Magister Artium - MA / Cape Town has arguably the most diversified urban agriculture sector across the country. Nevertheless, the desired gains of urban agriculture are barely realized. The organization of urban agriculture, specifically the nature in which urban farmers are organized in relation to supporting actors, is identified as a significant factor in influencing the success of the activity. Surprisingly, the literature on the organization of urban farmers and supporting actors in Cape Town is scanty. It is on this basis that this study aimed to investigate the organization of urban farmers and their relationship with supporting actors in Mitchells Plain. Informed by the social capital theory, a case-study approach was employed where both the qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection and analysis were utilized to meet the study objectives. A random sampling technique was used in the selection of the 60 respondents for a questionnaire survey. Purposive sampling was employed to select the key informant respondents which included knowledgeable urban farmers, Non-Governmental Organization officials, a Research official and a Provincial Department of Agriculture official. Secondary data collection was achieved through a systematic review of scholarly literature and policy documents. The statistical software IBM SPSS 25 was employed to process and analyze quantitative data through descriptive and inferential techniques. For qualitative data, thematic analysis was conducted to process the transcribed interviews whilst a hermeneutic approach was used to analyze secondary data. The study findings show that urban farmers are organized into loose and largely fragmented informal networks within Mitchells Plain. Although these forms of networks in their current state are beneficial to household farmers, community farmers require more formal networks to operate optimally and receive resources beyond non-governmental organization assistance. Moreover, the study discovered a lack of meaningful coordination of activities between the supporting actors involved in urban farming initiatives which militate against the success of urban agriculture activities in the community. Consequently, the study recommends that supporting actors need to develop functional partnerships to enhance the impact of urban agriculture activities. Also, community farmers are encouraged to affiliate with formal networks while household farmers simply need to enhance informal networking amongst themselves to improve activity coordination and resource access from supporting actors.

This research project was designed to analyze the relevance of place and the physical environment to the adjustment processes of refugees. This dissertation contains the results of qualitative research with a group of 30 refugee urban farmers living in Salt Lake City, Utah. Seventeen of these individuals—from Burundi, Sudan, Bhutan, the Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Chad, and Cuba—participated in interviews and a photography project focused on their experiences with agriculture in their home countries and since their arrival in Utah. The results of the research show the connection between the refugees’ work as farmers and their sense of place since arriving in the United States. Participants reported material and emotional benefits from their farming work, as well as challenges. The research results also provide insight into the process of cultural hybridization and cross-cultural exchange experienced by the participants. A discussion of some challenges inherent in doing research with refugees is included, and policy implications and suggestions for further research are discussed.

The chosen project originated as a response to humanity’s need to eat, and the agricultural processes necessary to feed the global population. The proposed solution will investigate the connection of physically and meta-physically dissociated elements, in order to create responsive architecture. The aim is to steer away from a mono-functional building and design typologies and to strive towards creating architecture that will address the needs of the public. The chosen project investigates future and current solutions for the production of food in urban environments. The scales of investigation range from microscopic research to the implementation and monitoring of skills transferred into the community. The proposed facility is thus composed out of various different programs, each with its own specific requirements. The composition can broadly be divided into scientific research facilities, a greenhouse complex and a public exhibition centre. It is unnecessary for the pragmatic and complex nature of the building to undermine the spatial expression. In the proposed facility, pragmatic limitations informed the design process, but did not govern the outcome. Instead, the limitations fuelled alternative problem solving, which in turn produced creative solutions. Thus, the building accepts that it is pragmatic in program, and compensates accordingly in order to create inviting spaces for people using the facility on an everyday basis. Copyright / Dissertation (MArch(Prof))--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Architecture / unrestricted

This thesis explores how to overcome barriers to growing food in yards in cities of North America’s Pacific Northwest Coastal Region, to help build towards a more sustainable society. We used a survey and interviews to investigate what barriers prevent people with access to yards from growing food, or prevent them from increasing the amount of food grown in their yards, and how these barriers can be overcome. We also collected data to determine the resource inputs and production and/or financial outputs for three groups of people involved with growing food in yards: Do-it-yourself gardeners, Consultants involved with designing and implementing food gardens, and Commercial Urban Farmers. This allowed us to gain a better understanding of the current reality and identify what role these groups can play in helping to overcome the barriers. Based on our results, we made a list of recommended actions that are tangible, move in the right direction towards sustainability, can act as stepping stones for future improvements, and could provide a positive return on investment, in order to help individuals with access to yards who are interested in growing food overcome the barriers facing them.