Urban community gardening for food security and climate resilience: Perspectives from gardeners in Johannesburg, South Africa

Blessings Masuku; Colleta Gandidzanwa; Blessings Masuku; Colleta Gandidzanwa

doi:10.3934/urs.2026006

Urban Resilience and Sustainability

2026, Volume 4, Issue 2: 86-110. doi: 10.3934/urs.2026006

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Research article

Urban community gardening for food security and climate resilience: Perspectives from gardeners in Johannesburg, South Africa

Blessings Masuku ,
Colleta Gandidzanwa ^,

Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Pretoria, Hatfield 0028, South Africa

Received: 05 February 2026 Revised: 07 May 2026 Accepted: 15 May 2026 Published: 25 May 2026

Rapid, often unplanned urban growth across many African cities compounds a wide array of climate-related and urban vulnerabilities. These include intensified heat, more frequent and severe flooding, scarcity of key resources, soil degradation, drought episodes, and losses in biodiversity. Within this setting, urban agriculture (UA), as one strand of nature-based solutions, is increasingly recognized and promoted for its role in tackling urban problems such as food insecurity and for contributing to urban greening and climate adaptation. In this paper, we examined how household and shared community gardens support food security and bolster climate resilience in underserved urban neighborhoods in Johannesburg, South Africa. Urban farming is argued to have the potential to ease food shortages, improve nutrition, generate income for households engaged in cultivation, and strengthen climate resilience through greening the city. Yet, empirical evidence from Africa that convincingly links UA with food security and climate resilience remains sparse and mixed. We contend that while climate change threatens food security, achieving food security can influence climate change outcomes; addressing this paradox requires integrated solutions that align food security efforts with resilience-building. Consequently, the relationship between community gardens and these two concepts should be assessed together. Through semi-structured interviews with 40 gardeners, this research shows that home and community gardens are more than decorative spaces for trees, flowers, herbs, fruits, and vegetables: They can meaningfully augment local food supplies, improve resilience during disruptions, and promote social equity and cohesion. To strengthen food security and climate resilience, we recommend adopting holistic, system-level research and cross-disciplinary methods that weave traditional ecological practices (e.g., mulching, intercropping, crop rotation, composting, and selection of indigenous species) with scientific agronomic knowledge to protect environmental health and widen access to fresh foods. Embracing such multidisciplinary approaches can help nurture a more resilient and inclusive UA landscape.
- urban agriculture,
- gardening practices,
- climate resilience,
- nature-based solutions,
- food security
Citation: Blessings Masuku, Colleta Gandidzanwa. Urban community gardening for food security and climate resilience: Perspectives from gardeners in Johannesburg, South Africa[J]. Urban Resilience and Sustainability, 2026, 4(2): 86-110. doi: 10.3934/urs.2026006

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Abstract

Rapid, often unplanned urban growth across many African cities compounds a wide array of climate-related and urban vulnerabilities. These include intensified heat, more frequent and severe flooding, scarcity of key resources, soil degradation, drought episodes, and losses in biodiversity. Within this setting, urban agriculture (UA), as one strand of nature-based solutions, is increasingly recognized and promoted for its role in tackling urban problems such as food insecurity and for contributing to urban greening and climate adaptation. In this paper, we examined how household and shared community gardens support food security and bolster climate resilience in underserved urban neighborhoods in Johannesburg, South Africa. Urban farming is argued to have the potential to ease food shortages, improve nutrition, generate income for households engaged in cultivation, and strengthen climate resilience through greening the city. Yet, empirical evidence from Africa that convincingly links UA with food security and climate resilience remains sparse and mixed. We contend that while climate change threatens food security, achieving food security can influence climate change outcomes; addressing this paradox requires integrated solutions that align food security efforts with resilience-building. Consequently, the relationship between community gardens and these two concepts should be assessed together. Through semi-structured interviews with 40 gardeners, this research shows that home and community gardens are more than decorative spaces for trees, flowers, herbs, fruits, and vegetables: They can meaningfully augment local food supplies, improve resilience during disruptions, and promote social equity and cohesion. To strengthen food security and climate resilience, we recommend adopting holistic, system-level research and cross-disciplinary methods that weave traditional ecological practices (e.g., mulching, intercropping, crop rotation, composting, and selection of indigenous species) with scientific agronomic knowledge to protect environmental health and widen access to fresh foods. Embracing such multidisciplinary approaches can help nurture a more resilient and inclusive UA landscape.

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