Food security in Southern African cities: the place of urban agriculture

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Date

2011

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Sage Publications

Abstract

Several decades of research on �urban agriculture� have led to markedly different conclusions about the actual and potential role of household food production in African cities. In the context of rapid urbanization, urban agriculture is, once again, being advocated as a means to mitigate the growing food insecurity of the urban poor. This article examines the contemporary importance of household food production in poor urban communities in 11 different Southern African Development Community (SADC) cities. It shows that urban food production is not particularly significant in most communities and that many more households rely on supermarkets and the informal sector to access food. Even fewer households derive income from the sale of produce. This picture varies considerably, however, from city to city, for reasons that require further research and explanation.

Description

Keywords

Food security, Urban agriculture, Urbanization, SADC, Poverty

Citation

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