Land access mechanisms of Soweto farmers: Moving beyond legal land tenure for urban agriculture

Legal land tenure is often understood as an essential asset underpinning urban agriculture. However, the global land rights discussion recently moved away from a strict emphasis on legality towards a wider acknowledgement of the multidimensionality of land rights and land tenure. Based on the semi-structured interviews with farmers of Soweto at gardens in institutions and open-space gardens, and key informants we explore the mechanisms by which farmers gain, control, and maintain access to land with the aim to extend the evidence on the importance of social relations and their role in land tenure of small-scale urban farmers. Results of an in-depth qualitative analysis of structural and relational mechanisms of access to land show that farmers' identity and ability to create and navigate through the complex web of social relations represents a vital formative force for land tenure. Building on our findings, we invite policy makers to enhance the agenda on land allocation for urban agriculture by preserving and fortifying the existing social networks and relationships. Such an approach allows for enlarging the spectrum of benefits provided by farmers to their community and vice versa, as well as for strengthening farmers' self-esteem and internal motivation for engagement in urban agriculture. Therefore, our paper supports moving beyond the narrow notion of legal tenure for urban agriculture and embracing its more inclusive understanding by acknowledging social relations and their importance for farmers' own perception of their land tenure.