Healthy food is hard to come by in Cape Town’s poorer areas: how community gardens can fix that
The Cape Flats are one such area, sprawling to the east of central Cape Town.
- The Cape Flats are one such area, sprawling to the east of central Cape Town.
- The area is home to several densely populated townships (low-income public housing estates) such as Khayelitsha, Gugulethu and Langa.
- One way in which these factors affect residents is that it’s difficult to access nutritious food.
- Part of my PhD explored how urban community gardens could be used to improve access to nutritious food on the Cape Flats.
Gardeners’ stories
- Supporting actors help gardeners to develop their skills, as well as providing some of the required equipment.
- For instance, the provincial department of agriculture supports community gardens through the provision of borehole drilling, water tanks and irrigation systems.
- For my research I visited 34 urban community gardens on the Cape Flats.
- The soil was initially poor, so the original team of 12 worked to improve its quality, using compost and manure.
Collaboration is central
- The food should be directed into local markets, community food kitchens, school feeding programmes, and directly to residents.
- This ensures that urban community gardens directly contribute to the well-being and food security of the communities in which they exist.
- It also requires research to understand local consumer perspectives, dietary habits, and challenges in accessing healthy, sustainable food.
Food justice for all
Through sustainable practices and community engagement it is possible to nurture a future in which food justice becomes a reality on the Cape Flats. Food justice is the belief that everyone should have equal access to nutritious, affordable and culturally appropriate food. It emphasises addressing social, economic and environmental factors that contribute to disparities in food access and promoting fairness in the food system.
Tinashe P. Kanosvamhira does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.