Women’s labor, care, and solidarity in municipally supported urban agriculture: the Kadifekale urban orchard case

This article analyzes the Kadifekale Urban Orchard in İzmir as an interpretive qualitative case study and argues that municipally supported urban agriculture functions not merely as a food-access initiative, but as a relational public infrastructure through which women’s labor, care responsibilities, solidarity networks, and public visibility are reconfigured. Drawing on one year of participant observation, in-depth interviews with 96 women, and focus group discussions, the study employs thematic analysis. The findings show that, beyond modest contributions to household food provision and income, women use the orchard to create space outside the home, build solidaristic ties, and become more visible in public life. Although many initially concealed their participation because of family and neighborhood pressures, collective learning, mutual support, and childcare-related supports enabled a gradual shift from a “housewife” identity toward a “producer” identity. At the same time, the case reveals a persistent governance tension: municipal support is indispensable for infrastructure, training, and the continuity of agroecological production, yet women’s influence over strategic decisions remains limited. The Kadifekale case therefore shows that the gender-transformative potential of municipally supported urban agriculture depends not only on productive space, but on the institutionalization of care infrastructure, participatory governance, and local ecological knowledge.