169 research outputs found
No. 12: The State of Food Insecurity in Johannesburg
Johannesburg is the economic hub of South Africa and the Southern African region. At the same time, it is a city of extremes which juxtaposes ostentatious wealth and conspicuous consumption with grinding poverty and food insecurity. Not enough is known about the prevalence and nature of food insecurity in the city, making it dif!cult to challenge and plan to reduce the urban food gap. This paper uses AFSUN data from three lower-income areas of the city (Alexandra, Orange Farm and the Inner City) to examine the characteristics and drivers of food insecurity in Johannesburg. Despite high overall levels of food insecurity, the three study areas exhibited important differences. While the proportion of food secure households was similar in each area, the proportion of severely food insecure households was highest in the informal settlement of Orange Farm and lowest in Alexandra. Household food insecurity is directly linked to household income as the vast majority of food consumed is purchased not grown. In general, the poorer the household, the greater the proportion of household income that is spent on food. Households rely signi!cantly on supermarkets and the informal food economy as food sources. Less than ten percent are involved in any form of urban agriculture or receive food transfers directly from rural areas. This paper also shows that food insecurity correlates with poor health outcomes and concludes with a discussion of the policy implications of the AFSUN study
The study and development of pulsed high-field magnets for application in laser-plasma physics
The thesis at hand addresses design, characterization and experimental testing of pulsed high-field magnets for utilization in the field of laser-plasma physics. The central task was to establish a technology platform that allows to manipulate laser-driven ion sources in a way that the accelerated ions can be used in complex application studies, e.g. radiobiological cell or tumor irradiation.
Laser-driven ion acceleration in the regime of target normal sheath acceleration (TNSA) offers the unique opportunity to accelerate particles to kinetic energies of few 10MeV on the micrometer scale. The generated bunches are short, intense, show broad exponentially decaying energy spectra and high divergence. In order to efficiently use the generated particles, it is crucial to gain control over their divergence directly after their production. For most applications it additionally is favorable to reduce the energy spread of the beam. This work shows that the developed pulsed high-field magnets, so-called solenoids (cylindrical magnets), can efficiently capture, transport and focus laser-accelerated protons. The chromaticity of the magnetic lens thereby provides for energy selection.
Three prototype solenoids, adapted to fit different application scenarios, and associated current pulse drivers have been developed. The magnets generate fields of several 10 T. Pulse durations are of the order of one millisecond and thus the fields can be considered as quasi-static for laser-plasma interaction processes taking place on the ps- to ns-scale. Their high field strength in combination with abandoning magnetic cores make the solenoids compact and light-weight.
The presented experiments focus on a solenoid magnet designed for the capture of divergent laser-driven ion beams. They have been carried out at the 6MV tandetron accelerator and the laser acceleration source Draco of Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden â Rossendorf as well as at the PHELIX laser of GSI Helmholtzzentrum fĂŒr Schwerionenforschung, Darmstadt
Deflating the fallacy of food deserts: Local food geographies in Orange Farm and inner city Johannesburg
The availability and accessibility of food is constrained by the environments where people live, work and
purchase goods, and the pathways which they use to traverse these. This recognition has given rise to
innovative conceptual frameworks including âfood environmentsâ and âfood desertsâ. These concepts add
a spatial dimension to food security research that could inform food systems governance. Although the
concepts have expanded the understanding of food security in the global North, their application to the
South African context, and to value chains analysis, is still in its infancy. This paper introduces these
frameworks and considers their utility in South African cities. The paper presents recent data emerging
from case studies of local food geographies conducted by the African Food Security Urban Network
(AFSUN). This research proceeded from recognising the importance of informal retail in South African
urban food systems. The case studies mapped formal sector food retail outlets in urban Johannesburg,
correlating these with socio-economic data. Informal food processing and trade were also mapped in
smaller research areas to explore food prevalence and diversity in the local geography and map the
spatial patterns of informal food outlets. These studies reveal that the distribution of supermarkets
entrenches spatial inequalities and constrains access to food distributed through formal value chains.
