Food Security in African Cities - The Role of Food Supply and Distribution Systems

Table of Contents

Martine Padilla

“Food into Cities” Collection

Communication delivered to the Sub-regional FAO-ISRA Seminar
“Food supply and distribution in francophone African Towns”
Dakar, 14-17 April 1997

(working paper)

AC/13-97E - © FAO

Table of Contents

THE AUTHOR

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER 1: THE LESSONS OF THE PAST: DIFFERENT CONCEPTS OF SECURITY AND MODES OF IMPLEMENTATION

1.1 - Supply systems linked to the history of government policy

1.1.1 - Food planning and supplies
1.1.2 - Self-reliant food security and food supplies
1.1.3 - Outward-looking food security and food supplies

1.2 - The transition towards liberalization and modalities of implementation

1.2.1 -The Maghreb case: Maintaining a strict centrally-planned framework with profitability obligations
1.2.2 - The case of Latin America: The coexistence of two sub-systems
1.2.3 - The case of Sub-Saharan Africa: The development of a peri-urban zone and the rise of the informal sector

CHAPTER 2: THE PRESENT AFRICAN URBAN CONTEXT AND THE CHALLENGES TO FSDS

2.1 - The magnitude of urbanization and its repercussions

2.1.1 - Is there a new urban consumer?
2.1.2 - Enlarged distribution networks

2.2 - Poverty and living standards

2.2.1 - Extent, depth and features of the new poverty
2.2.2 - At-risk groups, and where they are
2.2.3 - The living standards of the urban African population under the SAPs

2.3 - Socio-economic and political instability

CHAPTER 3: DIFFERENT CONCEPTS OF FOOD SECURITY AND THEIR ABILITY TO RESPOND TO THE CHALLENGES RAISED BY URBAN GROWTH

3.1 - Different concepts of food security and their objectives
3.2 - Implications of the choice of concepts for food security action

CHAPTER 4: STRUCTURAL ADJUSTMENT AND FOOD STABILIZATION AND SECURITY POLICY

4.1 - SAPs and modalities of implementation
4.2 - Consequences of SAPs on FSDS and food security

4.2.1 - Immediately perceptible consequences

4.2.1.1 - Availability
4.2.1.2 - Risks

4.2.2 - What is the likely future against this background?

CHAPTER 5: WHAT FOOD SUPPLY AND DISTRIBUTION POLICIES ARE NEEDED FOR URBAN FOOD SECURITY BY THE YEAR 2020?

5.1 - Should the choice for urban supply be based on national, regional or international resources?
5.2 - The role of government and its institutions
5.3 - Devolution of power
5.4 - How to foster employment, and under what conditions
5.5 - The role of the financial institutions
5.6 - Information and information management

CHAPTER 6: FSDS DEVELOPMENT POLICIES FOR THE YEAR 2020

6.1 - A methodological framework for defining FSDS development policies for food security
6.2 - The need for clarity in government objectives

6.2.1 - Food security or economism?
6.2.2 - Control of the private sector v. total liberalization
6.2.3 - Market stabilization v. pricing freedom
6.2.4 - Immediate distribution and commercial effectiveness v. long-term market development

6.3 - A multi-disciplinary approach is needed to set up programmes and establish the food economy approach
6.4 - The need for food security surveillance and FSDS evaluation systems

CHAPTER 7: CONCLUSIONS

BIBLIOGRAPHY