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The Role of Urban Agriculture in Enhancing Household Livelihoods in Terms of Food Security

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The Role of Urban Agriculture in Enhancing Household Livelihoods in Terms of Food Security THE ROLE OF URBAN AGRICULTURE IN ENHANCING HOUSEHOLD LIVELIHOODS IN TERMS OF FOOD SECURITY THE CASE OF SOWETO, JOHANNESBURG by ELENI TROUMPOUKI Cover Photo: Farmers posing for a picture in front of their spinach produce in an open space garden, Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa (Photo taken by E. Troumpouki, April 2015). Graduate School of Social Sciences, MSc International Development Studies Master Thesis The role of urban agriculture in enhancing household livelihoods in terms of food security: The case of Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa Name: Eleni Troumpouki Student number: 10701168 E-Mail: [email protected] Year of Studies: 2014-2015 Date of thesis submission: 19 October 2015 Supervisor Dr. Nicky R.M. Pouw Assistant Professor, International Development Studies Graduate School of Social Sciences University of Amsterdam Nieuwe Achtergracht 166 1018 WV Amsterdam The Netherlands Phone: +31(0)20-5254105 E-mail: [email protected] http://home.medewerker.uva.nl/n.r.m.pouw/ Second Reader Dr. Courtney Lake Vegelin Assistant Professor, International Development Studies Graduate School of Social Sciences University of Amsterdam Nieuwe Achtergracht 166 1018 WV Amsterdam The Netherlands Phone: +31(0) 20-5255033 E-mail: [email protected] http://home.medewerker.uva.nl/c.l.vegelin/ Local Supervisor Dr Naudé Malan Senior Lecturer, Development Studies Faculty of Humanities, Department of Anthropology and Development Studies University of Johannesburg Kingsway Campus: D Ring 507 Auckland Park 2006, PO Box 524 Johannesburg South Africa Phone: +27 (0) 11 559 2878 E-mail: [email protected] http://www.uj.ac.za/EN/Faculties/humanities/departments/anthrodev/Development- Studies/Development-Studies-Staff/Pages/DrNaud%C3%A9Malan.aspx To my dad who is a farmer himself, And to all farmers of Soweto who seek better livelihoods. i Acknowledgments This thesis signifies the completion of my master’s in International Development studies at the University of Amsterdam and it gives me great pleasure to thank all the people who have contributed in their own ways for that. First and foremost, I wish to express my sincere appreciation to Dr. Nicky Pouw for her valuable academic guidance from the beginning of this research project. Thank you for your insightful and constructive comments, and for your patience throughout the writing process. It was a privilege and honor for me to have you as a supervisor. This thesis would not have been possible without the assistance of my local supervisor, Dr. Naude Malan, who as an expert made this fieldwork possible in the first place and introduced me to the reality of agriculture in Soweto. I am humbled by your passion and dedication to helping farmers. You are an inspiration. I am grateful to Catherine Hunter who warmly welcomed me in her beloved country and provided incredible amount of support during my stay in Johannesburg. Thank you for opening your heart and doors to me. I cherish what I learnt from you. I would like to thank Prince Cedza Dlamini and his assistant Zulu for their practical support, Shakile, Bongane and Vincent for driving me around Soweto and Richard Devey for helping with the data entry on SPSS. I thank Dr. Courtney Vegelin, for agreeing to act as a second reader and for encouraging me to keep trying during my struggles in the first semester. Also, I acknowledge and thank Dr. Jacobin Olthoff who helped me in successfully completing my degree with an internship variant and was generous enough to give me the opportunity for an extension. I express appreciation to my friends who are scattered around the world, my dear family in NY and all those who believe in me. Special thanks to Foteini, Despoina, Julie, Angela, Athena, Marion, Leticia, Tiffany, Monica and Dimitri who have been my support system during this journey. Lastly, I am indebted to all participants related to this study who gave me their time and input. This research is for the farmers of Soweto and I thank them for sharing their stories and welcoming me in small moments of their lives. They taught me a lot and as I said, I hope that one day I will come back. My deepest gratitude goes to my parents; Panteli and Spiridoula, to my siblings and to my grandparents. I love you. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Dedication ...................................................................................................................................................... i Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................................................... ii Table of Contents ......................................................................................................................................... iii List of Tables ................................................................................................................................................. v List of Figures ............................................................................................................................................... vi List of Photos ................................................................................................................................................ vii List of Abbreviations ................................................................................................................................... viii Abstract .........................................................................................................................................................ix 1.Introduction ............................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Research problem ............................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Research aims and objectives ............................................................................................................. 2 1.3 Thesis outline ...................................................................................................................................... 3 2.Literature Review and Theoretical Framework ....................................................................................... 4 2.1 The concept of food security .............................................................................................................. 4 2.2 Definition of Urban Agriculture........................................................................................................... 6 2.3 Views expressed on Urban Agriculture .............................................................................................. 8 2.4 Motivation for engagement in UA ..................................................................................................... 9 2.5 The Sustainable Livelihoods Approach ............................................................................................. 10 2.5.1 The Sustainable Livelihoods Framework.................................................................................... 11 2.5.2 The Livelihoods Assets Pentagon ............................................................................................... 12 2.6 Transforming Structures and Processes ........................................................................................... 15 2.7 Concluding Remarks .......................................................................................................................... 16 3.Context .................................................................................................................................................... 17 3.1 Overview of South Africa .................................................................................................................. 17 3.2 City’s profile: Johannesburg ............................................................................................................. 20 3.3 Township’s profile: Soweto .............................................................................................................. 21 3.4 Food price crisis and food insecurity ................................................................................................ 23 3.4.1 Reasons that led to food price increase .................................................................................... 23 3.4.2 Impact of high food prices on the developing world ................................................................ 24 3.5 National Policy Context .................................................................................................................... 26 3.6 Concluding Remarks .......................................................................................................................... 28 4.Research Methodology ........................................................................................................................... 29 4.1 Research questions .......................................................................................................................... 29 4.2 Conceptual scheme and operationalization .................................................................................... 30 4.3 Units of analysis and sampling method .......................................................................................... 30 4.4 Research methodology .................................................................................................................... 31 4.5 Research methods
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