Building a resilient community food system in South Africa

About the Agroecology Unit of the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality

The Agroecology Unit of eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, established in 2010, was created to drive sustainable agriculture under the broader goals of achieving food sovereignty and fostering a small-scale agriculture sector that enhances health, local economies, and environmental sustainability. Over the past 14 years, the unit aimed to become a knowledge leader and create a comprehensive understanding of systemic food security issues amidst food insecurity and climate change. A successful and sustainable transformation of the local food system relies on strong partnerships between local government, farmers, consumers, and NGOs. By fostering such partnerships, the unit advocates for a bottom-up approach to policy-making, emphasising agroecology and the circular economy. This approach advocates that sustainable food system transformation requires local authorities to engage stakeholders as co-creators of policy and programming rather than relying on top-down national directives. The unit's existing infrastructure, including agricultural hubs and fishponds, serves as a foundation for training and resource centres to enhance food security and integrate agroecological practices into urban policy and planning.

Local context

The eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality is a region with deep socio-economic disparities and a legacy of racial discrimination. Despite being one of South Africa's largest cities, eThekwini faces significant challenges, including high levels of food insecurity and a large population living in informal settlements. The training focused on the Inchanga area of eThekwini, building upon the work of the Woza Nami project, a collaboration between the Southern Africa Food Lab and the Agroecology Unit at the Inchanga Hub. This initiative aimed to support the transition to sustainable agriculture through agroecological practices, targeting small-scale farmers and collectives. To strengthen sustainable agriculture and food security, the unit helps these vulnerable populations through initiatives like communal gardens and semi-commercial farming activities to improve food access in low-income areas. 

The training programme emphasised community mapping and risk assessment to participatory engagement between marginalised groups in eThekwini. These activities were designed to “scale deep” by engaging participants' values, beliefs, and relationships to foster long-lasting change. The training also aimed to influence local food policy development within the municipality, making it a crucial step towards sustainable food systems. The training also addressed gendered differences and intersectionality, aiming to create inclusive strategies that reflect the needs of the most vulnerable populations.

Building capacities for the unit

The 8-month training programme in Inchanga focused on co-generating knowledge and innovative solutions in Food and Nutrition Security (FNS) through a living lab approach, enhancing collaboration among stakeholders. It addressed FNS challenges such as land and water access, climate change, food justice, and gender equity, requiring a holistic understanding that connected various fields of knowledge. The 30 participants included officials, NGOs, cooperative farmer associations, and small-scale farmers, particularly women and youth. 

The training culminated in a final event where participants presented an integrated regional strategic plan attended by government officials, donor agencies, academic partners, and the Seriti Institute. The final presentations highlighted key food system components through stories of change, supporting the holistic approach of the training. A “walking journey” between key sites at the Agroecology Hub built strong relationships among participants, showcased through personal stories and a collaborative atmosphere. This collective, multi-actor approach not only built participants' capacity to address FNS challenges but also laid the groundwork for ongoing collaboration and innovation in the region's food systems.

Key aspects

The training helped the Agroecology Unit of the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality in the following ways:

• Strengthening the expert capacity in the local municipality: Through the project, additional municipal branches were brought in to develop a broader strategy for the Inchanga Hub and the municipality to support local food systems. 
• Building linkages and relationships between government officials, farmers, local NGOs, and other local actors: The project consolidated existing linkages, drawing in a range of actors within the broader metro.

This training was funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs through the Orange Knowledge Programme managed by Nuffic.