The Political Economy of Urban Food Security in Sub-Saharan Africa

Maxwell, Daniel

doi:10.1016/s0305-750x(99)00101-1

Cited by 186 publications

(104 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…The main food retail outlets in developing countries are traditional open markets, together with a wide variety of other smaller retail outlets including petty traders, corner stores, table top sellers, and itinerant hawkers [13][14][15]. Currently, limited empirical evidence exists particularly on urban food environments in sub-Saharan Africa.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Food retail assessment and family food purchase behavior in Ashongman estates, Ghana

Aryeetey¹,

Oltmans²,

Owusu³

2016

AJFAND

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A key feature of the nutrition transition in developed countries is the rapid transformation of the food system towards increasing availability and access to cheaper, and more processed foods. These changes are associated with alterations in dietary behavior with implications for chronic disease risk. However, the process of change in the food system begins with changes in the food retail system and its subsequent effect on consumer behavior. Currently, little is known about the nature of the food marketplace in emerging economies like Ghana, and also how the changing economy and food retail situation are influencing consumer behavior. The current paper presents a case study of the food retail system and consumer food purchase behavior in suburban Accra. Between May and August 2012, an assessment of food retail outlets was carried out in Ashongman Estates, a suburb of Accra. The study involved observations, in-depth interviews with retailers, and a survey of households. Data from the study allowed classification of retail food vendors across the urban food retail system. In addition, data on food purchase preferences and purchase behavior were obtained from a household survey of 75 randomly selected households in Ashongman Estates. The data showed that traditional markets still constitute the most important source of household food purchases. A majority of households (87%) reported preference for traditional markets, and almost all households (99%) indicated traditional markets as their main source for purchasing household food. Foods available from supermarkets were mainly processed foods. However, processed foods are also commonly available through the traditional markets and minimarkets. The preference for traditional markets was attributed to greater variety of foods, lower price, and proximity of food source. Minimarket vendors, including corner stores, table top vendors, hawkers, and fuel station shops that are located within the community, served as an additional food source, complementing food purchases from the traditional markets. The study concluded that although traditional markets remain the main source of household food, interventions are needed to ensure that food markets in the community include access to a variety of fresh produce rather than promote processed foods, in order to promote consumer health.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Food retail assessment and family food purchase behavior in Ashongman estates, Ghana

Aryeetey¹,

Oltmans²,

Owusu³

2016

AJFAND

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“…The low and variable labor-based earnings, along with the lack of or weak functioning safety nets, have made access to food a grave concern. Studies by Amis (1995), Hugon and Kervarec (2001), Maxwell (1999) and FAO (2001) indicate that urban low-income groups, who rely heavily on market purchases for consumption, spend the largest share of their income on procuring food.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Growing intra-urban inequality is made evident in the research by Jamal and Weeks (1993), Braun et al (1993), Hulme and McKay (2005) and Montgomery (2004). In fact, the differences in terms of food access and consumption between income groups are particularly stark (FAO 2001, Maxwell 1999). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Food Security, Gender, and Occupational Choice among Urban Low-Income Households

Floro

Swain

2013

World Development

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Rising urban poverty and food insecurity are serious concerns in developing countries today. Urban livelihoods and coping strategies remain poorly understood however. This paper examines the response of female and male household members in marginalized urban (predominantly squatter) areas to the risk of food shortage in terms of occupational choice. More specifically, we use probit analyses to investigate whether household vulnerability or the need to provide self-insurance for food security, alongside gender roles, influence a worker's choice of enterprise activity. We focus our investigation on self-employed women and men using a data set drawn from the 1496 individual sample in 14 urban squatter communities in Bolivia, Ecuador, Philippines and Thailand. Our findings show that selfemployed women in households facing higher risk of food insecurity are likely to engage in food-related enterprise activities and this is especially true in Philippines and Thailand. This suggests the role of occupational choice in in helping urban squatter households in mitigating the risk of food shortage through the selection of an income-generating activity that allows the direct use of unsold inventories for food consumption. Keywords: food security, self-employment, occupational choice, urban informal sector 1 The authors gratefully acknowledge the helpful comments and suggestions of Thomas Hungerford and the participants at 2009 IAFFE conference (Boston) , the Centre for Microfinance seminar (Luxembourg), the IFMR seminar( Chennai India) and the Department of Economics seminar, Uppsala University.

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“…Foremost, scholars often focus on alternative and local food institutions without adequately addressing the role that principal food systems institutions such as the central state and private agri-businesses play in reproducing the structure of the food system [3,17]. Although it is true that some recent scholarship has been dedicated to the role of food retail in the Southern African context [18] and food governance regimes and state formation in Southern Africa [19], more scholarship is needed which speaks to these important aspects of the food system.…”

Section: Existing Research On Urban Food Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Given that significant parts of Southern Africa continue to urbanize at rapid rates, food access and the urbanization of food insecurity are expected to be among the most difficult governance issues facing the region in the twenty-first century [2,3].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Methodological Challenges in Urban Food Systems Research: Case Study of Local Food Institutions in South Africa

Warshawsky

2018

Urban Science

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This paper examines how institutional power dynamics in South Africa's urban food system have restricted the quantity, quality, and type of data collected on food institutions and limited the range of research and policy as a result. In particular, while non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and local institutions speak openly with researchers or share data, key governing institutions such as the state and agri-businesses often refuse to work with scholars. This has not only limited access to data on food system flows and operations, but it has also resulted in a significant research gap about the principal institutions in food systems, as scholars and policy makers tend to disproportionately focus on alternative food movements or localized players. Given the number, scope, and creativity of informal livelihood strategies that residents utilize to access food, this paper suggests that new methods are needed to understand how people navigate complex pathways to food in Southern African cities.

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The Political Economy of Urban Food Security in Sub-Saharan Africa

Cited by 186 publications

References 39 publications

Food retail assessment and family food purchase behavior in Ashongman estates, Ghana

Food retail assessment and family food purchase behavior in Ashongman estates, Ghana

Food Security, Gender, and Occupational Choice among Urban Low-Income Households

Methodological Challenges in Urban Food Systems Research: Case Study of Local Food Institutions in South Africa

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