Project
Food & nutrition security for low-income groups in rural-urban food systems
Many developing countries are rapidly urbanising. Informal settlements (slums) are expanding. The extent of undernutrition and access to healthy food depends on links to rural areas. Working with local actors, we will develop strategic interventions and practical solutions aimed at improving food security and improving the sustainability of rural-urban connections in food systems.
The rapid pace of urbanisation all over the world, but particularly in developing countries, is leading to some substantial logistical and administrative challenges. A robust, sustainable food system is essential if everyone is to have access to sufficient, healthy food.
Our objective is to work with stakeholders to shed more light on what makes a sustainable, resilient rural-urban food system, with a particular focus on low-income groups concentrated in informal settlements (slums). This research will be carried out in fast-growing cities in Africa and Asia – Dhaka in Bangladesh, Nairobi (Nyeri-Kibera) in Kenya, Kampala/Arua in Uganda and Accra in Ghana.
Identifying effective interventions requires a broad understanding of all of the components of the food system, and of the socio-economic, natural and spatial context of the food system. More than anything, it calls for a contextual understanding of the complex interactions between food system actors. This research will build on the ‘rural-urban food system approach’ with co-creation methods used to develop systemic, social and technical innovations. The outcomes of the system and possible interventions will be evaluated in terms of food security, and using socio-economic, environmental and climate indicators.
Publications
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Black Soldier Fly Larvae (BSFL) and Spirulina - As protein ingredients in affordable, accessible and sustainable feed in Uganda & Kenya?
Wageningen Economic Research (Wageningen Economic Research 2023-007) -
Can Domestic Food Production Provide Future Urban Populations with Food and Nutrition Security?—Insights from Bangladesh, Kenya and Uganda
Sustainability (2023), Volume: 15, Issue: 11 - ISSN 2071-1050 -
The protein transition : How to operationalise use of black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) and spirulina as feed ingrediencies in Kenya and Uganda?
Wageningen Economic Research (Wageningen Economic Research 2023-008) -
When land is provided to the landless - the Solio Ranch Resettlement Scheme, Kenya
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Use of black soldier fly larvae and freshwater shrimp to partly substitute commercial diet for Nile tilapia cultured in smallholder fish farms – A case study in Busia County, Kenya
Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems (2024), Volume: 8 - ISSN 2571-581X -
The protein transition—environmental footprints of farmed fish, microalgae and chicken for food, a case study in Kenya
Environment, Development and Sustainability (2024) - ISSN 1387-585X -
Toward sustainable food systems: can spirulina (Arthrospira platensis) become a sustainable source of protein to enhance the nutritional benefits of cultured Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)?
Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems (2024), Volume: 8 - ISSN 2571-581X -
Reflection report: Linking national climate adaptation and mitigation policies and community-based research : An exploration in case studies in the Global South
Wageningen: Wageningen Environmental Research (Rapport / Wageningen Environmental Research ) -
A learning review on sustainability in food systems research projects : The case of “Food and Nutrition Security for low-income groups in rural-urban Food Systems” (KB-35-102-001)
Wageningen: Wageningen Environmental Research