Thursday, 1 march 2007, 4- 5:30pm
Seminar Room, Centre for Innovation, 87 St. David St.
Macarena Drougett, Chile
OPEN AND FREE TO ALL INTERESTED PARTIES
Literature on food insecurity in developing countries indicates that urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA), that is, food production in and around towns and cities, is an important activity in ensuring household nutrition and generating an income. However, there is limited literature of UPA in the context of small towns, where opportunities for employment are more limited than in larger cities. As is in much of the developing world, rural households abandon agri-based livelihoods to seek employment in urban areas. However, a lack of urban-based employment opportunities and housing has led to an increase in urban poverty, informal housing and squatter settlements. This research, set out to identify the scale, location and importance of UPA in two small towns in one of South Africa?s poorest provinces, the Eastern Cape. This research implemented a holistic and participatory research approach, involving various stakeholders including government officials, non-government actors and township residents, in the process of collecting quantitative and qualitative data using various methods.