No. 20: The State of Food Insecurity in Maputo, Mozambique

Food insecurity is a fact of life for the vast majority of households across Maputo’s poverty belt. The Maputo urban food security survey done by AFSUN as part of its baseline survey of 11 Southern African cities found that households exist in a constant state of food insecurity manifested in a lack of access to sufficient affordable food, poor dietary quality and undernutrition. Income is meagre and only those households with access to wage income have any chance of holding food insecurity at bay. With a vibrant informal food economy, Maputo’s poor are surrounded by fresh and processed food. Food availability is therefore not the primary determinant of food insecurity in Maputo. Certainly large-scale food import from South Africa and further afield makes the market price of food inherently volatile. But prices for the consumer are also driven down by the fact that there is intense competition among vendors on the streets and in the marketplaces. The real cause of food insecurity is high urban unemployment and a lack of regular and decent-paying work. Among its recommendations, AFSUN urges the city of Maputo to set up a food security strategy that is multisectoral and policy-oriented and based on a better understanding of food flows into and within the city, the operation of the city’s informal food economy and the likely impacts of formal retailing for the food security of the urban poor

No. 20: The State of Food Insecurity in Maputo, Mozambique

Food insecurity is a fact of life for the vast majority of households across Maputo’s poverty belt. The Maputo urban food security survey done by AFSUN as part of its baseline survey of 11 Southern African cities found that households exist in a constant state of food insecurity manifested in a lack of access to sufficient affordable food, poor dietary quality and undernutrition. Income is meagre and only those households with access to wage income have any chance of holding food insecurity at bay. With a vibrant informal food economy, Maputo’s poor are surrounded by fresh and processed food. Food availability is therefore not the primary determinant of food insecurity in Maputo. Certainly large-scale food import from South Africa and further afield makes the market price of food inherently volatile. But prices for the consumer are also driven down by the fact that there is intense competition among vendors on the streets and in the marketplaces. The real cause of food insecurity is high urban unemployment and a lack of regular and decent-paying work. Among its recommendations, AFSUN urges the city of Maputo to set up a food security strategy that is multisectoral and policy-oriented and based on a better understanding of food flows into and within the city, the operation of the city’s informal food economy and the likely impacts of formal retailing for the food security of the urban poor

