urban and peri-urban agriculture as a poverty alleviation startegy amongst low income households

230 Pages·2010·0.59 MB·English

by  Larry Onyango

URBAN AND PERI-URBAN AGRICULTURE AS A POVERTY
ALLEVIATION STRATEGY AMONG LOW INCOME HOUSEHOLDS:
THE CASE OF ORANGE FARM, SOUTH JOHANNESBURG

by

CALORY LARR ONYANGO

submitted in accordance with the requirements
for the degree of

MASTER OF ARTS

in the subject

DEVELOPMENT STUDIES

at the

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA

SUPERVISOR: MRS. A. LIEBENBERG

JANUARY 2010
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DECLARATION

Student Number 3581-662-7

I declare that URBAN AND PERI-URBAN AGRICULTURE AS A POVERTY
ALLEVIATION STRATEGY AMONG LOW INCOME HOUSEHOLDS: THE
CASE OF ORANGE FARM, SOUTH JOHANNESBURG is my own work and
that all the sources that have been used or quoted from have been acknowledged
by means of complete references.

Signature …………………………….
(Mr. C.L. Onyango)

Date ……………………………..
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DEDICATION

This dissertation is dedicated to my son
Michael Cyril Wandanje Onyango,
and my late father
Michael Obinya Wandanje Onyango
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

It gives me great pleasure to thank a number of people without whom this
dissertation would not have been completed. I wish to give special thanks to my
supervisor Mrs. Anso Liebenberg for her guidance, moral support and valuable
contribution during the preparation of this dissertation.

I also wish to thank Ms. Parks Baxolile Ngadlela for her never ending support and
encouragement, and standing by me when times were tough. Thank you for
believing in me. I am also thankful to Maiko, Christopher, Sylvester and Michelle
for their moral support. I am extremely grateful to Esther Amimo, Jeff, and
Blessing for instilling the vision for graduate work in me.

I owe a debt of gratitude to Dr. Bruno Pauly and the Rainbow Children’s Fund for
the financial support extended to me throughout my postgraduate studies. Thank
you so much and may God bless you. The help of various other people that I met
in the course of the research, including my research assistants is greatly
acknowledged. Siyabulela kakhulu.
Larr Onyango
Ennerdale, January 2010.
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ABSTRACT

Urban and peri-urban agriculture is a strategy that can be adapted by low income
households in Orange Farm to meet their food and nutritional requirements. The practice
is a basis upon which poor families can enhance their incomes by producing part of their
food needs, hence saving money for use on other livelihood obligations. This dissertation
discusses the importance of urban and peri-urban agriculture as a method easily available
to low income families residing in informal settlements to access food and incomes.
Urban agriculture is examined in the context of poverty alleviation. A descriptive and
quantitative assessment of the salient variables of the practice in the area is attempted in
order to give an insight of the potential role the sector can play in eliminating poverty,
enhancing incomes and creating employment. The study shows that participation in urban
farming can impact significantly on poverty conditions and improve livelihoods.

KEY TERMS

Urban agriculture, urban farming, urban food systems, Food security, food coping
strategies, poverty, poverty alleviation, sustainable livelihoods, informal sector,
income generation, empowerment, employment, employment creation,
unemployment, South Africa, Orange Farm
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CONTENTS

DECLARATION ……………………………………………...……………………I
DEDICATION …….…………………………………………...………………..II
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT…………….......……………………………..………… …III
ABSTRACT ………….……………………………………………….……….…….IV
KEY TERMS…………………..……………………………………….……..…...…..IV
TABLE OF CONTENTS ………………………………………………………………V
LIST OF TABLES…………………………………………………….….……….……X
LIST OF FIGURES……………………….……………………………..……………XII
LIST OF PLATES ……………………………………………………………..….….XII
ACRONYMS……………………………………………………..………………….XIII

CHAPTER I PROBLEMS, AIMS AND DESIGN OF THE RESEARCH…………...1
1.1 Poverty and food – a broad overview…………….……………………….……..….1
1.2 Analysis and statement of the problem……………………….……………………..9
1.3 Aims of the research………………………………………….…………………....12
1.4 The methodology and research process followed…………..……………….……..14
1.4.1 Fieldwork and data collection………..…………….…….………...…………..14
1.4.2 Ethical issues ………………………………………………………………….19
1.4.3 Identification and choice of the study area………………...……………..……...20
1.4.4 Sampling and quantitative data analysis…………….…………….…….………21
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1.4.5 Qualitative data analysis……………………..………………….……….………24
1.5 Justification of the study…………………………………………………….……..26
1.6 Scope and limitations of the study…………………………..…………………….28
1.7 Layout of the dissertation………………………………………………………….31

