Traditionally, marginalised community members have been perceived by academics as providers of information and end users of research results. Co-research (community research) reverses this paradigm and uplifts ‘the researched’ to co-creators of knowledge and advocates for their own solutions to problems. Design/methodology/approach A co-research approach was developed, employed, and scaled by urban farmers in Cape Town, South Africa. Data was collectively gathered using mixed methods: primarily, focus group discussions, farming diaries, a vulnerability assessment, a structured survey, and a validation discussion. Findings The participants perceived the research process itself to be much more important than results, as they learned to challenge their own preconceptions, dismantled the cultural scaffolding which impeded their understanding of their world, and developed agency over processes for change. Practical implications The mutually developed results were used by the co-researchers to establish a representative body which advocates for policy action to address small-scale farmers’ needs. Theoretical implications Co-research goes beyond participatory action research by addressing its bottlenecks, such as actors’ limited involvement in data collection. Originality/Value This long-term study was led by actors who have been historically excluded from access to education. This study actively encouraged the inclusion of excluded voices and calls for a paradigm change in knowledge creation and democratisation of research processes.