HCP report No. 2 : the urban food system of Maputo, Mozambique

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC

Gender, choice and migration: household dynamics and urbanisation in Mozambique

ABSTRACT Very little empirical research has been done on migration in Mozambique and the existing material emphasizes labour migration. Migrants are an essential component of international, regional and national economies and a significant channel of the flow of labour. However, there are scholars who have conventionally perceived migration as a negative with respect to its relationship with development, rapid urbanisation; its resulting consequences and their impact upon the household structure. While it is true cities perhaps offer more advantages – better economic conditions and amenities – in reality they become a detriment reducing theirs group’s capacity to maintain a level of satisfaction. Conversely, because of migration into urban areas, rural areas become depopulated and register a decline in the labour force. Still, there is positive insight to be gained about migration. Through remittances, migrant workers provide money and goods to those who are left behind. Poor family members who remain at home use the cash to pay for services such as healthcare, education, agricultural tools, small enterprises, water tanks, solar panel, irrigation schemes, etc. The migration process is begins with a motive or reason. This means a decision is taken: move or not to move, based upon a complex set of factors. Such factors may involve many people, households and families or the community; and all depend on the circumstances in which the decision is made. Also, their level of knowledge of opportunities and localities to go to or avoid is very important for any decision connected with migration. Lastly, the decision to relocate or not depends upon the judgements of individuals or groups about migration being the right thing to do under circumstances. It must be remembered – such a decision may or not be the correct thing to do, from someone else’s perspective. From this point, I drove my research to understand how the decision to migrate occurs. My investigation took into account, the household’s structure and how gender relations have been built as well as the extent to which this migration has contributed for urbanization. In Mozambique, there was an increase in female migrant between the first post-independence national census of 1980 and the second national census of 1997. There are, however, visible geographic differences of the locality of rural-urban migration in relation to the place of origin for these women. In Maputo, capital of Mozambique, there is an evident increase in women from southern part of the country but considerably fewer numbers originate from the north. Some justify it is the distance that makes the difference. The reasoning is: the distance from the furthest Northern Province to Maputo is about 2,700 km. This thesis demonstrates that beyond the issue of distance and weak transportation facilities, there are other influential factors which also contribute to the creation of those differences. Therefore, these factors are analysed within this thesis. Most of the conclusions I advance in this thesis were made possible through understanding the gender construction in Mozambique – within the context of the changes which have occurred over the thirty years since independence. In fact, a married woman from the south of the Zambezi River, a patrilineal society was not able to make any decision without the authorization of the husband or husbands’ relatives. This is because she was owned by her husband as he had made the payment of lobolo. The act of paying lobolo gives the husband the right to decide everything about his wife’s life – including authorization to do businesses, travel, and so on. In the north, the situation is the exact opposite. The migration of women commenced with the beginning of the liberation war in 1964. At that time, many girls joined the FRELIMO’s guerrillas, usually following orders from their parents and/or following their boyfriends.. In reality, for these women as well as for their parents, it was not an easy decision to take. Northern Mozambique is a matrilineal and highly Islamic society, where women do not have free mobility unless in specific situations such as war. Approximately 148 people were interviewed about their life histories. Focus Group Discussions made it possible to obtain a clear picture of gender migration in Mozambique. The thesis shows some considerable differences in how the decision to migrate occurs within the household in both the southern and northern regions of the country. The thesis concludes by stating that migration in Mozambique is firstly a continuation of traditional routes of trade and labour migration in both northern and southern Mozambique. Secondly, in northern Mozambique, the overall trend of migration into the city capital is still low. This is due to the great travel distance. However other influencing factor is the northern region’s strong connection of the regional economy with bordering countries to the north – Tanzania and Malawi. Thirdly this thesis demonstrates that in northern Mozambique, women are still tied by patriarchy norms with a little evidence of the impact of past-independence events. Fourthly, women from southern Mozambique have gained relative freedom to move from their homelands without previous agreements with in-laws. Lastly, the thesis demonstrates that post independence events have changed the structure of households and way of life matters including migration. This is done outside the traditional structure of the household greatly impacting southern Mozambican culture. As far I could ascertain in this research, it is a fact that women’s migration and gender relations in Mozambique must be analysed in reference to a specific space and chronological contexts. This is due to several lifestyle adaptations over the course of 30 years of independence which have influenced women – either directly or their households. Additional outside influences, such as global economic changes also impact the lives of female migrants in Mozambique

Targeting vulnerable populations : a synthetic review on alcohol use and risky sexual behaviour among migrant populations

Background: Research has demonstrated a link between alcohol use and risky sexual behaviour among different types of migrant populations. Therefore, research investigating risk factors associated with alcohol consumption among them is a public health priority. This review aimed to explore the intersection between migration, alcohol consumption and risky sexual behaviour. Methods: This article is a synthetic review of empirical studies on the association of alcohol and high-risk sexual behaviour among different types of the migrant populations, focusing on measurable outcomes generated from quantitative data. A descriptive analysis generated from global and situational studies was used to interpret the reviewed research and to discuss critically the factors that drive migrants to engage in alcohol consumption and high-risk behaviour. Results: This review found out that there is a significant and positive association between global and situational alcohol use and several outcomes of risky sexual behaviour among different types of migrant populations. This association was however mainly observed at high quantities and frequencies of alcohol use, mainly among male migrants, and was often tied to a specific situation or context, for instance the type of sexual partner, the level of mobility and to environmental factors such as living arrangements and entertainment venues. Conclusions: The study supports previous research that alcohol use is associated with risky sexual behaviour among different types of migrant populations. Therefore, future interventions should target mobile, male migrant heavy drinkers. Additional research is needed using more event-level and longitudinal methodologies that overcome prior methodological limitations

Factors influencing risky sexual behaviour among Mozambican miners : a socio-epidemiological contribution for HIV prevention framework in Mozambique

