Resituating Africa’s urban informal food sector

Crush, J. and Young, G. (2019) Resituating Africa’s urban informal food sector. Urban Forum, 30(4), pp. 377-384. (doi: 10.1007/s12132-019-09374-4)

Abstract

The complex dynamics of the informal food sector in urban Africa are poorly understood. Urban informal food systems are beginning to receive attention from scholars and policymakers, but the notable absence of detailed empirical information and necessary theoretical engagement with their emergence, structure, and operation has thus far limited efforts to understand the central role that they play in urban development processes. This Special Issue brings together a diverse collection of case studies from seven countries across the Global South—China, Jamaica, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, and Uganda—to explore these dynamics by placing Africa’s urban informal food sector in comparative international context. This introduction provides an overview of how this Special Issue contributes to debates about the origins of informal food economies in cities in the Global South, the potential of the informal food sector to contribute to inclusive urban development, the relationship between informal food vendors and the state, and interactions between formal and informal food systems, all of which have important implications for theorizing urban governance and development in Africa and beyond.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: No
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Young, Dr Graeme
• Authors: Crush, J., and Young, G.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences > Urban Studies
• Journal Name: Urban Forum
• Publisher: Springer
• ISSN: 1015-3802
• ISSN (Online): 1874-6330
• Published Online: 11 July 2019
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2019 Springer Nature
• First Published: First published in Urban Forum 30(4):377-384
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher