Ninth International Conference on Food Studies

Abstract

Over several decades, land reform debates have been characterised by a strong rural focus in South Africa. In this way, land occupations at the fringes of cities remain a neglected reality. At the same time, marginalised urban farmers remind us of the country’s surplus population, precarious livelihoods, ethnic disintegration, the informal food sector and persistent food insecurity rates to name just a few aspects. While involved dwellers are certainly struggling on diverse fronts, official land access is considered as the ultimate demand and gained relevance in the aftermath of the apartheid era. However, previous and ongoing governmental programmes have thus far failed to meet these demands with limited hope in the present resurgence of land reform debates. What is more, the country’s neoliberal agri-food politics limit formal market and food access of these marginalised farmers. Unsurprisingly, the government tends to be a facilitator of these neoliberal changes. Building on the lived experiences of unfulfilled promises, this paper sets out to illuminate so-called appeasement policies. The case of the Thembalethu farmers in George, Western Cape Province, exemplifies how the government rather maintains the precarious status quo and even adds further to uncertainty and marginalisation. Grounded in empirical research, this paper explores governmental land reform and development attempts from above and its interplay with farmers demands from below. Recent literature in critical agrarian studies and critical urban studies frame this contribution.