Vestige garden production and deagrarianization in three villages in the Eastern Cape, South Africa

Set in one of the most highly degarianized zones in South Africa, this paper focuses on garden production in three regions of the Eastern Cape Province. Rather than concentrating on commercial agriculture, we aim to develop a better understanding of vestige garden production, particularly as practised by women. As we indicate, although the use of maize fields has declined, the farming of homestead gardens is still popular and has actually expanded in certain regions. The expansion of these gardens largely depends on whether women can access adequate water storage and irrigation solutions, as well as fencing, both of which save time and lessen dependence on labour. Household gardens are particularly prevalent in areas of the Eastern Cape which have not been affected by villagization or forced removal and where household clusters and communal land systems are relatively intact. The paper argues that gardens are particularly important for defining the cultural position of women as owners and producers of domestic crops, and that this maintains household integrity and the predilection towards ‘building the homestead’.