Narrative explorations of the role of the informal food sector in food flows and sustainable transitions during the COVID-19 lockdown

Urban Farm DB summary

An ethnographic study using in-depth interviews and participant observation, conducted April to November 2020 with thematic analysis, examined the role of the informal food sector in food flows in Cape Town, South Africa, during the COVID-19 lockdown. The informal food sector has historically been subject to exclusionary urban policies, and lockdown regulations caused food flows through the sector to cease, resulting in job loss and increased food insecurity. The sector subsequently reshaped food flows through urban agriculture, food aid programmes and community change, though it can also hinder urban modernisation. The study concludes regulatory frameworks need to be more inclusive of the sector.