Background: Information dealing with social and behavioural risk factors as well as their mechanisms among Mozambican migrants working in South African mines remains undocumented. This study aims to understand the various factors influencing HIV-related risk behaviours and the resulting HIV positive status of Mozambican miners employed by South African mines. This analysis was undertaken in order to inform a broader and more effective HIV preventive framework in Mozambique. Method: This study relied upon data sourced from the first Integrated Biological and Behavioural Survey among Mozambican miners earning their living in South African mines. It employs quantitative techniques using standard statistical tools to substantiate the laid-down objectives. The primary technique applied in this paper is the multivariable statistical method used in the formulation and application of a proximate determinants framework. Results: The odds of reporting one sexual partner were roughly three times higher for miners working as perforators as opposed to other types of occupation. As well, the odds of condom use - always or sometimes - for miners in the 31-40 age group were three times higher than the odds of condom use in the 51+ age group. Miners with lower education levels were less likely to use condoms. The odds of being HIV positive when the miner reports use of alcohol or drugs (sometimes/always) is 0.32 times lower than the odds for those reporting never use of alcohol or drugs. And finally, the odds of HIV positive status for those using condoms were 2.16 times that of miners who never used condoms, controlling for biological and other proximate determinants. Conclusion: In Mozambique, behavioural theory emphasising personal behavioural changes is the main strategy to combat HIV among miners. Our findings suggest there is a need to change thinking processes about how to influence safer sexual behaviour. This is viewed to be the result of a person's individual decision, due to of the complexity of social and contextual factors that may also influence sexual behaviours. This only stresses the need for HIV prevention strategies to exclusively transcend individual factors while considering the broader social and contextual phenomena influencing HIV risk among Mozambican miners

No. 02: The State of Urban Food Insecurity in Southern Africa

The number of people living in urban areas is rising rapidly in Southern Africa. By mid-century, the region is expected to be 60% urban. Rapid urbanization is leading to growing food insecurity in the region’s towns and cities. This paper presents the results of the first ever regional study of the prevalence of food insecurity in Southern Africa. The AFSUN food security household survey was conducted simultaneously in 2008-9 in 11 cities in 8 SADC countries. The results confirm high levels of food insecurity amongst the urban poor in terms of food availability, accessibility, reliability and dietary diversity. The survey provides important insights into the causes of food insecurity and the kinds of households that are most vulnerable to food insecurity. It also shows the heavy reliance of the urban poor on informal food sources and the growing importance of supermarket chains

Preoperative omega-6/omega-3 fatty acid ratio could predict postoperative outcomes in patients with surgically resected non-small-cell lung cancer

Introduction: The aim of this study was to determine whether preoperative nutritional status and inflammatory status, specifically polyunsaturated acids and the omega 6/3 ratio, would affect postoperative outcomes and complications in patients with lung cancer undergoing lung resection. Methods: This prospective observational study included 68 patients with early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer who were candidates for radical surgery. A complete nutritional assessment was performed. The primary study variable was postoperative complications and mortality in the first 30 days. Descriptive, bivariate, and logistic regression analyses were carried out. Results: A total of 50 men (73.53%) and 18 women (26.47%) underwent surgery, with a median age of 64.2 (±9.74) years. The mean omega 6/3 ratio was 17.39 (±9.45). A complication occurred in 39.7% of the study sample (n = 27), the most common being persistent air leak in 23.53% (n = 16). After performing the bivariate analysis, the only variable that remained significant was the omega 6/3 ratio; we observed that it had a prognostic value for persistent air leak (p = 0.001) independent of age, sex, comorbidity, preoperative respiratory function, and approach or type of surgery. The remaining nutritional and inflammatory markers did not have a statistically significant association (p > 0.05) with postoperative complications. However, this significance was not maintained in the multivariate analysis by a small margin (p = 0.052; 95% CI: 0.77-1.41). Conclusions: Omega 6/3 ratio may be a prognostic factor for air leak, independent of the patient's clinical and pathological characteristics

Informal Entrepreneurship and Cross-Border Trade in Maputo, Mozambique

This report presents the results of a SAMP survey of informal entrepreneurs connected to cross-border trade between Johannesburg and Maputo during 2014. The study sought to enhance the evidence base on the links between migration and informal entrepreneur-ship in Southern African cities and to examine the implications for municipal, national and regional policy

4-1 The New Scramble for Land and Resources/Culture as a Spectacle

Chair: Steffi Hamann, University of Guelph Richard Kumah, Queens University ([email protected]). Chinese Gold Rush and Ghana’s ‘Unruly’ Informal Mining Space: An Environmental Justice Perspective Samuel Fury Childs Daly, Duke University ([email protected]). Fela Kuti Goes to Court: The Spectacle of Inquiry in Postcolonial Nigeria Jennifer Wallace, McMaster University ([email protected]). Precarious Partners in Peace: A Study of the Intersecting Partnerships at the Sierra Leone Peace Museum Ines Raimundo, Eduardo Mondlane University, ([email protected]). What we Xai-Xai city dwellers need now is a dish of xima meal in our households’ tables: Food security is your matter Meeting ID: 949 1225 778