Vegetable consumption patterns of urban farmers in community gardens in Emfuleni local municipality, Gauteng province of South Africa

Urban Farm DB summary

This quantitative study surveyed vegetable consumption patterns among 254 randomly sampled urban farmers from 30 community gardens (418 registered farmers) across six large townships in Emfuleni Local Municipality, Gauteng province, South Africa. Data were collected via face-to-face semi-structured questionnaires using 24-hour dietary recall and analyzed with SPSS version 23 using descriptive statistics and ordered logistic regression. 96.1% of farmers consumed vegetables as a relish and 93.3% as salad, most often at dinner because farmers were typically present in the gardens during the day. Of 10 independent variables tested, only age group, education level, and main income source showed a statistically significant positive association with consumption patterns. The study recommends incorporating vegetables into all three daily meals and providing education on the importance of vegetable consumption.