Improving people's well-being through urban garden farming

The study seeks to understand the importance and relevance of Urban Agriculture (UA) in the form of urban garden farming for vulnerable groups of people in the city of Bulawayo in Zimbabwe. The study is based on fieldwork which was carried out between June and August 2008 in Bulawayo. This was also the time of political uncertainty in Zimbabwe. The focus of the study is on how urban gardens contribute to livelihoods and well being of the beneficiaries. The thesis employs the capability approach to address the research problem. The study reveals that urban gardens are important in providing livelihoods and improving well-beings in crumbling urban economies such as that of Bulawayo. Capability sets which include food security, income generation, political participation and social capital related are critically discussed exploring their relevance and significance in improving people s lives.One of the important issues in this study has been to acknowledge the diversity that exists amongst people. Even though the capability sets might be the same, they are explored differently by different people depending on external and internal factors affecting an individual.

Autorentext

Mkhokheli Sithole was awarded a BA Honours degree in Geography from University of Zimbabwe. In 2007 he attained an MPhil in Development Studies specialising in Geography from University of Science and Technology(NTNU) Norway. His major interests are in capabilities,livelihood development and GIS application.