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The Primacy of Politics in Public Food Security Policies: The Case of Home Gardens

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  • Manrrubio Muñoz-Rodríguez

    (Centro de Investigaciones Económicas, Sociales y Tecnológicas de la Agroindustria y la Agricultura Mundial (CIESTAAM), Universidad Autónoma Chapingo (UACh), Carretera México–Texcoco km. 38.5, Chapingo, Texcoco 56230, Estado de México C.P., Mexico)

  • Claudia Fernández-González

    (Departamento de Agroecología, Universidad Autónoma Chapingo (UACh), Carretera México–Texcoco km. 38.5, Chapingo, Texcoco 56230, Estado de México C.P., Mexico)

  • Norman Aguilar-Gallegos

    (Centro de Investigaciones Económicas, Sociales y Tecnológicas de la Agroindustria y la Agricultura Mundial (CIESTAAM), Universidad Autónoma Chapingo (UACh), Carretera México–Texcoco km. 38.5, Chapingo, Texcoco 56230, Estado de México C.P., Mexico)

  • María Virginia González-Santiago

    (Departamento de Agroecología, Universidad Autónoma Chapingo (UACh), Carretera México–Texcoco km. 38.5, Chapingo, Texcoco 56230, Estado de México C.P., Mexico)

Abstract

Home gardens are often conceived as a panacea to contribute to the problem of food insecurity in poor rural and urban households. However, systematic reviews indicate weak evidence of significant impacts on families. This way, there has been an intense discussion about their effectiveness. This research aims to generate knowledge about the relevance of assuming food production in home gardens as an alternative to the home consumption. Two questions drive this paper: what number of home gardens, supported by three different government programs, persists? Moreover, what factors explain their permanence? Our sample constituted 261 beneficiaries, and the collection of data was through face-to-face field surveys and in situ visits to the vegetable garden granted. We show that less than 7.5% of gardens remain in right conditions after two years of establishment. The pleasure and need to produce, family involvement, urban/rural location, and the technology provided are determining factors for permanence. The results support the argument that the high rate of home gardens that fail is related to the primacy of politics in considering the problem of food security as a “lack of assets” to produce. Thus, this suggests that there is a weak link between the problem, policies, and the politics.

Suggested Citation

  • Manrrubio Muñoz-Rodríguez & Claudia Fernández-González & Norman Aguilar-Gallegos & María Virginia González-Santiago, 2020. "The Primacy of Politics in Public Food Security Policies: The Case of Home Gardens," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-21, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:10:p:4316-:d:362607
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Martina Artmann & Kathrin Specht & Jan Vávra & Marius Rommel, 2021. "Introduction to the Special Issue “A Systemic Perspective on Urban Food Supply: Assessing Different Types of Urban Agriculture”," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-11, March.
    2. Emmanuel O. Benjamin & Oreoluwa Ola & Gertrud R. Buchenrieder, 2022. "Feasibility Study of a Small-Scale Recirculating Aquaculture System for Sustainable (Peri-)Urban Farming in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Nigerian Perspective," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-19, November.
    3. Juan E. Núñez-Ríos & Norman Aguilar-Gallegos & Jacqueline Y. Sánchez-García & Pedro Pablo Cardoso-Castro, 2020. "Systemic Design for Food Self-Sufficiency in Urban Areas," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-25, September.
    4. Lutz Depenbusch & Pepijn Schreinemachers & Stuart Brown & Ralph Roothaert, 2022. "Impact and distributional effects of a home garden and nutrition intervention in Cambodia," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 14(4), pages 865-881, August.
    5. Chethika Gunasiri Wadumestrige Dona & Geetha Mohan & Kensuke Fukushi, 2021. "Promoting Urban Agriculture and Its Opportunities and Challenges—A Global Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-22, August.

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