Improving Urban Food Security in African cities: Critically Assessing the Role of Informal Retailers

Abstract

There is a growing realisation that the issue of food security, for a long time a primarily rural concern, needs to become a focus of urban policy and planning. It is usually assumed that solutions to urban food insecu-rity lie in support for food production (urban agriculture), but research has shown that most African urbanites, including low-income house-holds, source their food from retail outlets. It is therefore essential to consider the urban food marketing and distribution structure and how this impacts on food security and urban poverty. This chapter will first review the evidence from recent research in African cities which supports the argument that urban agriculture is not as important a source of food for the poor as it is often believed to be.