IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/agrhuv/v34y2017i3d10.1007_s10460-017-9773-0.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

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

Author

Listed:
  • 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
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10460-017-9773-0
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10460-017-9773-0?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Courtney Gallaher & John Kerr & Mary Njenga & Nancy Karanja & Antoinette WinklerPrins, 2013. "Urban agriculture, social capital, and food security in the Kibera slums of Nairobi, Kenya," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 30(3), pages 389-404, September.
    2. Romborah R Simiyu & Dick WJ Foeken, 2014. "Urban crop production and poverty alleviation in Eldoret, Kenya: Implications for policy and gender planning," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 51(12), pages 2613-2628, September.
    3. Martin Dyer & Richard Mills & Beatrice Conradie & Jenifer Piesse, 2015. "Harvest of Hope: The Contribution of Peri-Urban Agriculture in South African Townships," Agrekon, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 54(4), pages 73-86, November.
    4. Rachael Tembo & Johann Louw, 2013. "Conceptualising and implementing two community gardening projects on the Cape Flats, Cape Town," Development Southern Africa, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 30(2), pages 224-237, June.
    5. David McIvor & James Hale, 2015. "Urban agriculture and the prospects for deep democracy," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 32(4), pages 727-741, December.
    6. Nicola Banks & David Hulme, 2012. "The role of NGOs and civil society in development and poverty reduction," Global Development Institute Working Paper Series 17112, GDI, The University of Manchester.
    7. Moser, Caroline O. N., 1998. "The asset vulnerability framework: Reassessing urban poverty reduction strategies," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 26(1), pages 1-19, January.
    8. Woolcock, Michael & Narayan, Deepa, 2000. "Social Capital: Implications for Development Theory, Research, and Policy," The World Bank Research Observer, World Bank, vol. 15(2), pages 225-249, August.
    9. Rachel Slater, 2001. "Urban agriculture, gender and empowerment: An alternative view," Development Southern Africa, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 18(5), pages 635-650.
    10. Alec Thornton & Etienne Nel & Godfrey Hampwaye, 2010. "Cultivating Kaunda's plan for self-sufficiency: Is urban agriculture finally beginning to receive support in Zambia?," Development Southern Africa, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 27(4), pages 613-625.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    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.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Blocker, Christopher P. & Ruth, Julie A. & Sridharan, Srinivas & Beckwith, Colin & Ekici, Ahmet & Goudie-Hutton, Martina & Rosa, José Antonio & Saatcioglu, Bige & Talukdar, Debabrata & Trujillo, Carlo, 2013. "Understanding poverty and promoting poverty alleviation through transformative consumer research," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 66(8), pages 1195-1202.
    2. Leslie Gray & Laureen Elgert & Antoinette WinklerPrins, 2020. "Theorizing urban agriculture: north–south convergence," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 37(3), pages 869-883, September.
    3. Haroon Sseguya & Robert E. Mazur & Cornelia B. Flora, 2018. "Social capital dimensions in household food security interventions: implications for rural Uganda," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 35(1), pages 117-129, March.
    4. Dufhues, Thomas & Buchenrieder, Gertrud & Fischer, Isabel, 2006. "Social capital and rural development: literature review and current state of the art [Sozialkapital und ländliche Entwicklung: Literaturüberblick und gegenwärtiger Stand der Forschung]," IAMO Discussion Papers 96, Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Development in Transition Economies (IAMO).
    5. repec:zbw:iamodp:92017 is not listed on IDEAS
    6. Mawuna Donald Houessou & Mirte van de Louw & Ben G. J. S. Sonneveld, 2020. "What Constraints the Expansion of Urban Agriculture in Benin?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(14), pages 1-16, July.
    7. Bebbington, Anthony & Dharmawan, Leni & Fahmi, Erwin & Guggenheim, Scott, 2006. "Local Capacity, Village Governance, and the Political Economy of Rural Development in Indonesia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 34(11), pages 1958-1976, November.
    8. Stella Nordhagen & Khadidjatou Thiam & Souleymane Sow, 2019. "The sustainability of a nutrition-sensitive agriculture intervention: a case study from urban Senegal," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 11(5), pages 1121-1134, October.
    9. Meheri Tamanna & Md. Kamrul Hasan, 2015. "Life in a Megacity: Livelihood Strategies and Survival Mechanisms of Rickshaw Pullers in Dhaka City," Millennial Asia, , vol. 6(1), pages 44-60, April.
    10. Emmanuel O. Benjamin & Abiola Adegoke & Gertrud R. Buchenrieder, 2024. "The Disenfranchisement of Practitioners and the Public Sector in Innovative Urban Farming in Sub-Saharan Africa: Insights from Nigeria," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-15, July.
    11. Alejandra Marin & Ronald Mitchell & Jae Lee, 2015. "The Vulnerability and Strength Duality in Ethnic Business: A Model of Stakeholder Salience and Social Capital," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 130(2), pages 271-289, August.
    12. Romborah R Simiyu & Dick WJ Foeken, 2014. "Urban crop production and poverty alleviation in Eldoret, Kenya: Implications for policy and gender planning," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 51(12), pages 2613-2628, September.
    13. Toriqul Bashar & Glen Bramley, 2019. "Social capital and neighbourhood cooperation: Implications for development of the urban poor in LDCs," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 56(13), pages 2727-2745, October.
    14. Mogues, Tewodaj & Carter, Michael R., 2003. "Social Capital and Incentive Compatibility: Modelling the Accumulation and Use of Social Collateral," Staff Paper Series 460, University of Wisconsin, Agricultural and Applied Economics.
    15. Dufhues, Thomas & Buchenrieder, Gertrud & Quoc, Hoang Dinh & Munkung, Nuchanata, 2011. "Social capital and loan repayment performance in Southeast Asia," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 40(5), pages 679-691.
    16. Langyintuo, Augustine S. & Mungoma, Catherine, 2008. "The effect of household wealth on the adoption of improved maize varieties in Zambia," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 33(6), pages 550-559, December.
    17. Mahto, Raj V. & Belousova, Olga & Ahluwalia, Saurabh, 2020. "Abundance – A new window on how disruptive innovation occurs," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).
    18. Feyisayo A Odunitan-Wayas & Mieke Faber & Amy E Mendham & Julia H Goedecke & Lisa K Micklesfield & Naomi E Brooks & Dirk L Christensen & Iain J Gallagher & Kathryn H Myburgh & Angus M Hunter & Estelle, 2021. "Food Security, Dietary Intake, and Foodways of Urban Low-Income Older South African Women: An Exploratory Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(8), pages 1-14, April.
    19. Pilar Useche, 2016. "Who Contributes to the Provision of Public Goods at the Community Level? The Case of Potable Water in Ghana," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 34(6), pages 869-888, November.
    20. David W. Olivier, 2018. "A Cropping System for Resource-Constrained Urban Agriculture: Lessons from Cape Town," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-12, December.
    21. Fox, Jonathan A, 2000. "The World Bank and social capital: Lessons from ten rural development projects in the Philippines and Mexico," Center for Global, International and Regional Studies, Working Paper Series qt1vj8v86j, Center for Global, International and Regional Studies, UC Santa Cruz.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:agrhuv:v:34:y:2017:i:3:d:10.1007_s10460-017-9773-0. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.