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Food Insecurity, Poverty and Informality

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Rapid Urbanisation, Urban Food Deserts and Food Security in Africa

Abstract

Although Mozambique has one of Africa’s fastest growing formal economies, its informal economy has remained extremely dynamic and resilient. This is particularly evident in the capital, Maputo where over 75 % of the economically-active population are estimated to be in informal employment. The informal sector plays a critical role in the urban food system of Maputo and is the major supplier of food to households in Maputo’s poverty belt, where the majority of the population lives. This chapter therefore focuses on the relationship between the levels of household food insecurity in Maputo and the informal food system. Using data from AFSUN’s baseline survey in the city, the chapter demonstrates that the poverty belt is characterised by high levels of food insecurity but that the informal economy plays a critical role in making food accessible to poor urban households. Without the ability to access food from informal sources, households would be significantly worse off than they already are.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Eduardo Mondlane University, Praça 25 de Junho, 257, Maputo, CP 257, Mozambique

    Inês Raimundo

  2. Balsillie School of International Affairs, 67 Erb St West, Waterloo, ON, Canada

    Jonathan Crush

  3. Cape Town, South Africa

    Wade Pendleton

Authors
  1. Inês Raimundo
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  2. Jonathan Crush
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  3. Wade Pendleton
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Correspondence to Jonathan Crush .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. International Migration Research Centre, Balsillie School of Intern Affairs International Migration Research Centre, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

    Jonathan Crush

  2. African Centre for Cities, University of Cape Town African Centre for Cities, Rondebosch, Cape Town, South Africa

    Jane Battersby

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Raimundo, I., Crush, J., Pendleton, W. (2016). Food Insecurity, Poverty and Informality. In: Crush, J., Battersby, J. (eds) Rapid Urbanisation, Urban Food Deserts and Food Security in Africa. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-43567-1_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-43567-1_6

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-43566-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-43567-1

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