Johannesburg Urban Agriculture: Short Food Value Chain Model
Johannesburg, South Africa · Operator: Small-scale farmers and community groups
Overview
Small-scale farmers in Johannesburg practice urban agriculture through direct-to-community short food value chains. Reduces middlemen, improving farmer incomes while enhancing community food access. Represents an 'invisible' but significant local food economy.
Citizen participation
Small-scale farmer and community group-led agriculture using direct sale and short food value chains
Operating model
Local economic circulation through short value chains, combining farmer livelihoods with community food security
Impact
Improved livelihoods for small-scale farmers, strengthened local food security, activated community economy
Land tenure
Diverse tenure arrangements (private land, vacant lots, common land, etc.)
Crops
- vegetables
- fruits
- grains
Scale
Multiple distributed sites across Johannesburg
Sources(2)
This entry is compiled from the public sources, official sites and research below.
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