Aquaponics as an Urban Business Initiative to Alleviate Food Insecurity in the Western Cape Province of South Africa

Abstract

South Africa’s Western Cape Province is facing numerous problems associated with accelerated urbanisation, climate change, soil degradation, water scarcity and food insecurity. The growth in urban city population necessitates a quick and speedy solution to city food supply and production. The agricultural sector, being the largest producing food is faced with the challenge of ensuring adequate food supply. Aquaponics as an agri-business offers an efficient growth technique where food can be produced quicker in a small and well-nourished environment, with minimal water usage. The study used qualitative data to gain in-depth knowledge from a selected sample. Data was collected through a zoom platform and a thematic data analysis was used to answer the study questions. Findings suggest that the food produced by current aquaponics growers is nutritious, but growers tend to operate on a small scale. Given the needed support, this agricultural sector can grow and participate in the provinces’ food security enhancement. Currently existing aquaponics business cannot totally eradicate the prevailing food insecurity in the province. More research, development and support are needed for the producers to increase their production scale and increase the product base. Further studies on the same subject should focus on increasing the scale of production and introducing more products.