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Beyond food security: women’s experiences of urban agriculture in Cape Town

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  • David W. Olivier

    (University of the Witwatersrand)

  • Lindy Heinecken

    (University of Stellenbosch)

Abstract

Urban agriculture is an important source of food and income throughout Africa. The majority of cultivators on the continent are women who use urban agriculture to provide for their family. Much research on urban agriculture in Africa focuses on the material benefits of urban agriculture for women, but a smaller body of literature considers its social and psychological empowering effects. The present study seeks to contribute to this debate by looking at the ways in which urban agriculture empowers women on the Cape Flats, a region of Cape Town where urban agriculture is supported by nongovernmental organisations (NGOs). Based on interviews with cultivators, the findings show that NGO-run urban agriculture projects not only aid food security, but also help women to develop supportive networks that unlock benefits across the personal, social and economic spectrum.

Suggested Citation

  • David W. Olivier & Lindy Heinecken, 2017. "Beyond food security: women’s experiences of urban agriculture in Cape Town," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 34(3), pages 743-755, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:agrhuv:v:34:y:2017:i:3:d:10.1007_s10460-017-9773-0
    DOI: 10.1007/s10460-017-9773-0
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Shackleton, C.M. & Drescher, A. & Schlesinger, J., 2020. "Urbanisation reshapes gendered engagement in land-based livelihood activities in mid-sized African towns," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 130(C).
    2. Joyashree Roy & Anjal Prakash & Shreya Some & Chandni Singh & Rachel Bezner Kerr & Martina Angela Caretta & Cecilia Conde & Marta Rivera Ferre & Corinne Schuster-Wallace & Maria Cristina Tirado-von de, 2022. "Synergies and trade-offs between climate change adaptation options and gender equality: a review of the global literature," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 9(1), pages 1-13, December.
    3. Iwona Bisaga & Priti Parikh & Claudia Loggia, 2019. "Challenges and Opportunities for Sustainable Urban Farming in South African Low-Income Settlements: A Case Study in Durban," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(20), pages 1-26, October.
    4. Yu Shuai & Chuan-min Shuai & Wen-jing Li & Fu-bin Huang, 2019. "Role of women’s empowerment in improving farmer’s livelihood: empirical evidence from China," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 53(2), pages 621-639, March.
    5. Carolyn Sachs, 2023. "Gender, women and agriculture in Agriculture and Human Values," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 40(1), pages 19-24, March.

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