article · Frontiers in Sustainable Cities
Urban agriculture offers strategic potential to tackle food security and climate change simultaneously, yet its impact remains constrained in South Africa. A systematic literature review conducted using the PRISMA 2020 framework examined the politics and institutional barriers surrounding climate-responsive urban farming. The analysis revealed that climate action, agriculture, food security, and urban development are governed in isolation. This sector-specific fragmentation results in systemic governance failures that disrupt policy coherence, limit resource allocation, and reduce implementation capacity on the ground. To realise the transformative role of urban agriculture in climate mitigation, adaptation, and sustainable food systems, governance must shift toward coherent, multi-level policy approaches that recognise the deep interdependence between food systems, urban development, and climate resilience.
South Africa faces compounded crises of poverty, malnutrition, and climate vulnerability. Although urban agriculture can help cities adapt to climate change and feed vulnerable populations, disjointed municipal and national policies undermine practical efforts. Identifying the governance failures that restrict urban farming allows public authorities to design coordinated interventions that improve food security and urban resilience.
The abstract does not indicate a direct commercial application pathway or technology product. Instead, the findings offer an evidence base and strategic recommendations for municipal planners, policymakers, and development agencies seeking to improve the institutional and regulatory environment for climate-resilient urban farming initiatives.
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Urban agriculture has increasingly gained global recognition as a strategic approach for simultaneously addressing food security and climate change through mitigation and adaptation interventions. However, its potential remains constrained in South Africa, where climate change exacerbates the country’s persistent challenges of food insecurity, poverty, unemployment, inequality, and the triple burden of malnutrition. The study explored the politics of climate change mitigation and adaptation measures for urban agriculture in South Africa. It also identified the fragmentation of related policies and programmes, and the factors that contributed to it. The article examines the nature, causes, and consequences of policy fragmentation by drawing on the available literature. The study systematically reviewed the literature using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 framework. The review used multiple electronic databases, including Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Web of Science, to maximise the retrieval of relevant studies and minimise publication bias. The findings reveal that the separation of climate, agriculture, food security, and urban development governance has resulted in systemic governance failures that hinder policy coherence, resource allocation, and implementation capacity. The study concludes that South Africa will not realise the transformative potential of urban agriculture for climate change mitigation, adaptation, and sustainable food systems unless it shifts from fragmented, sector-specific governance to integrated, coherent, and multi-level policy approaches that recognise the interdependence of climate action, food systems, and urban development. The study contributes to the growing body of knowledge by providing the first comprehensive synthesis of governance fragmentation affecting climate-responsive urban agriculture in South Africa. It also offers evidence-based recommendations for strengthening policy integration, institutional coordination, and adaptive governance.
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DOI: 10.3389/frsc.2026.1936772
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