Colleta Gandidzanwa – The Conversation

In Alexandra township in Johannesburg, South Africa, urban farmers are boosting food supplies with home and community gardens. Courtesy Blessings Masuku

June 30, 2026

Urban farming helps Johannesburg’s poorest households survive – now it needs bigger investment

Blessings Masuku, University of Pretoria and Colleta Gandidzanwa, University of Pretoria

From roadside plots to community gardens, urban farmers in Alexandra township, South Africa are growing food, earning income and coping with climate change.

Acquired land was used mostly for raising livestock rather than growing fruit, vegetables or field crops. Peter Titmuss/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

January 9, 2023

The South African government has been buying farmland for black farmers. It’s not gone well

Johann Kirsten, Stellenbosch University; Aart-Jan Verschoor, Agricultural Research Council, and Colleta Gandidzanwa, University of Pretoria

The government’s approach to redistributing farmland has been mostly ineffective. Failure can be attributed to limited implementation, poor institutional capacity and corruption.

Contact Colleta for