The association between urban land demarcation and household food insecurity among formal and informal settlements in southernDurban city, KwaZulu Natal

The association between urban land demarcation and household food insecurity among formal and informal settlements in southernDurban city, KwaZulu Natal | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article The association between urban land demarcation and household food insecurity among formal and informal settlements in southernDurban city, KwaZulu Natal Primrose Z. Ngema-Msomi This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-5477319/v2 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 2 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Show more versions Abstract The study conducted a comprehensive analysis of the relationship between urban land demarcation and household food insecurity across three neighborhoods: Malukazi (MIS), Uganda Informal Settlements (UIS), and Isipingo Hills (IH). A total of ninety households stratified into thirty were systematically interviewed. Findings revealed that 80% participants from MIS and 66% from UIS regarded the establishment of vegetable gardens as a crucial strategy for food availability. Numerous respondents revealed dissatisfaction with housing and limited land, poses a significant barrier to the establishment of vegetable gardens in proximity to Reconstruction Development Plan (RDP) and informal settlements. Household food insecurity was predominantly linked to high unemployment rates, low-income levels and reliance on social grants. Majority resort to selling scrap materials to boost income, having living spaces less than 3x3 m². Conversely, IH Respondents reported higher levels of satisfaction regarding employment and income levels that exceeded the poverty threshold. Additionally, they benefit from adequate housing and land availability. The study elucidates notable disparities in living standards among the three neighborhoods. Household food consumption score categorizes MIS as food insecure at 66% classified as "poor" and UIS at 53% consuming only 3 of the 8 food groups in household dietary diversity score. IH demonstrated borderline scores 56% of households and 33% had acceptable scores. Findings underscore the critical need for enhanced institutional support and more effective government policies. The current framework resulted in significant food insecurity and dissatisfaction with housing. Therefore, the government must prioritize the resolution of land inequality issues and promote initiatives that improve urban food security. Agricultural Economics & Policy Agronomy Food insecurity Land inequality Urban formal and informal settlements Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Supplementary Files ResearchTABLES2.docx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 2 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Show more versions Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-5477319","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":379762701,"identity":"5bf38081-cb86-4a09-bd0c-db848cf6432e","order_by":0,"name":"Primrose Z. 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The study elucidates notable disparities in living standards among the three neighborhoods. Household food consumption score categorizes MIS as food insecure at 66% classified as \"poor\" and UIS at 53% consuming only 3 of the 8 food groups in household dietary diversity score. IH demonstrated borderline scores 56% of households and 33% had acceptable scores. Findings underscore the critical need for enhanced institutional support and more effective government policies. The current framework resulted in significant food insecurity and dissatisfaction with housing. 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