Urban food systems governance in Africa: Toward a realistic model for transformation

This chapter focuses on African cities and problematizes emerging food system and urban system trends and actions in these cities. The focus on Africa is deliberate. While other areas of the Global South are encountering dramatic urban transitions, Africa’s dramatic demographic shift raises importan...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Haysom, Gareth, Battersby, Jane
Formato: Capítulo de libro
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: International Food Policy Research Institute 2023
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/140130
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author Haysom, Gareth
Battersby, Jane
author_browse Battersby, Jane
Haysom, Gareth
author_facet Haysom, Gareth
Battersby, Jane
author_sort Haysom, Gareth
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description This chapter focuses on African cities and problematizes emerging food system and urban system trends and actions in these cities. The focus on Africa is deliberate. While other areas of the Global South are encountering dramatic urban transitions, Africa’s dramatic demographic shift raises important political economy challenges. Specifically, Africa’s median age is only 19 years, and 41 percent of the population is 14 years of age or younger; the continent will become increasingly younger over the next 30 years. Given past demographic trends and rates of urbanization, the majority of those born in Africa will be born in cities. Ensuring that the urban food system guarantees the attainment of optimal developmental and health outcomes is therefore essential, both to ensure the youth dividend and for society at large. The rapid transformation of both Africa’s cities and food systems demands new and novel forms of governance. Until recently, Africanists have largely ignored, or were openly hostile to, almost all aspects of a wider urban agenda, focusing instead on issues such as the peasantry, agriculture, natural resource use or national sovereignty. Food insecurity therefore has been framed as predominantly experienced in rural areas, and to be addressed by increased agricultural production, and food and cities are seldom seen as being spatially connected and mutually dependent on one another in African food system discourses. Beyond being the recipient of food produced in rural areas, urban areas have largely been neglected in food security policy and governance.
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spelling CGSpace1401302025-11-06T03:52:41Z Urban food systems governance in Africa: Toward a realistic model for transformation Haysom, Gareth Battersby, Jane urban agriculture sustainable development goals policies agricultural policies urban areas transformation reforms food systems governance This chapter focuses on African cities and problematizes emerging food system and urban system trends and actions in these cities. The focus on Africa is deliberate. While other areas of the Global South are encountering dramatic urban transitions, Africa’s dramatic demographic shift raises important political economy challenges. Specifically, Africa’s median age is only 19 years, and 41 percent of the population is 14 years of age or younger; the continent will become increasingly younger over the next 30 years. Given past demographic trends and rates of urbanization, the majority of those born in Africa will be born in cities. Ensuring that the urban food system guarantees the attainment of optimal developmental and health outcomes is therefore essential, both to ensure the youth dividend and for society at large. The rapid transformation of both Africa’s cities and food systems demands new and novel forms of governance. Until recently, Africanists have largely ignored, or were openly hostile to, almost all aspects of a wider urban agenda, focusing instead on issues such as the peasantry, agriculture, natural resource use or national sovereignty. Food insecurity therefore has been framed as predominantly experienced in rural areas, and to be addressed by increased agricultural production, and food and cities are seldom seen as being spatially connected and mutually dependent on one another in African food system discourses. Beyond being the recipient of food produced in rural areas, urban areas have largely been neglected in food security policy and governance. 2023-10-16 2024-03-14T12:08:58Z 2024-03-14T12:08:58Z Book Chapter https://hdl.handle.net/10568/140130 en https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198882121.001.0001 Open Access application/pdf International Food Policy Research Institute Oxford University Press Haysom, Gareth; and Battersby, Jane. 2023. Urban food systems governance in Africa: Toward a realistic model for transformation. In The Political Economy of Food System Transformation Pathways to Progress in a Polarized World, eds. Danielle Resnick and Johan Swinnen. Chapter 12, Pp. 288-309. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198882121.003.0012.
spellingShingle urban agriculture
sustainable development goals
policies
agricultural policies
urban areas
transformation
reforms
food systems
governance
Haysom, Gareth
Battersby, Jane
Urban food systems governance in Africa: Toward a realistic model for transformation
title Urban food systems governance in Africa: Toward a realistic model for transformation
title_full Urban food systems governance in Africa: Toward a realistic model for transformation
title_fullStr Urban food systems governance in Africa: Toward a realistic model for transformation
title_full_unstemmed Urban food systems governance in Africa: Toward a realistic model for transformation
title_short Urban food systems governance in Africa: Toward a realistic model for transformation
title_sort urban food systems governance in africa toward a realistic model for transformation
topic urban agriculture
sustainable development goals
policies
agricultural policies
urban areas
transformation
reforms
food systems
governance
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/140130
work_keys_str_mv AT haysomgareth urbanfoodsystemsgovernanceinafricatowardarealisticmodelfortransformation
AT battersbyjane urbanfoodsystemsgovernanceinafricatowardarealisticmodelfortransformation