The potential of urban agriculture towards a more sustainable urban food system in food-insecure neighbourhoods in Cape Town and Maputo

Journal title ECONOMIA AGRO-ALIMENTARE
Author/s Nicole Paganini, Stefanie Lemke, Ines Raimundo
Publishing Year 2019 Issue 2018/3
Language English Pages 23 P. 401-423 File size 281 KB
DOI 10.3280/ECAG2018-003008
DOI is like a bar code for intellectual property: to have more infomation click here

Below, you can see the article first page

If you want to buy this article in PDF format, you can do it, following the instructions to buy download credits

Article preview

FrancoAngeli is member of Publishers International Linking Association, Inc (PILA), a not-for-profit association which run the CrossRef service enabling links to and from online scholarly content.

Sub-Saharan Africa is one of the most rapidly urbanising regions in the world. Achieving food and nutrition security is not only a rural challenge; the access to adequate (in terms of quantity and quality), healthy, nutritious and affordable food is also a growing concern for urban areas. The debate on the contribution of urban agriculture to food and nutrition security is however controversial. Based on a food systems approach, which includes the ‘farm-to-fork’ processes, pathways and dynamics between interlinked actors who are embedded in a spatial context, this research explores the potential of urban agriculture in two cities, Cape Town in South Africa and Maputo in Mozambique. First results of two baseline surveys amongst urban farmers in both cities, as well as qualitative indepth interviews, show that urban farmers and home gardeners add nutrients and diversity to their diets, and can partly contribute to their income. Farmers value social benefits like urban greening, community building and empowerment. In Cape Town, main challenges are access to local and external markets, fair pricing and sovereignty in production. In Maputo, adaptation to more agroecological production techniques, combined with a more diverse production, could reduce farmers’ main challenges, such as pest pressure, and increase income and diversify diets. Foremost, urban agriculture needs to be embedded in the wider urban food system and urban planning in order to contribute towards more sustainable food systems.

Keywords: Food and nutrition security, urban agriculture, urban food systems, agroecology

