City and Local Authorities and Food Supply and Distribution

City and Local Authorities are given increasing responsibilities that are associated with urban food security and food marketing:

• the formulation of urban or municipal policies;
• the execution of investment and development programmes;
• the planning, constructing and management of urban markets, food loading and unloading areas, slaughterhouses, docks, stations and transport infrastructure
• the maintenance and upgrading of public infrastructure as well as the provision of water, toilets, lighting, drainage, sewage and waste disposal;
• the regulation of public land occupancy and construction;
• the levying of municipal taxes and market fees;
• the control of food quality and sale-point hygiene;
• the promotion of security throughout the urban areas;
• the regulation of commercial activities; and
• the control of unauthorized food-trading activities.

City and Local Authorities are faced with a number of constraints in accomplishing their responsibilities:

• decision-makers are not fully aware of the issues involved;
• policy and investment decisions are often taken on a non-technical basis or are imposed by Central Government;
• available resources are insufficient to address the large number of problems. Resources are not increased with the increase in responsibilities;
• available market infrastructure is inadequate;
• disbursement procedures for loans received from Central Government and Donor Agencies are cumbersome;
• staff is insufficient. Its technical and managerial skills are inadequate with respect to food marketing, problem analysis, programme design, implementation, monitoring and follow-up, etc.;
• dialogue with the private sector is insufficient;
• co-ordination and collaboration with Central Government are inadequate.

As a result:

• public investments in badly planned market infrastructure do not contribute to local economic and social development;
• municipal revenues generated by market activities are not adequately reinvested, markets are not properly maintained and services to market users remain insufficient;
• private investments in food marketing are not stimulated;
• municipal regulations are not respected and not updated to reflect changes in the food economy and commercial practices;
• prices paid by urban consumers for accessing food are higher than they need be.

Urban Consumers More Vulnerable to Food Insecurity

• The unemployed;
• the newly urbanised people, usually the rural poor, who have difficulties in rapidly integrating into a new urban environment;
• single mothers with dependent children;
• civil servants whose salaries are paid late;
• those living on small-scale activities, often in the informal economy.
• the disabled, the sick and the old, without family support.

These consumers and their families usually live in the outlying neighbourhoods, in temporary or precarious dwellings, without infrastructure and services. These areas are often ignored by City and Local Authorities.