- 09/01/2025
Hunger and malnutrition in all forms continues to rise in Africa and Asia. Urban and rural communities’ diets in Southeast Asia (SEA) are increasingly unhealthy, with consumption influenced by affordability and convenience. The cost of a healthy diet is a major barrier to accessing healthy foods in SEA. Wet markets are key places in food environments where people buy and sell a variety of foods. They are especially important for food and nutrition insecure communities. This mini narrative review explores the role that wet markets, in SEA food environments, play in providing local communities with access to healthy foods. Fourteen peer-review papers, published in English between 2017 and 2022, were identified during screening and analysed according to six food environment domains. Findings highlight that convenient access to wet markets facilitates access to fruits and vegetables in peri urban and urban areas. Fresh foods, most notably fruits, were viewed as being more expensive than processed foods which in turn influenced purchasing behavior. Divergent findings were presented in the identified papers regarding affordability of food in wet markets. Concerns about food quality and the use of chemicals and pesticides were raised. This review was constrained by several factors including the lack of consistent and meaningful definitions and typologies of the varied forms of wet markets. Looking ahead, better defined interpretations of wet markets can enhance the development and refinement of appropriate policies and actions and comparison of wet markets, in respect of access to diverse, healthy foods, vendor practices and consumer food choices.
- 08/01/2025
Traditional food markets in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are pivotal urban spaces, especially for vulnerable populations. These markets are vibrant hubs for commerce, cultural exchange, and social interaction, yet they face challenges such as food safety issues, inadequate infrastructure, and regulation that is a complex mix of informal mechanisms in need of a balanced degree of formalization. Rapid urbanization in SSA and the vulnerabilities of informal settlements underline their enduring importance. The COVID-19 pandemic further highlighted their crucial role in promoting food access, supporting local economies, and preserving social connections during crises. However, a comprehensive understanding of their multifaceted impact on urban life remains limited. This study provides a systematic narrative literature review with the aims of mapping the existing literature and evaluating their complex impact on vulnerable communities. The review employed a systematic search strategy, encompassing research studies and gray literature. It highlights the geographic distribution of studies across SSA, with a concentration in East and Southern Africa.
- 12/08/2024
Climate change is a threat to the sustainability of global and national food systems. Unsustainable food systems cannot ensure food and nutrition security or healthy eating patterns. Climate change is already altering agricultural production, food processing, distribution, and conSumption. Its impacts disrupt food supply, limiting people’s access to the diverse, safe, and nutritious foods that make up high-quality diets.
- 12/02/2024
The Kenya Food Systems Dashboard, unveiled in February 2024 and managed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, brings together much-needed data to support this food systems transformation. It includes an overview of Kenya’s food system, offering valuable insights into both opportunities and challenges.
- 28/11/2023
A strategy to catalyse a global food systems transformation for people, planet and prosperity using cities as entry points.
- 25/08/2023
The 2021 UN Food System Summit led to strategic pathways for food system transformation in countries, supported by an Ecosystem of Support (EoS).
This analysis evaluates transformation progress, suggests principles for effective EoS functioning, and emphasizes flexibility while respecting national leadership and promoting collaboration, inclusivity, and transparency and decision-making in advancing food system goals.
- 03/11/2022
The global food system is experiencing the worst crisis in history. Unlike the food price crisis of 2007-8, in 2022 there is a convergence of multiple crises. Hunger and malnutrition have soared in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19).
- 23/02/2022
This paper responds to the need to better understand the interaction between gender norms and urban food systems in low- and middle-income countries. More people are living in cities than ever before. As a result, the role played by urban food systems is of growing importance at both the population level and for individuals, especially women, who are considered responsible for meal provision in most cultures.
- 27/01/2022
Nowadays, 1 in 10 children is overweight or obese and this number is rising. While overweight and obesity was once considered a high-income country (HIC) problem, low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are now increasingly confronted with overweight and obesity in their populations alongside the still existing problems related to undernutrition.
- 14/10/2021
Understanding urban specific contexts and food system challenges during the pandemic is the first step towards the co-design of policy options. Between December 2020 and April 2021, GAIN conducted a mixed method Rapid Needs Assessment of the urban food system in Machakos and Kiambu (Kenya), Beira and Pemba (Mozambique), and Rawalpindi and Peshawar (Pakistan).
