ABSTRACT
Chapter 3 provides case study detail; it introduces the urban agriculture initiative “Kos en Fynbos” in George, South Africa, particularly members’ socio-economic backgrounds, different types of urban agriculture, and the organisational structure. Vital food production on empty plots, gardening in backyards and in tiny door gardens, food cultivation on hospital grounds, and farming at the urban outskirts show that members are more than passive dwellers and benefit from joint interventions, for instance in knowledge sharing. The initial mobilisation of the group illuminates inequalities and negative impacts of the commercialised agri-food system on the ground. The realities of the food producers mirror diverse conditions of exclusion, for instance un(der)employment and decreasing availability of healthy food. At the same time, it is evident that the rise in supermarkets in low-income areas does not necessarily meet the needs of poor dwellers. Specifically, informal structures still play a considerable role in food provision. These details are framed by the notion of “exposing” inequalities in everyday life. Basically, this chapter sketches out the so-called perceived space. A key message is that agrarian livelihoods are still important despite the overall decline of small-scale farming in South Africa and beyond.
