Abstract This study examines the impact of climate change on urban food gardens in Sobantu and Mpophomeni townships in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It emphasises the importance of understanding how climate change affects the production side of the food system in urban settings, particularly given the vulnerability of resource-limited urban farmers to erratic rainfall, pests and natural disasters. Using the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework, the study explores various factors influencing urban farmers’ responses and behaviours in the face of these risks. An explorative approach is employed, utilising open-ended, face-to-face interviews with 103 randomly selected participants. The results reveal that climate change disproportionately affects resource-limited urban farmers, leading to challenges such as erratic rainfall, pests, and natural disasters. The study highlights the significant impact of elevated temperatures, shifting weather patterns and the introduction of pests and diseases on food gardens, which in turn affects seed and crop selection. The findings highlight the critical need to understand the impact on the production side of the urban food system, given the vulnerability of urban farmers and their households to food insecurity. The survey results show a spectrum of food security levels among farmers, offering insights into the varied challenges faced by farmers within the urban agriculture landscape.
Tamako et al. (Fri,) studied this question.
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