Abstract
Background
Food and nutrition loss is among the shocks that continue to affect food systems worldwide . At the local level, increased food loss among smallholder farmers and marketers results in loss of produce and reduced profit margins. This scenario consequently leads to food insecure households, and a loss of nutritional security for urban consumers . Findings from the Africities Project show substantial food and nutrition losses at the harvest, post-harvest, transportation, and open-air food markets of the urban food value chain . Drivers of food loss such as food spoilage, theft, lack of storage facilities, lack of own transportation vessels were cited . To address these challenges, the project seeks to transition from only examining the bottlenecks in the four stages of the agrifood chain, to the trialing of context-specific innovations and interventions in these stages .
Methods
This is a mixed methods (quantitative and qualitative) study that involved surveys and interviews focused on smallholder farmers and other key actors in the urban agrifood chains . The development of the data collection tool was done in partnership with key stakeholders, policymakers, and researchers . Focus Group Discussions, workshops, stakeholder engagement meetings, and exchange visits between farmers from Lusaka and Mzuzu in Malawi were also done .
Results/Policy implications
In leveraging lessons learnt to reduce food losses, key interventions have been co-created. These include building capacity in affordable technologies and food preservation methods, building standardized infrastructure and shelter, promoting food bulking and improvement of road infrastructure to avert transportation challenges, consumer sensitization on the purchase and consumption of dried foods, own feed making for fish farmers to minimize the cost of production and reduce fish stunted growth, the building of food banks to reduce the dumping of food, protect the environment and feed vulnerable urban households, among others . New policies to address urban food loss are needed
Food and nutrition loss is among the shocks that continue to affect food systems worldwide . At the local level, increased food loss among smallholder farmers and marketers results in loss of produce and reduced profit margins. This scenario consequently leads to food insecure households, and a loss of nutritional security for urban consumers . Findings from the Africities Project show substantial food and nutrition losses at the harvest, post-harvest, transportation, and open-air food markets of the urban food value chain . Drivers of food loss such as food spoilage, theft, lack of storage facilities, lack of own transportation vessels were cited . To address these challenges, the project seeks to transition from only examining the bottlenecks in the four stages of the agrifood chain, to the trialing of context-specific innovations and interventions in these stages .
Methods
This is a mixed methods (quantitative and qualitative) study that involved surveys and interviews focused on smallholder farmers and other key actors in the urban agrifood chains . The development of the data collection tool was done in partnership with key stakeholders, policymakers, and researchers . Focus Group Discussions, workshops, stakeholder engagement meetings, and exchange visits between farmers from Lusaka and Mzuzu in Malawi were also done .
Results/Policy implications
In leveraging lessons learnt to reduce food losses, key interventions have been co-created. These include building capacity in affordable technologies and food preservation methods, building standardized infrastructure and shelter, promoting food bulking and improvement of road infrastructure to avert transportation challenges, consumer sensitization on the purchase and consumption of dried foods, own feed making for fish farmers to minimize the cost of production and reduce fish stunted growth, the building of food banks to reduce the dumping of food, protect the environment and feed vulnerable urban households, among others . New policies to address urban food loss are needed
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publication status | Published - 28 Jun 2023 |
| Event | XX ISA World Congress of Sociology: Resurgent Authoritarianism: The Sociology of New Entanglements of Religions, Politics, and Economies - Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Melbourne, Australia Duration: 25 Jun 2023 → 1 Jul 2023 Conference number: XX https://www.isa-sociology.org/en/conferences/world-congress/melbourne-2023 |
Conference
| Conference | XX ISA World Congress of Sociology: Resurgent Authoritarianism: The Sociology of New Entanglements of Religions, Politics, and Economies |
|---|---|
| Abbreviated title | ISA 2023 World Congress |
| Country/Territory | Australia |
| City | Melbourne |
| Period | 25/06/23 → 1/07/23 |
| Internet address |
