What we are doing
African cities are rapidly growing and having to tangle with the need to provide services for a growing population, while dealing with increasing impacts of climate and economic shocks. Within this context, lack of access to affordable, nourishing food has resulted in a double burden of malnutrition, in which those suffering from stunting and obesity or being overweight are present in the same food system. The lack of access to quality food is often determined by the form of existing infrastructure and lack of quality societal services (water & sanitation, energy, food storage, waste management, etc), and their associated costs. In these contexts, marketplaces, both in Africa and globally, have emerged as a vital space for intervention for food systems education and awareness, for direct improvements to infrastructure and services, and locations for value-addition to food and associated livelihood generation.
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How we are tracking
By the end, several multi-stakeholder dialogues will have been conducted.
Political commitment from both Lusaka and Lilongwe to pursue market improvements (07/2024)
Clear understanding by local government on potential opportunities for market improvement in Lusaka & Lilongwe, with a chosen, supported action plan for phase 2 (07/2024)
Articulation of a responsibility for food systems transformation by participating local government authorities and participating national governments; evidence of uptake of key project lessons by local government officers who have received the project assets. (07/2024)
65% of local and international events are women; >50% of speakers/facilitators in such events are women. (07/2024)
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What we are achieving
Funded by GIZ, this project - coordinated by ICLEI's Global CityFood Program - aims to leverage the potential of fresh food markets to empower citizens to shift to healthier and more diversified nutrition, while improving urban food environments.
While implementation in Phase 1 focused on two African cities - Lusaka (Zambia) and Lilongwe (Malawi) - ICLEI also engaged cities around the world during this phase to exchange on experiences, challenges and good practices related to food markets. ICLEI conducted action-driven multi-stakeholder dialogues in Lusaka and Lilongwe, consultations with local governments around the world (Europe, Latin America, India and the US) to assess current challenges and opportunities related to fresh food markets, as well as city-to-city exchange webinars to foster knowledge sharing across countries and world regions. These activities are culminating in a handbook for city practitioners, which includes case studies and policy recommendations.
Phase 2 will leverage the findings from the participatory action planning process in Phase 1 to develop and implement targeted interventions, including the improvement of market infrastructures and operations, enhancement of consumer nutrition, with emphasis placed on empowering women within these market ecosystems. Additionally, this Phase will aim to strengthen the transformative initiatives established in Phase 1, ensuring their sustainability.
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