CHAPTER II THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK AND REVIEW OF
LITERATURE…………………………………………………………………………32
2.1 Introduction………………………………………………………………………...32
2.2 Need for and definition of urban agriculture…………………………………...….32
2.3 Urban agriculture as a livelihood strategy……………………………………...….39
2.3.1 Modernization Theory, New Marxist Theory and urban agriculture...…..41
2.4 Theoretical framework……………………………………………...……………...46
2.4.1 Sustainable development, poverty and urban agriculture………………..46
2.4.2 The ecosystem approach to urban agriculture………………………..….52
2.4.3 Conditions for a successful urban agriculture strategy……….…….…...59
2.5 Interlinkages between poverty and food……………….……………….………….64
2.6 Participation in urban agriculture………………………..…….…………………...70
2.7 Conclusion……………………………………….………………………………...76

CHAPTER III THE RESEARCH CONTEXT IN ORANGE FARM………..…..77
3.1 Introduction…………………………………………………………………..…….77
3.2 Background and socio-economic environment of Orange Farm……………….….78
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3.3 Education in Orange Farm………………………………………….……………...85
3.4 Actual and potential economic activities in Orange Farm………….………….…..88
3.5 The physical environment of Orange Farm………………………….…………….98
3.6 Land use and land tenure in Orange Farm………………………………………..100
3.7 Knowledge and perception of farming amongst Orange Farm dwellers….…...…102
3.8 Conclusion………………….……………………………………………………107

CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS OF FINDINGS: THE PRACTICE OF URBAN AND
PERI-URBAN AGRICULTURE IN ORANGE FARM……………………….……108
4.1 Introduction…………………………………………………………………..…..108
4.2 Quantitative analysis of urban agriculture in Orange Farm ………….………….109
4.2.1 Practitioners of urban agriculture in Orange Farm…………….….…...110
4.2.1.1 Origin and length of stay of respondents………………………….…111
4.2.1.2 Size of household………………………………………….…………115
4.2.1.3 Gender and urban agriculture…………………………………….…..119
4.2.1.4 Education and urban agriculture in Orange Farm……………………122
4.2.1.5 Age distribution of urban farmers……………………………….…...125
4.2.1.6 Employment, incomes and urban agriculture………………………...129
4.2.3 Food coping strategies adopted by Orange Farm residents…….………137
4.3 Extent and practice of urban agriculture in Orange Farm…………….……….....141
4.3.1 Reasons for urban farming in Orange Farm……………….……….......141
4.3.2 Reasons for not engaging in urban agriculture……………..…………..145
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4.3.4 Area and size of cultivation…………………….……………………....147
4.3.5 Crops grown and reasons for cultivating them…………………..…….151
4.3.6 Animal husbandry as an aspect of urban agriculture in Orange Farm…155
4.4 Inputs……………………………………………………………………………...158
4.5 Output………………………………………………………….…………………161
4.6 Time expended on urban agriculture………………………………………….….164
4.7 Source of knowledge about farming……………………………………………..166
4.8 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………….167

CHAPTER V THE POTENTIAL OF URBAN AGRICULTURE AS A
LIVELIHOOD STRATEGY IN ORANGE FARM………………………………...169
5.1 Introduction……………………………………………………………………...169
5.2 Factors encouraging urban agriculture in the study area………………………..169
5.3 Factors constraining urban agriculture in Orange Farm…………………………172
5.4 Institutions and their role in urban and peri urban agriculture in Orange Farm…174
5.5 The potential of urban agriculture in improving living standards in the study
area…………………………………………………………………………………...176
A case study of an Orange Farm urban farmer – Mr. Jacob ‘Conti’ Mavimbela…....180
5.6 Linkages among various stakeholders involved in poverty alleviation in Orange
Farm……………………………………………………………………….……….....183
5.7 Conclusion…………………………………………………………….………….184
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CHAPTER VI SUMMARY, FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND
RECOMMENDATIONS……………………………………….……………………185
6.1 Executive summary………………………………………………………………185
6.2 Findings and discussions………………………………………………….……...189
6.3 Conclusion…………………………………………………….………………….195
6.4 Recommendations… ………………………………………….…………………196
Bibliography………………………………………………………………………....199
Annexure 1- The survey questionnaire used…………………………………………210
Annexure 2- Map of the study area…………………………………………………..216