ABSTRACT
There is a disconnection between, on the one hand, a longstanding multilevel governance focus on rural food security and, on the other, an increasing crisis of urban hunger in Africa. The goal of this chapter is to demonstrate the pressing need to recognize and respond to rising urban food insecurity and point to some policy options available to achieve this, illustrated by the case of Nairobi, Kenya. This chapter argues that the central area in need of policy attention is the urban informal sector, with increased attention on food access and nutrient utilization, as opposed to dominant food security approaches, which instead emphasize increasing food production. In Nairobi, food security, along with the lack of attention to its urban dimensions, is further compromised by overlapping and sometimes contradictory policy and legislation from different administrative bodies and levels of governance relating to the informal sector. The city’s low-income residents rely on informal strategies to cope with and creatively respond to uncertain food access: the informal sector, and in particular the informal food retail sector, is crucially important. While some of these informal strategies should be supported by the municipal government of Nairobi, adding new layers of legislation would further complicate food system governance and have weak potential for implementation. Ultimately this chapter has three recommendations: (1) prioritizing urban food security, as distinct from rural food security and urban poverty, (2) reducing projects and policies focused exclusively on productivist approaches, most notably urban agriculture, and (3) simplifying existing processes so residents can access protections in place and enhance existing strategies of expanding food access located in the informal sector. These recommendations do not provide a long-term solution for Nairobi’s growing food access crisis, but are necessary first steps for recognizing it and responding.
