research took me on walks from house to
house in areas such as Khayelitsha, Lavender
Hill, Vrygrond and Mfuleni – some of Cape
Town’s most resource-constrained areas. The
farmers interviewed increasingly confirmed
that urban agriculture creates valuable social
networks.
Our findings show that social networking
occurs on three levels. These are:
1. creating friendships between neighbours;
2. broadening networks of acquaintance with
other farmers; and
3. improving access to influential contacts in
government, civil society and the market.
This means that urban farmers not only
develop the kinds of friendships they can
draw on during tough times. But they also
develop broader networks with other farmers,
with NGOs, with government and with local
markets that allow them to build a career.
These new findings show that by focusing on
income generation alone, much of the existing
research underestimated urban agriculture’s
potential for building sustainable livelihoods
in poorer areas. The findings prove that even
at a small scale, urban agriculture contributes
to building social networks that provide much-
needed practical and emotional support.
Based on our findings, we believe it is crucial
for development practitioners to understand
urban agriculture holistically, rather than
focusing disproportionately on outputs
or profit margins. Improved collaboration
between NGOs and local government is also
highly recommended to help benefit these
farmers.
There are excellent examples of urban
agriculture on the Cape Flats, and much
potential still exists for this sector to expand
sustainable livelihoods and improve quality of
life, with the right support.
Acknowledgement:
David W. Olivier, Postdoctoral Research
Fellow, Global Change Institute, University
of the Witwatersrand: Urban farming
produces more than food: social networks
are a key spinoff, February 9, 2017.
Originally published in
.
Republished under
Hoe gaan ons ‘n
groeiende bevolking voed?
Biotegnologiese gewasse en die voedsel- en veselprodukte
wat daaruit gekweek word, is van die gewasse wat die
meeste op grootskaal getoets, getipeer en gereguleer word.
Na meer as 20 jaar van produksie en ‘n gesamentlike
2,1 miljard hektaar wêreldwyd, is daar nog geen nadelige
effekte gedokumenteer van die voedsel wat gekweek is van
biotegnologiese gewasse nie. Te danke aan maatskappye
soos Monsanto is ons verseker van veilige, gesonde
voedsel wat volhoubaar geproduseer word.*
* Lees meer oor die veiligheid van GM-gewasse op www.monsanto.com
Monsanto is daartoe verbind om lewens te verbeter deur landbou te verbeter.
Besoek ons verwysingshulpbronne op sosiale media.
Tel: 011 790-8 200 | [email protected]
Monsanto is ’n geregistreerde handelsnaam van Monsanto Technology LLC.
Monsanto Suid-Afrika (Edms) Bpk, Posbus 69933, Bryanston, 2021.
of kontak ons vir verdere verwysings en inligting.