (especially, land and water) for communities to practise agriculture which they all agreed can improve food security.

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“…A recent random survey in Swiss cities revealed high demand for a range of locally collected NTFPs (Kilchling et al, 2009). Davenport et al (2011) showed that the proportion of urban township households in South Africa using municipal commonage for NTFP collection varied significantly between towns of different sizes, from 27% on the largest town to 70% in the smallest one. While it has been shown that NTFPs contribute a significant proportion of the total income accruing to rural households (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One component of the South African Land Reform Programme (LRP) focuses on promoting access to municipal land by urban residents for farming, grazing and collection of NTFPs (Davenport et al, 2011;Martens, 2011). This land is located at the edge of towns and is owned and managed by the urban municipality.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This current weak understanding and management of the social, economic and ecological role and value of municipal commonage potentially has significant ramifications for both urban poverty and perhaps the sustainability of use of resources harvested by urban dwellers from these commonage areas (Thornton, 2009;Davenport et al, 2011;Martens, 2011). If the urban poor do indeed make extensive use of commonage and its resources, and that such use constitutes a significant proportion of their livelihood activities and incomes, then a strong case can be made to local municipal authorities, as well as the national LRP, for appropriate levels of attention to safeguard or strengthen the benefits that urban commonage provides.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The direct use value of municipal commonage goods and services to urban households in the Eastern Cape, South Africa

2012

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Use and users of municipal commonage around three small towns in the Eastern Cape, South Africa

Cited by 28 publications

References 28 publications

Urban Foraging in Berlin: People, Plants and Practices within the Metropolitan Green Infrastructure

Urban Foraging in Berlin: People, Plants and Practices within the Metropolitan Green Infrastructure

Voices of the hungry: a qualitative measure of household food access and food insecurity in South Africa

The direct use value of municipal commonage goods and services to urban households in the Eastern Cape, South Africa

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