Jel codes: L66, Q01, Q18

  1. Battersby, J., & Watson, V. (2018). Urban food systems governance and poverty in African cities. Oxon.
  2. Battersby, J., & Haysom, G. (2016). Africa’s urban food and nutrition transition: A call to action, Consuming Urban Poverty Project Working Paper No. 1, African Centre for Cities, Cape Town.
  3. Battersby, J. (2016). MDGs to sdgs – new goals, same gaps: the continued absence of urban food security in the post-2015 global development agenda. African Geographical Review, 36(1), 115-129. DOI: 10.1080/19376812.2016.1208769
  4. Battersby, J., Marshak, M., & Mngqibisa, N. (2016). Mapping the Informal Food Economy in Cape Town, South Africa (rep., pp. 1-22).
  5. Battersby, J., & Peyton, S. (2014). The geography of supermarkets in Cape Town: Supermarket expansion and food access. Urban Forum, 25(2), 153-164.
  6. Battersby, J. (2011). The State of Urban Food Insecurity in Cape Town. Urban Food Security Series No. 11. Queen’s University and afsun. Kingston and Cape Town. Committee on World Food Security (2017). Global Strategic Framework for Food Security and Nutrition. -- www.fao.org/cfs/home/products/en/Downloaded November 2018.
  7. Chikanda, A., & Raimundo, I. (2016). The urban food system of Maputo, Mozambique. Hungry Cities Report No.2. Cape Town.
  8. Crush, J., & Rilay, L. (2018). Rural bias and urban food security. In: Urban Food Systems Governance and Poverty in African Cities.
  9. Oxon Crush, J., Hovorka, A., & Tevera, D. (2011). Food security in Southern African cities. The place of urban agriculture. Progress in Development Studies, 11(4), 285-305. DOI: 10.1177/2F146499341001100402
  10. Duchemin, E., Wegmuller, F., & Legault, A.-M. (2008). Urban agriculture: multidimensional tools for social development in poor neighborhoods. In: Fields Action Science Report. -- Downloaded: http://factsreports.revues.org/113 (last: August 2018).
  11. Ericksen, P.J. (2008). Conceptualizing food systems for global environmental change research. Global Environmental Change, 18(1), 234-245.
  12. fao (Food and Agriculture Organization) (2017). Profitability and sustainability of urban and peri-urban agriculture. Rome.
  13. Greenberg, S. (2017). Corporate power in the agro-food system and the consumer food environment in South Africa. The Journal of Peasant Studies, 44(2), 467-496. DOI: 10.1080/03066150.2016.1259223
  14. Harrison, K. (2018). Building the City of Cape Town’s Resilience and Adding to Regional Competitiveness Philippi Horticultural Area: Socio-Economic Agricultural Plan. Cape Town.
  15. Haysom, G., Crush, J., & Caesar, M. (2017). The Urban Food System of Cape Town, South Africa. Hungry Cities Report No.3.
  16. Cape Town Joao, E. (2018). Agricultura Urbana e Peri-Urbana na Cidade de Maputo: Atribuicoes, Desafios, Perspectivas. Presentation, 25.07.2018, Maputo.
  17. Kuhn, A., & Paganini, N. (2018). urbanGAPs Cape Town edition on vegetables. Berlin.
  18. Mazuze, A. (2016). Transicao Agraria e Transformacoes Sociais Locais nos Paises em Vias de Desenvolvimento: O Caso do Projecto wambao no Distrito de Xai-Xai, 2012-2014, Universidade Pedagogica, Mestrado em Ciencias Politicas e Estudos Africanos. Unpublished MA dissertation, Maputo.
  19. McCordic, C. (2016). Urban Infrastructure and Household Vulnerability to Food Insecurity in Maputo. Mozambique. Waterloo.
  20. Mougeot, L. (2001). Urban Agriculture: Definition, Presence, Potentials and Risks. RUAF Thematic Paper 01. -- www.ruaf.org/sites/default/files/Theme1_1_1.PDF Downloaded: September 2018.
  21. Oxfam International (2014) Hidden Hunger in South Africa. -- www.oxfam.org/sites/www.oxfam.org/files/file_attachments/hidden_hunger_in_south_africa_0.pdf. Downloaded: November 2018.
  22. Paganini, N., & Schelchen, A. (2018). Urban Agriculture in Cape Town and Maputo. Urban Agriculture’s role for Sustainable Urban Food Systems – a regional characterization and early evidence. SLE Briefing Paper 01/2018. Pereira, L., & Drimie, S. (2016). Governance Arrangements for the Future Food System: Addressing Complexity in South Africa. Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development, 58(4), 18-31. DOI: 10.1080/00139157.2016.1186438
  23. Raimundo, I., Crush, J., & Pendleton, W. (2014) The State of Food Insecurity in Maputo, Mozambique (rep., pp. i-38). Kingston and Cape Town: African Food Security Urban Network. Urban Food Security Series No. 20.
  24. Reisig, V., & Hobbis, A. (2000) Food deserts and how to tackle them: A study of one city’s approach. Health Education Journal, 59(2), 137-149. DOI: 10.1177/001789690005900203
  25. Sitoe, T.A. (2010). Diversificacao produtiva e de atividades de geracao de renda: Uma analise da producao horticola nocinturao verde da cidade de Maputo - Regiao sul de Mocambique. Porto Alegre.
  26. Todes, A., Kok, P., Wentzel, M., Van Zyl, J., & Cross, C. (2010). Contemporary South African urbanization dynamics, Urban Forum, 21(3), 331-348.
  27. Toriro, P. (2018). Urban food production in Harare, Zimbabwe. In Battersby, J.& Watson, V. (2018). Urban food systems governance and poverty in African cities. S.154-166.
  28. Tornaghi, C. (2014). Critical geography of urban agriculture. Progress in Human Geography, 38(4), 551-567. DOI: 10.1177/0309132513512542
  29. UN-Habitat (2014). The state of African cities. Re-imagine sustainable urban transition. Nairobi.
  30. Warren, E., Hawkesworth, S., & Knai, C. (2015). Investigating the association between urban agriculture and food security, dietary diversity, and nutritional status: A systematic literature review. Food Policy, 53, 54-66.
  31. Zezza, A., & Tasciotti, L. (2010). Urban agriculture, poverty, and food security: Empirical evidence from a sample of developing countries. Food Policy, 35, 265-273.

