Rachel Slater

In: UA Magazine 5 - Methodologies for UA research, policy development, planning and implementation

Urban agriculture research in Southern and Eastern Africa has concentrated largely on the use of questionnaires and surveys, usually with a view to understanding the economic benefits accruing to those who practice urban agriculture. For researchers, the focus has been on identifying and analysing the contribution of urban agriculture to income generation, subsistence and food security or on considering its environmental and planning implications. So what are the dynamics behind urban agricultural activity in this context? Why do people living in low-income settlements in Cape Town invest time and money in agriculture in the absence of economic benefits?