Urban Agriculture in South Africa: A Study of the Eastern Cape Province

357 Pages·2012·17.099 MB·English

by  Alexander Counihan Thornton

URBAN AGRICULTURE
IN SOUTH AFRICA
A Study of the Eastern Cape Province
Alexander Counihan Thornton
With a Foreword by
Christian M. Rogerson
The Edwin Mellen Press
Lewiston•Queenston•Lampeter

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Thornton, Alexander Counihan, 1969-
Urban agriculture in South Africa : a study of the Eastern Cape
Province / Alexander Counihan Thornton ; with a foreword by
Christian M. Rogerson.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-0-7734-3039-6 (hardcover)
ISBN-10: 0-7734-3039-3 (hardcover)
1. Urban agriculture--South Africa--Eastern Cape. I. Title.
S494.5.U72T46 2012
635.977096875--dc23
2012028403
hors serie.
A CIP catalog record for this book is available from the British
Library.
Copyright © 2012 Alexander Counihan Thornton
All rights reserved. For information contact
(cid:9)
The Edwin Melle(cid:9)n Press The Edwin Mellen Press
Box 450 (cid:9) Box 67
Lewiston, New Yo(cid:9)rk Queenston, Ontario
USA 14092-0450 CANADA LOS 1 LO
The Edwin Mellen Press, Ltd.
Lampeter, Ceredigion, Wales
UNITED KINGDOM SA48 8LT
Printed in the United States of America

