Conceptualising and implementing two community gardening projects on the Cape Flats, Cape Town

Two community gardening projects in the Cape Town Metropole, South Africa, were studied in terms of how their intended outcomes were conceptualised by programme stakeholders, and how programme implementation was perceived by the intended beneficiaries. Following a broadly qualitative approach, data collection methods included individual and group interviews, participant observation, and reviews of programme records. A model of short-term, medium-term, and long-term outcomes, as perceived by programme management and staff, was elicited. Gardeners generally were positive about the service delivery of the programme, and identified the provision of food for their households as the major change that the programme introduced in their lives. They achieved some savings on household food purchases, and improved their nutrition somewhat. They also reported some income generation, but they perceived it as too little. Finally, respondents were very positive about a range of social benefits obtained from participating in the projects.