With Pots and Pens to Parliament

This report highlights the research results of the Urban Food Futures programme, which engage local communities in discussions about their right to food post-COVID-19. By unpacking constitutional rights and fostering collaborative dialogue, the dialogues aim to empower community members to actively participate in food governance. The report documents various community kitchens' roles in alleviating food insecurity and promoting social cohesion. It emphasizes the need for mutual accountability between citizens and the state, urging communities to reclaim their agency in food systems. Through these dialogues, FACT seeks to uncover challenges and opportunities, ultimately advocating for democratic, localized food systems that ensure access to nutritious food for all, while addressing the socio-economic inequalities that persist in South Africa.

Explore how communities in Cape Town are transforming urban food systems with creativity, care, and collective action. These resources highlight the power of community kitchens as spaces of resilience and advocacy, advancing the right to food and shaping more just, inclusive, and sustainable urban futures.

They aim to support, inform, and inspire action towards transforming urban food systems in times of overlapping crises. Rooted in feminist approaches and lived community experiences, these tools, guides, and articles highlight the critical role of community kitchens as spaces of resilience, care, and advocacy. They explore how grassroots action is shaping policy, advancing the right to food, and building pathways to just and sustainable urban futures. Together, they offer knowledge, strategies, and stories that bridge informal social protection and formal governance — demonstrating how communities, with pots and pens in hand, are driving meaningful change.