DEDICATION
To Fanny and Jane.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
DEDICATION (cid:9)
TABLE OF CONTENTS (cid:9) vii
LIST OF FIGURES (cid:9) xi
LIST OF PLATES (cid:9) xiii
LIST OF TABLES (cid:9) es,
FOREWORD: Christian M. Rogerson (cid:9) xvii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS (cid:9) xxi
CHAPTER 1: Introduction (cid:9) 1
1.1 Overview (cid:9) 1
1.2 Why Study Urban Agriculture in the Eastern Cape Province? (cid:9) 3
1.3 Global Overview of Urban Agriculture (cid:9) 4
1.4 The South African Context (cid:9) 6
1.5 Apartheid and Self Sufficiency (cid:9) 9
1.6 Relevance of the Study: Urban Agriculture in Sustainable Urban
Development Discourse (cid:9) 11
1.7 Aims, Research Questions & Contribution of the Study (cid:9) 15
1.8 Study Structure (cid:9) 17
CHAPTER 2: Literature Review (cid:9) 19
Introduction (cid:9) 19
2.1 Historical Overview (cid:9) 20
2.2 Contemporary Debates in Defining Urban Agriculture (cid:9) 22
2.3 Urban Agriculture Claims & Criticisms (cid:9) 29
2.4 Theoretical & Conceptual Issues (cid:9) 34
2.4.1 Conceptual Framework (cid:9) 35
2.4.2 Conceptual Considerations (cid:9) 39
2.5 Informalising' Urban Agriculture (cid:9) 45
2.6 The Eco-City: Urban Agriculture in the Developed World (cid:9) 47
2.7 Urban Agriculture Practice in the Developing World & 'Economies in
Transition': The Americas, Asia, Caribbean and Eastern Europe (cid:9) 51
2.8 Characteristics of Urban Agriculture Practitioners in Africa (cid:9) 55
2.9 The South African Context (cid:9) 60
2.9.1 Apartheid (cid:9) 62
viii
2.9.2 The Informal Sector in Contemporary South Africa (cid:9) 66
2.9.3 'Metro-bias' in South African Urban Agriculture Research (cid:9) 69
2.9.4 Partnerships (cid:9) 71
2.9.5 State Responses: Urban Agriculture in Key Policy Documents (cid:9) 72
2.9.6 Prior Urban Agriculture Research in the Eastern Cape Province (cid:9) 76
2.10 Conclusion (cid:9) 78
CHAPTER 3: Methodology (cid:9) 79
Introduction (cid:9) 79
3.1 Methods (cid:9) 80
3.2 Combined Methodological Approach (cid:9) 85
3.3 Unfolding of the Research Schedule (cid:9) 88
3.4 Sample Design and Survey Population (cid:9) 92
3.5 Community-Based Intervention: Purpose, Sample Sites and Sampling
Procedures (cid:9) 94
3.5.1 Grahamstown (cid:9) 94
3.5.2 Peddie (cid:9) 99
3.6 Conclusion (cid:9) 100
CHAPTER 4: Study Area (cid:9) 101
4.1 Grahamstown (cid:9) 101
4.1.1 History (cid:9) 103
4.1.2 Socio-Demographics (cid:9) 107
4.1.3 Potential or Current Organisational/Institutional Support for Urban
Agriculture (cid:9) 110
4.2 Peddie (cid:9) 110
4.2.1 History (cid:9) 113
4.2.2 Socio-Demographics (cid:9) 117
4.2.3 Potential or Current OrganisationaUlnstitutional Support for Urban
Agriculture (cid:9) 120
4.3 Conclusion (cid:9) 121
CHAPTER 5: Preliminary Research Results: Urban Agriculture in the
Past and Present (cid:9) 123
5.1 Results from Archival and Historical Study: Grahamstown and Peddie
(cid:9) 123
5.2 Grahamstown Ground-truthing and Informal Interview Results (cid:9) 127
5.2.1 Geographic Information System Representation of Urban Agriculture
in Grahamstown (cid:9) 129
5.2.2 Urban Agriculture and Rhini's Urban Eco-System (cid:9) 132
5.3 Peddie Ground-truthing and Informal Interview Results (cid:9) 134
5.3.1 Peddie: General Population and Urban Agriculture Data (cid:9) 134
5.3.2 Geographic Information System Representation of Urban Agriculture
in Peddie (cid:9) 135
5.3.3 Urban Agriculture and Peddie's Urban Eco-System (cid:9) 138
5.4 The Role of the Market: Present and Future (cid:9) 139
ix
5.5 Attitudes & Perceptions of Urban Agriculture (cid:9) 140
5.6 Urban Agriculture and the Household Economy (cid:9) 142
5.7 Conclusion (cid:9) 142
CHAPTER 6: Data Results, Analysis & Synthesis (cid:9) 145
6.1 Grahamstown (cid:9) 146
6.2. Respondent Variables: Rhini (cid:9) 147
6.3 Home Gardens (cid:9) 151
6.4 Livestock(cid:9) 153
6.5 Conclusion: Grahamstown Urban Agriculture (cid:9) 154
6.6 Respondent Variables: Peddie (cid:9) 157
6.7 Home Gardens (cid:9) 159
6.8 Livestock (cid:9) 161
6.9 Conclusion: Peddie Urban Agriculture (cid:9) 162
6.10 Synthesis of Characteristics of Eastern Cape Urban Agriculturalists (cid:9) 164
6.11 Poverty Income and Household Size: Nationwide (cid:9) 166
6.12 Significance of Urban Agriculture (cid:9) 169
6.13 Non-urban Agriculture Households (cid:9) 170
6.14 Partnerships (cid:9) 172
6.15 Community-Based Intervention (cid:9) 173
6.15.1 Grahamstown: Water and Soil Analysis (cid:9) 174
6.15.2 Peddie: Market Access (cid:9) 177
6.16 Conclusion: Urban Agriculture Characteristics (cid:9) 181
CHAPTER 7: Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture in Selected Urban
Centres in the Eastern Cape: Final Comparisons, Conclusions and
Recommendations (cid:9) 185
7.1 Urban Agriculture Similarities between the Eastern Cape and other
African Case Studies (cid:9) 186
7.2 Final Comparisons (cid:9) 190
7.3 Theoretical & Methodological Contribution (cid:9) 193
7.4 Research Summary (cid:9) 197
7.5 Recommendations for Urban Planners and for Further Research (cid:9) 202
7.6 Conclusions (cid:9) 206
7.7 Final Synopsis of Research Findings (cid:9) 208
BIBLIOGRAPHY (cid:9) 211
Web Sources (cid:9) 228
Personal Communications (cid:9) 242
APPENDIX 1: Community-Based Intervention (cid:9) 245
Introduction (cid:9) 245
1.1 Details of the Grahamstown Water Analysis Data (cid:9) 245
1.2 Peddie Intervention: The Masizame Community Garden Project: Origins
(cid:9) 250
APPENDIX 2: Questionnaire Survey (Template) (cid:9) 255