Gardens in the Johannesburg inner-city : an analysis of the multifunctionality of urban agriculture

Abstract: Since antiquity urban agriculture has had a symbiotic relationship with urban areas and has been part and parcel of the urban ecosystem. With the advent of the events such as the Industrial Revolution and colonialism the relationship between cities and urban agriculture increasingly became opaque and disconnected. In recent decades urban agriculture has gradually come under the spotlight due to rising urban problems such as the urbanisation of poverty and hence food insecurity, global events such as the 2008 global economic downturn and subsequent rising food prices and ensuing riots. The search for solutions to the above-mentioned global problems amongst scholars, policy makers and development practitioners has included urban agriculture as a possible effective solution to, for example, fighting poverty and food insecurity in urban areas. For decades, in developing countries, the practice has been portrayed as an effective livelihood strategy engaged in by the urban poor to supplement income and to increase food in-take to stave off hunger, especially during times of economic crisis. In the recent past proponents of urban agriculture have broadened its role as more than a livelihood strategy, exploring its multifunctional nature, which includes its multiple uses and benefits. Urban agriculture has been linked to benefits such as increased access to quality fresh fruit and vegetables, community revitalisation, improvement in the microclimate and local economic development. Detractors of urban agriculture have stated that the benefits associated with the practice lack adequate empirical evidence to support these assertions...M.A. (Development Studies