The studies also reveal spatial and temporal patterns of informal food retail, which provides diverse food
retail outlets clustered around public transport access points, along high traffic pedestrian routes, and
distributed throughout residential spaces. Although healthy foods are available, unhealthy foods and
risky food environments are pervasive. These findings confirm that the concept of food deserts fails to
reflect the diversity of food available and accessible through informal livelihoods and suggests that scalar
network models of food geographies offer better conceptual frameworks
Foodways of the poor in South Africa: How value-chain consolidation, poverty & cultures of consumption feed each other
South African food systems are in a dynamic process of transition due to changes in food value chain
regimes which have major impacts on the poor. However, these transitions are also shaped by demandside
drivers emerging from the 'foodways of the poor' - the ways poor people access food, what kinds of
food they purchase, how they are consumed, and the culturally-conditioned meanings ascribed to food
and eating. To explore these demand-side influences, this paper first considers contrasting current
understandings of what poverty is, and who and where the poor are in South Africa. The paper then
considers recent research findings that cast light on what poor people eat and where they get food, and
how this contrasts with the foodways of better-off people. The emerging patterns â a predilection for
cheap grain staples, sugar, soft drinks and chicken frequently sourced through informal channels -
suggest that, next to structural determinants such as price and convenience, the symbolic and aspirational
domain of food aesthetics and the social functions of visible consumption as symbols of wealth are key
forces shaping the foodways of the poor. The provisioning strategies and preferences of the poor â about
half of the South African population - emerge as powerful forces rippling back up value chains, and
contributing to key trends in the food system such as consolidating and concentrating core value chains
such as maize, wheat, poultry and dairy, with social, environmental and health impacts. In contrast to a
top-down cascade imposing poverty and hunger, this perspective suggests complex feedback loops
between the upstream nodes of food value chains, and the culturally conditioned agency of the poor. This
exploration highlights a paucity of research on the links between the foodways of poor people and other
aspects of the food system, including poverty narratives, food geographies, informality, and feedback
loops in specific value chains. Innovative and trans-disciplinary research approaches and inclusive
frameworks are needed to address knowledge gaps and inform transitions towards more transparent and
equitable food systems
Foodways of the poor in South Africa: How poor people get food, what they eat, and how this shapes our food system
Foodways are the set of strategies shaping what food
people choose as well as how and where they access
and consume it. Informed by culture and social
context, the foodways of the poor simultaneously
respond to and influence food systems change.
South African food systems are in a process of change.
These changes are caused by many factors, including
urbanisation, consolidation and concentration in food
value chains, and changing dietary patterns. These
transitions have important consequences for the
nature of poverty and food insecurity.
