Research & reports

Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.

3 results

• Promoting Urban Agriculture for Development: Suggestions for Designing the 'Ideal' Social Enterprise Box Scheme in Cape Town

  2012

  Amy E. Thom, Beatrice Conradie · Open University of Cape Town (University of Cape Town) · South Africa (Cape Town)

  This study, focused on Cape Town, South Africa, proposes social enterprise fresh produce box schemes as a sustainable business opportunity for urban agriculture to contribute to development. The research compared three existing box scheme models, analyzed a consumer survey to explore the consumer market, and investigated poor producers' agency through cross-case analysis. This analysis yields suggestions for key characteristics of an "ideal" social enterprise box scheme that is both financially sustainable and contributes to improvements in poor producers' agency.

  CommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceCSA & Teikei
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• Globally useful conceptions of Alternative Food Networks in the developing south: the case of Johannesburg’s urban food supply system

  2006

  Caryn Abrahams · ERA · South Africa

  This paper reviews existing literature on Alternative Food Networks (AFN), discussing their multifaceted foci. AFNs have been presented as a response to conventional agribusiness or a transition towards an alternative era, encompassing short food supply chains, local food supply systems, direct farm retail, and community-supported agriculture. Defining characteristics of AFNs include "fresh," "diverse," "organic," "small-scale," "local," and "sustainable," which contrast with the "processed," "mass production," and "long food supply chains" of conventional systems.

  Food sovereignty & justiceCSA & TeikeiFood miles & supply chainEconomics
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• Recognizing Ethiopia's urban farmers.

  1993

  Lee M · PubMed · Ethiopia

  In Ethiopia, urban agriculture faces significant challenges due to government disapproval of public land use for farming and difficulty in obtaining credit. A 1983 survey in Addis Ababa found that 17% of 1352 households produced their own food on less than 25 sq. meters, with 90% of non-farmers citing lack of land. Despite urban agricultural cooperatives demonstrating 70% higher member income, their lack of government legalization prevents access to loans for productivity improvement.

  Governance failureCommunityEconomicsPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceHealthWelfareClimate changeUrban–rural linkagePeri-urban agricultureFood educationBiodiversityCompostDIYElderlyFood lossHeirloom & landraceOrganic cyclePollinatorsFood miles & supply chainCSA & TeikeiDigital agriculture
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