The contribution of community food gardens to food sovereignty in Johannesburg, South Africa: a look at localisation and democratisation

This paper addresses the question of how urban community gardens contribute to food sovereignty. While the concept of food sovereignty was developed by peasant movements to address the injustices in the current globalized industrial food system, it has also come to be applied to urban contexts. This paper focuses on two key elements of food sovereignty, namely food system localization and democratization, while also considering the importance of scale in assessing impacts on food sovereignty. The research was conducted at two case study gardens in socioeconomically deprived areas of Johannesburg, South Africa, with additional research at other gardens around the city. The research found evidence of food system localization at the case study gardens, in the form of face-to-face relationships between customers and farmers; shortened food value chain; and a contribution to the local economy. There is limited evidence of food system democratization at the local level, in terms of increases in food choices and engagement with policy makers. However, this democratization has not been scaled up to regional or national levels. While community food gardens do contribute to food sovereignty in a number of ways, their transformative potential is not being fully realized. In order to transform the food system, additional education and improved networking opportunities will be required so that the impact of food gardens can be enhanced.