  • Diversity of food systems for securing future food availability Catherine Macombe, in ECONOMIA AGRO-ALIMENTARE 3/2019 pp.351
    DOI: 10.3280/ECAG2018-003006
  • Roots of resilience: a qualitative exploration of youth driven community food gardens in Cape Town, South Africa Tinashe P. Kanosvamhira, in Qualitative Research Journal /2024
    DOI: 10.1108/QRJ-05-2024-0108
  • “There is food we deserve, and there is food we do not deserve” Food injustice, place and power in urban agriculture in Cape Town and Maputo Nicole Paganini, Stefanie Lemke, in Local Environment /2020 pp.1000
    DOI: 10.1080/13549839.2020.1853081
  • How do we get the community gardening?: grassroots perspectives from urban gardeners in Cape Town, South Africa Tinashe P. Kanosvamhira, in Journal of Cultural Geography /2023 pp.47
    DOI: 10.1080/08873631.2023.2187509
  • Farewell Editorial for the Issue 3/2024 Maurizio Canavari, Sedef Akgüngör, Valeria Borsellino, Alessio Cavicchi, Catherine Chan, Alessio Ishizaka, Simona Naspetti, Søren Marcus Pedersen, Stefanella Stranieri, in Economia agro-alimentare 3/2025 pp.7
    DOI: 10.3280/ecag2024oa19047
  • Analysing the contribution of urban agriculture towards urban household food security in informal settlement areas Jan Willem Swanepoel, Johan Adam Van Niekerk, P. Tirivanhu, in Development Southern Africa /2021 pp.785
    DOI: 10.1080/0376835X.2021.1920888
  • Recirculating aquaponics systems: the new era of food production G.C. Modarelli, C. Cirillo, L. Vanacore, A.L. Langellotti, P. Masi, S. De Pascale, Y. Rouphael, in Acta Horticulturae /2022 pp.215
    DOI: 10.17660/ActaHortic.2022.1345.29
  • Growing together: unveiling the potential of school-based community gardens to foster well-being, empowerment, and sustainability Tinashe Paul Kanosvamhira, in Urban Transformations 2/2025
    DOI: 10.1186/s42854-024-00069-z
  • Cultivating communities: Understanding motivations in urban gardening among low-income residents in Cape Town, South Africa Tinashe Kanosvamhira, in Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development /2025 pp.1
    DOI: 10.5304/jafscd.2025.143.021
  • From the researched to co-researchers: including excluded participants in community-led research on urban agriculture in Cape Town Nicole Paganini, Silke Stöber, in The Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension /2021 pp.443
    DOI: 10.1080/1389224X.2021.1873157
  • Guest Editorial Future food availability is not only an agricultural topic, but also a society issue Catherine Macombe, Raymond Auerbach, Andrea Raggi, Roberta Salomone, in ECONOMIA AGRO-ALIMENTARE 3/2019 pp.293
    DOI: 10.3280/ECAG2018-003002
  • Does Food Public Procurement boost Food Democracy? Theories and evidences from some case studies Giampiero Mazzocchi, Davide Marino, in ECONOMIA AGRO-ALIMENTARE 2/2019 pp.379
    DOI: 10.3280/ECAG2019-002011
  • Urban Health Johannes Itai Bhanye, Leemisa Matooane, Abraham Matamanda, Alouis Simbarashe Bhanye, pp.477 (ISBN:9780443219481)

Nicole Paganini, Stefanie Lemke, Ines Raimundo, The potential of urban agriculture towards a more sustainable urban food system in food-insecure neighbourhoods in Cape Town and Maputo in "ECONOMIA AGRO-ALIMENTARE" 3/2018, pp 401-423, DOI: 10.3280/ECAG2018-003008