Socio-spatial relations of food vending in Harare, Zimbabwe

Abstract

Urban life for lower income residents in cities in Southern Africa brings significant challenges with it, threatening their food security. These challenges are more complex than the lack of availability of food. Instead these relate to the income, spatial and structural factors that characterize the urban (food) system. The socio-economic situation in Zimbabwe, with high inflation, currency issues, and a declining economy has worsened food security in rural and urban areas. Food vendors have been found to be responsive to the challenges faced, specifically in Harare in past crises in the country, and are already feeding low-income households in cities at scale. At the same time, these food vendors are criminalized and subject to policy responses, ranging from neglect to destruction. These policies undermine the access of households to affordable and nutritious food by making food vendor operations more difficult, ultimately worsening food security. This research explores food vendors’ social relations and social manifestations in Harare, discussing what makes vendors responsive to the challenges of urban residents and to the overall context faced in the country. The responses of vendors underscore the agency and resilience of vendors seen in the relations with food provisioning actors, consumers and governance actors. The understanding generated through this analysis aims to contribute to informed policies so that the food vendors’ contribution to food security can be harnessed and enabled.