Urban agriculture as a source of social capital in the Cape Flats of Cape Town

ABSTRACT

This paper contributes to the debate on urban agriculture as a source of social capital amongst local communities in African cities through a case-study of Mitchells Plain, a low-income neighborhood in the Cape Flats region of Cape Town, South Africa. A mixed-methods approach, combining a questionnaire survey and in-depth interviews with urban gardeners, as well as interviews with officials was undertaken. The findings show that urban agriculture increases social interaction among urban gardeners and the community. They also show that non-governmental organizations and government actors are crucial in enhancing social interaction within the community. Therefore, these findings have implications for development practitioners who continue supporting and encouraging the uptake of urban agriculture by residents of Mitchells Plain.

KEYWORDS:

• Social capital
• interaction
• urban agriculture
• non-governmental organizations
• Mitchells plain
• Cape Town

Acknowledgments

The researchers express their gratitude to the German Federal Ministry for Agriculture and Food (BLE) and the German Federal Agency for Food and Agriculture (BLE) for financing the UFISAMO (Urban Agriculture for Food Security and Income Generation in South Africa and Mozambique) research project under whose auspices this study was done.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. The apartheid regime created a racially separated society. The term ‘colored’ is used to officially to refer to mixed-race people.

2. WhatsApp Messenger is a messaging service application that allows the sending of text messages, voice calls, images and documents through electronic devices such as mobile phones.

3. Not her real name.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the German Federal Ministry for Agriculture and Food (BLE) and the German Federal Agency for Food and Agriculture (BLE) [2813FSNu13].

Notes on contributors

Tinashe Paul Kanosvamhira

Tinashe Paul Kanosvamhira is a Doctoral researcher at the Department of Geography, Environmental Studies and Tourism, University of the Western Cape.

Daniel Tevera

Daniel Tevera is a Professor of human geography in the Department of Geography, Environmental Studies and Tourism, University of Western Cape in South Africa. His research addresses a broad range of socio-spatial issues in the Global South, including dimensions of urban change and resilience, urban governance, livelihood strategies of the urban poor, urban food security, urban informal spaces and activities and migration.