However, poor people are not simply passive victims
of food systems transition. They make concrete and
deliberate decisions about what foods they eat, where
they get the food they want and need, and how to
deal with the difficulties this involves. These strategies
are often complex and are informed by local
knowledge, cultural preference, economic
considerations and many other factors. In addition to
responding to price and convenience, foodways
express peoples' aspirations, their sense of identity
and belonging. These foodways play a role in
influencing the strategies of âBig Foodâ - powerful food
corporations which are transforming food
environments
No. 12: The State of Food Insecurity in Johannesburg
Johannesburg is the economic hub of South Africa and the Southern African region. At the same time, it is a city of extremes which juxtaposes ostentatious wealth and conspicuous consumption with grinding poverty and food insecurity. Not enough is known about the prevalence and nature of food insecurity in the city, making it dif!cult to challenge and plan to reduce the urban food gap. This paper uses AFSUN data from three lower-income areas of the city (Alexandra, Orange Farm and the Inner City) to examine the characteristics and drivers of food insecurity in Johannesburg. Despite high overall levels of food insecurity, the three study areas exhibited important differences. While the proportion of food secure households was similar in each area, the proportion of severely food insecure households was highest in the informal settlement of Orange Farm and lowest in Alexandra. Household food insecurity is directly linked to household income as the vast majority of food consumed is purchased not grown. In general, the poorer the household, the greater the proportion of household income that is spent on food. Households rely signi!cantly on supermarkets and the informal food economy as food sources. Less than ten percent are involved in any form of urban agriculture or receive food transfers directly from rural areas. This paper also shows that food insecurity correlates with poor health outcomes and concludes with a discussion of the policy implications of the AFSUN study
Lockdown, resilience and emergency statecraft in the Cape Town food system
Well before the Covid-19 pandemic, rapidly growing cities of the global South were at the epicenter of multiple converging crises affecting food systems. Globally, government lockdown responses to the disease triggered shocks which cascaded unevenly through urban food systems, exacerbating food insecurity. Cities worldwide developed strategies to mitigate shocks, but research on statecraft enabling food systems resilience is sparse. Addressing this gap, we analyse the case of the African metropolis of Cape Town, where lockdown disrupted livelihoods, mobility and food provision, deepening food insecurity. Employing a vital systems security lens, we show how civil society and state networks mobilised to mitigate and adapt to lockdown impacts. Building on preceding institutional transformations, civil society and state collaborated to deliver emergency food aid, while advocacy networks raised food on the political agenda, formulated proposals, and navigated these through a widened policy window. Emergency statecraft assembled networks and regulatory instruments to secure food systems, enhance preparedness for future disruptions and present opportunities for transition towards more sustainable food systems. However, current food systems configuration enabled powerful actors to resist deeper transformation while devolving impacts to community networks. Despite resilient vested interests and power disparities, advocacy coalitions can anticipate and leverage crises to incrementally advance transformational, pro-poor statecraft
Dietary patterns, food insecurity, and their relationships with food sources and social determinants in two small island developing states
Small Island Developing States (SIDS) have high burdens of nutrition-related chronic
diseases. This has been associated with lack of access to adequate and affordable nutritious foods
and increasing reliance on imported foods. Our aim in this study was to investigate dietary patterns
and food insecurity and assess their associations with socio-demographic characteristics and food
sources. We recruited individuals aged 15 years and above from rural and urban areas in Fiji (n = 186)
and St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) (n = 147). Data collection included a 24 h diet recall, food
source questionnaire and the Food Insecurity Experience Scale. We conducted latent class analysis
to identify dietary patterns, and multivariable regression to investigate independent associations
with dietary patterns
Digital storytelling for policy impact: Perspectives from co-producing knowledge for food system governance in South Africa
Post-positivist critics of the linear-rational understanding of the role of knowledge
in decision making have long argued the need for the construction of socially robust knowledge to
illuminate policy problems from a variety of perspectives, including lived experiences. This article charts the attempts of researchers to employ a creative method,
digital storytelling, alongside more traditional scientific data in stakeholder deliberations to inform
local food governance in South Africa
Fostering communities of practice for improved food democracy : experiences and learning from South Africa
The highly concentrated formal agri-food sector holds enormous power in the governance of the food system in South Africa. Yet the concept of food democracy holds that all people should have an equal opportunity to participate in (re)shaping their food system. To contribute to decision making, however, stakeholders not only need access to knowledge about the food system, but should also be able to inform what is considered relevant knowledge. Communities of practiceâgroups of people who share a common interest or concern and who deepen their knowledge and expertise in this area by interacting on an ongoing basisâprovide novel spaces for stakeholder involvement in food governance. This article sets out the process of establishing and maintaining a community of (food) practice in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Through participant observation, analysis of unpublished documents, as well as in depth interviews, the core elements of the community of practice are charted over its 3 yr history. The article demonstrates the informal and evolving nature of communities of practice as social learning structures that can gain credibility and potentially develop into more formal democratic institutions over.The DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence in Food Security, South Africahttps://wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/uar2hj2022Political Science
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