Open AccessThe impact of backyard gardening on livelihoods of households in Sedibeng District Municipality in Gauteng Province, South Africa
Author(s) -
Marcelle Thomas,
S.E. Terblanché
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
suid-afrikaanse tydskrif vir landbouvoorligting/south african journal of agricultural extension
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2413-3221
pISSN - 0301-603X
DOI - 10.17159/2413-3221/2021/v49n1a10776
Subject(s) - livelihood , agriculture , socioeconomics , poverty , marital status , household income , business , geography , production (economics) , agricultural science , agricultural economics , economic growth , economics , environmental health , population , medicine , archaeology , macroeconomics , environmental science
The study was conducted to evaluate the impact of backyard gardening on the livelihoods of households in Sedibeng District Municipality in Gauteng Province, South Africa. Data were drawn from 60 household vegetable producers. A structured questionnaire was used to conduct one-on-one interviews to gather data which were then analysed to compare variables and the level of livelihoods of household vegetable production. The results suggested that variables such as gender, household size, marital status and household income influence vegetable production. Women, as the primary caretakers of children, were found to be more involved in vegetable production than men. The vegetable production increased when households were headed by females. Households indicated that the implementation and evaluation of the programme under study, which was successfully undertaken with the assistance of Agricultural Advisors from Gauteng’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (GDARD), did impact their livelihoods positively. In conclusion, the study found that household vegetable projects can assist in alleviating poverty, create job opportunities and improve livelihoods of the community of Sedibeng District Municipality.