A cost benefit analysis of a technology bundle aimed at improving the resilience of urban households in Rocklands, Mitchells Plain

Abstract

This paper documents and evaluates the early progress with a project which aims to increase the resilience of poor urban households with a complete technology package consisting of a permaculture food garden and multiple renewable-energy retrofits. The project is PBO facilitated and incorporates substantial training. Beneficiary households are objectively poor, but not destitute. After six months there were still some glitches with the retrofitting, but the gardens were all thriving and were yielding some produce and substantial pride for their owners. Retrofitting accounts for 39% of project costs, the gardens for 27%, and overheads (including training) for the remaining 34%. We have estimated the unit cost of expansion to be R6 435 for the basic model and R16 381 for an unsubsidised advanced model (in 2013 prices). This initiative has been expensive, perhaps unnecessarily so, but is also successful against great odds, not least of which is the exceptionally difficult growing conditions which characterise the Cape Flats. We identified appropriate support, flexible design and on-going monitoring as important issues going forward, but we nonetheless think that the project is one of the most successful of its kind and that it could be replicated on a larger scale at modest additional cost.