ABSTRACT
National and local government in Zambia understand there to be little formal role for local government in the governance of the food system. Local government does, however, have a significant role in the planning and management of market spaces, a significant site of food retail. This chapter argues that decisions about the governance of markets in Kitwe, which shape the food system, are being made without their food system implications being considered. Governance decisions are rather being made on the basis of a normative view of an idealized ‘modern’ city, the limited capacity or resources to achieve this ideal, and the need to curate a complicated set of relationships with external stakeholders.
