Urban food security – Hungry Cities
reports and discussion papers

 The State of Household Food Security in Nairobi, Kenya presents the results of a city-wide household food security survey of 1,434 Nairobi households, conducted by the Hungry Cities Partnership and the University of Nairobi. Among the key findings was that 70% of households in Kenya’s capital experience food insecurity, with one-quarter severely food insecure. As the first city-wide survey of household food security in Nairobi, this report provides researchers and policy-makers with detailed data and information about the overall food security picture, as well as important insights into the operation of the city’s food system. In particular, the report demonstrates the vital importance of Nairobi’s food markets and associated informal food sector. Consumers believe that the informal food economy offers a wide range of products at a cheaper price than formal food outlets. However, the choice of formal or informal food sources depends on perceptions of a range of factors including affordability, variety, flexibility, proximity, convenience, credit facilities, health risks, freshness and quality. The Hungry Cities Food Purchases Matrix shows which kinds of foods are purchased at which outlets, as well as how many households purchase a particular food item.

The State of Household Food Security in Mexico City, Mexico finds that about one in every four households in Mexico City are severely food insecure, while another quarter are mildly or moderately food insecure. Overall, food insecurity in Mexico’s capital is not a problem of food scarcity or shortage but rather of constrained access to a diverse range of foods. These are among the major findings of a city-wide survey of 1,200 households that are presented and discussed in this report. The survey found that households in Mexico City procure their food products primarily based on proximity and convenience. Most foods are purchased within the households’ neighbourhoods or within walking distance. Markets and small shops are the two most commonly frequented food retailers, followed by markets on wheels and supermarkets. Another key finding is that households whose main income source is formal wage work have on average higher dietary diversity, lower food insecurity, and more consistent food provisioning throughout the year than households whose income source is informal wage work. It is therefore more likely for a household in Mexico City to be food insecure across all measurements if its main source of income is informal wage work. As a critical source of food and livelihoods in Mexico City, small-scale vendors should be given all the support they need from national and local policy makers and other stakeholders.

The State of Household Food Security in Nanjing, China, finds that most of the city’s residents are food secure, with access to desirable foods and high dietary diversity throughout the year. Nanjing has a high level of economic development, low unemployment, and spatially dense food supply networks. However, a high average level of food security obscures the finding that about one household in five is food insecure according to the Household Food Insecurity Access Prevalence indicator. Female-centred households, households that have no formal wage worker, and households with only one member tend to be the most food insecure. The proximity of wet markets and supermarkets to food retail and food procurement by households across Nanjing emerges clearly in this survey, and the relationship between wet markets and supermarkets appears to be more complementary than competitive. The survey found that three in four respondents feel exposed to threats of unsafe food from the production and processing stages of food supply chains, especially from the overuse of agrochemicals in the agriculture and livestock industry. There is a widespread perception that the ineffective enforcement of regulations by local governments is the major cause of food safety problems.