Poverty and sustainable cities in South Africa: The role of urban cultivation

Urban agriculture is increasingly seen as a major means of supplementing incomes in the cities of South Africa. In light of that nation's transition to a non-racial democracy, the particular task of the paper is to review the potential and policy implications of urban agriculture in the context of national initiatives for post-apartheid reconstruction. To reach these objectives, findings of household surveys are presented on the nature, methods and problems of production of groups of urban and peri-urban farmers. Income surveys supplemented by participatory techniques are used to gather further information on the problems faced. These major problems include gaining access to land with secure title for cultivation, finance, machinery, transport, crop security and the need for support services. The policy implications which emerge are then discussed.