Rich understandings of the phenomenon, urban household food waste (HFW), are critical to realizing the vision of sustainable, inclusive human settlement. In 2018/19, an exploratory study of HFW perceptions and practices of a diversity of urban residents, was conducted in the Bezuidenhout neighborhood, The Hague (Netherlands). Nineteen participants, communicating in one of three languages, as per their preference, participated through-out this visually enhanced study. The sequential “Snap-Send-Share-Story” qualitative, participatory action research (PAR) inspired methodology, employed in the study, is introduced in this paper. Focus groups (“Story”) which resourced and followed photovoice individual interviews (“Snap-Send-Share”) are principally emphasized. Three focus groups were conducted viz. Dutch (n = 7), English (n = 7) and Arabic (n = 5), within a narrative, photo elicitation style. Explicit and tacit, sensitive, private and seemingly evident yet hard to succinctly verbalize interpretations of HFW—shared and contested—were expressed through group stories. Participants accessed a stream of creativity, from photographing HFW in the privacy of their homes to co-constructing stories in the social research space of focus groups. Stories went beyond the content of the photographs to imagine zero HFW. This approach encouraged critical interaction, awareness of HFW, reflexive synthesis of meaning and deliberations regard social and ecological action.
Urban public food procurement can address malnutrition and improve the beneficiary experience at public institutions whilst reshaping food systems to be healthier and more sustainable. We reviewed grey and peer-reviewed literature on urban public food procurement in Kiambu and Machakos counties in Kenya. From the literature, we selected programmes for case study research through stakeholder interviews and targeted literature searching. We searched 11 databases and reviewed 23 relevant articles. The case studies involved early childhood education centre and primary school feeding, hospital food provision, and COVID-19 responses. We found that actionable data and public–private partnerships are enabling factors. Similarly, multistakeholder involvement and governance increase coordination. However, budget constraints threaten programme stability. Procurement criteria focused on nutrition, food quality, and community development, but did not explicitly include environmental sustainability. We linked case studies to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, and 12. By developing, improving, and scaling public food procurement, urban governments in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) can reach the most vulnerable whilst improving farmer livelihoods, creating business opportunities, and addressing environmental concerns. This paper contributes implementational insights in Kenyan urban contexts by highlighting opportunities for local and regional policymakers in LMICs and their partners to strengthen public food procurement.
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