Urban Agriculture and Public Administration: Institutional Context and Local Response in Gauteng

For public administrators, urban agriculture is a subject of critical policy debate across the developing world. This paper analyses the institutional context and recent public responses to the state of urban agriculture in Gauteng, South Africa's economic heartland. In policy terms, several supportive initiatives exist in urban areas of Gauteng. Mostly, these policy initiatives are driven by the provincial administration in partnership with other stakeholders, including the tier of local (metropolitan municipality) government. Nevertheless, sub-national initiatives are relatively weak and lack the impact that a national policy for urban agriculture might produce.