A seed is planted: examining urban agricultural hobbyist in Johannesburg during COVID-19
Date
2021
Authors
Kellow, Georgia
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Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to understand how urban agriculture unfolds among suburban
hobbyists in Johannesburg, South Africa. The paper focuses on identity development through
gardening, knowledge production and the use of space.
The paper is designed to have autoethnography, theory and online interview data interwoven
throughout the paper, which was inspired through the pandemic and the lockdown regulations
in South Africa. The research allowed for identifying a group of gardeners who I call ‘Urban
Agricultural Hobbyist’ (UAH) specifically located in suburban Johannesburg. They carry
substantial knowledge of urban agriculture and gardening and allowed for the research to move
away from viewing urban agriculture as only a food security solution and instead as a
knowledge producing space.
Key findings for the research are identifying the UAH group as a category of gardeners. By
doing that I was able to identify three knowledge categories; generational, social/ community
and formal education. This led me to look at how space is used within the garden. I observed
how the gardening changes space and its meaning, this however takes place mainly within the
confines of the garden walls and only faint traces reach out into the suburb itself.
Description
A research report submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts to the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, 2021