Informal vendors and food systems planning in an emerging African city

Rapid urban growth is straining infrastructures, economies, and food security of cities in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Amid competing issues of sanitation, housing, and unemployment, planning for urban food security receives less attention. Despite the proliferation of supermarkets in SSA, informal fo...

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Autores principales: Giroux, Stacey, Blekking, Jordan, Waldman, Kurt, Resnick, Danielle, Fobi, Daniel
Formato: Journal Article
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: Elsevier 2021
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/142551
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author Giroux, Stacey
Blekking, Jordan
Waldman, Kurt
Resnick, Danielle
Fobi, Daniel
author_browse Blekking, Jordan
Fobi, Daniel
Giroux, Stacey
Resnick, Danielle
Waldman, Kurt
author_facet Giroux, Stacey
Blekking, Jordan
Waldman, Kurt
Resnick, Danielle
Fobi, Daniel
author_sort Giroux, Stacey
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Rapid urban growth is straining infrastructures, economies, and food security of cities in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Amid competing issues of sanitation, housing, and unemployment, planning for urban food security receives less attention. Despite the proliferation of supermarkets in SSA, informal food vendors remain crucial sources of food for the majority of households. However, as cities grow and planners try to adapt, these informal vendors are generally left out of planning considerations, marginalized by policies that do not support this business model, or subjected to political vicissitudes. This paper analyzes how vendors in emerging cities are economically, socially, and spatially integrated within the urban food system, highlighting the assets these vendors represent and the ways they might support growth in cities. We map vendors’ networks of food suppliers, and describe sources of operating capital and labor assets to show the range of services vendors utilize and the types of institutions, businesses, and individuals that vendors use to support their work. We spatially analyze the relationship between vendors and suppliers, and between vendors and households, to demonstrate how enmeshed these vendors are in the broader food system and the links they create between consumers and suppliers. We demonstrate that due to spatial differences and vendors’ and consumers’ needs in emerging cities, a one-size-fits-all approach for integration of informal vendors in the food system is less likely to be successful in terms of either economic development or household food security.
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spelling CGSpace1425512025-02-24T06:49:12Z Informal vendors and food systems planning in an emerging African city Giroux, Stacey Blekking, Jordan Waldman, Kurt Resnick, Danielle Fobi, Daniel informal sector urban areas food access food security food industry food systems Rapid urban growth is straining infrastructures, economies, and food security of cities in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Amid competing issues of sanitation, housing, and unemployment, planning for urban food security receives less attention. Despite the proliferation of supermarkets in SSA, informal food vendors remain crucial sources of food for the majority of households. However, as cities grow and planners try to adapt, these informal vendors are generally left out of planning considerations, marginalized by policies that do not support this business model, or subjected to political vicissitudes. This paper analyzes how vendors in emerging cities are economically, socially, and spatially integrated within the urban food system, highlighting the assets these vendors represent and the ways they might support growth in cities. We map vendors’ networks of food suppliers, and describe sources of operating capital and labor assets to show the range of services vendors utilize and the types of institutions, businesses, and individuals that vendors use to support their work. We spatially analyze the relationship between vendors and suppliers, and between vendors and households, to demonstrate how enmeshed these vendors are in the broader food system and the links they create between consumers and suppliers. We demonstrate that due to spatial differences and vendors’ and consumers’ needs in emerging cities, a one-size-fits-all approach for integration of informal vendors in the food system is less likely to be successful in terms of either economic development or household food security. 2021-09-13 2024-05-22T12:10:39Z 2024-05-22T12:10:39Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/142551 en https://doi.org/10.1007/s12132-019-09371-7 Open Access Elsevier Giroux, Stacey; Blekking, Jordan; Waldman, Kurt; Resnick, Danielle; and Fobi, Daniel. 2021. Informal vendors and food systems planning in an emerging African city. Food 103(August 2021): 101997. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2020.101997
spellingShingle informal sector
urban areas
food access
food security
food industry
food systems
Giroux, Stacey
Blekking, Jordan
Waldman, Kurt
Resnick, Danielle
Fobi, Daniel
Informal vendors and food systems planning in an emerging African city
title Informal vendors and food systems planning in an emerging African city
title_full Informal vendors and food systems planning in an emerging African city
title_fullStr Informal vendors and food systems planning in an emerging African city
title_full_unstemmed Informal vendors and food systems planning in an emerging African city
title_short Informal vendors and food systems planning in an emerging African city
title_sort informal vendors and food systems planning in an emerging african city
topic informal sector
urban areas
food access
food security
food industry
food systems
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/142551
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