Machambas in the City: Urban Women and Agricultural Work in Mozambique
Author(s)
Sheldon, Kathleen
Abstract
Women in southern and eastern African cities commonly devote time and energy to cultivating an urban garden. This is an often observed but little analyzed activity; it makes an important contribution to family nutrition and sometimes income but has been neglected in studies of urban informal activities, food supplies to urban areas, household labor and development. This article investigates the past and present agricultural work done by urban women in Mozambique and shows that the inclusion of this area of female endeavor improves the understanding of the process of urbanization. The author details the history of women’s urban agricultural work during the colonial era, challenging ideas that this work was only related to periods of economic crisis.
