Zikhali, Khanyisile2025-11-192025-11-192024https://hdl.handle.net/10566/21427The 21st century cities are faced with water, energy and food resource insecurity, which necessitates the need to build resilient cities. Resource depletion and scarcity are coupled with urbanization, globalization, climate change, and population growth which puts additional pressure on sectors that are already facing unprecedented changes. More and more people in the world are living in water scarce countries, with limited access to sufficient energy resources, and experiencing food security. The water, energy and food nexus (WEF) emerged in 2011 as a framework to help achieve water, energy and food security, while reducing tradeoffs between the three sectors, and further promoting the increase of synergies. The main premise of the water, energy and food nexus is the interconnectedness and interdependence of these sectors on each other. Using this framework will equip countries and communities to manage these resources effectively while preserving them for future generations. The above cited pressures faced by communities necessitates the need to build resilient cities and communities that can withstand the above cited challenges and thrive and continue to provide resources to people. Recent events such as the COVID-19 pandemic revealed the unpreparedness of many countries, and exposed the lack of resilience of crucial sectors, such as food. Millions of people in various communities experienced hunger and food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic, which propelled some people to start backyard farming in order to meet their immediate need of food. The initiative to start backyard gardening revealed the resilience of gardeners as they were able to withstand the harsh effects of the pandemic, such as unemployment and increased food prices. Backyard gardens have long existed; however, little attention and support has been given to backyard gardening as a possible tool to achieve food security and enhance food systems resilience. The small number gardeners that are active in the country and in the City of Cape Town face a huge challenge of lack of adequate land, which limits their prospects of achieving food security and generating an income. This limited access to land has not been adequately addressed in literature and practically through policies. This study aims to close the with one focus group discussion that included 5 participants of Gugulethu Urban Food Forest Initiative. The findings of this study reveal that backyard farming has the potential to contribute to food security; however, it falls short of this due to challenges such as lack of land that limit the quantities of food that can be produced.enUrban AgricultureBackyard farmingWater FoodNexusClimate changeThesis