Food security and the urban informal economy in South Africa: The state of knowledge and perspectives from street-food traders in Khayelitsha

[摘要] ENGLISH SUMMARY: An emerging body of research suggests acute levels of food insecurity in urban informal areas (See Naicker et al 2015; Crush & Caesar 2014; Rudolph et al 2012; Battersby 2011; Frayne et al 2009; de Wet et al 2008). Simultaneously, available research indicates substantial reliance on the informal economy to satisfy daily/weekly food needs of urban informal residents (See Crush & Frayne 2011; Battersby 2011; Frayne et al 2009). Nevertheless, the food security contribution of the informal food economy on the margins of South Africa's cities, particularly of street-foods, is poorly conceived and supported. By systematically reviewing the contemporary literature (2009-2014), this research maps out the present state of knowledge about the informal food economy and its contribution to food (in)security. It explores the illusive nature of the 'invisible crisis'1 of urban food insecurity and what is known about the role played by the informal economy in this regard. Building on the results and gaps from the systematic review, fieldwork findings – in the form of in-depth immersive 'apprenticeships' with two street-food traders in Khayelitsha township – are then presented and discussed. The findings reveal an informal economy that trades not only in food commodities but also in the provision of other socially invaluable services: of kinship, reciprocity, tradition and nostalgia. Contrary to mainstream theories, traders were neither forced into the informal economy, nor do they wish to formalise. Food security literature was found to focus on techno-scientific food-centric perspectives of the informal economy, which, while valuable, is largely divorced from the lived realities, means and concerns of workers in the informal food economy. The thesis concludes that, in the absence of human-centred, trader-centric accounts of the informal food economy, there is little prospect for appropriate prescriptions and successful interventions.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University