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Building resilience to urban food insecurity in Bulawayo City, Zimbabwe
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Given the rapid rate of urbanisation in Africa, food insecurity, once predominantly encountered in rural areas, is now increasingly manifesting in urban areas. Despite this, food security programming generally remains focused on rural productionist approaches ill-suited for urban c...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2025
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| _version_ | 1867613762360442880 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Dube, Thulani |
| author2 | Zweig, Patricia Jane |
| author_browse | Dube, Thulani Zweig, Patricia Jane |
| author_facet | Zweig, Patricia Jane Dube, Thulani |
| author_sort | Dube, Thulani |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Given the rapid rate of urbanisation in Africa, food insecurity, once predominantly encountered in rural areas, is now increasingly manifesting in urban areas. Despite this, food security programming generally remains focused on rural productionist approaches ill-suited for urban contexts. This suggests that urban food insecurity remains largely misunderstood, bringing into question the effectiveness of resilience-building programmes and strategies being adopted to address it. Focusing on the city of Bulawayo in Zimbabwe, this study aimed to determine the nature and effectiveness of food security resilience-building strategies currently being employed there by a range of different stakeholders, from the state, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and United Nations Agencies to the beneficiary households themselves. In achieving this aim, the objectives of this study were to identify the common shocks to the urban food system in Bulawayo, document the current resilience building strategies being used by different stakeholders, assess the effectiveness of those strategies in addressing food insecurity among poor urban households, and to proffer recommendations about how resilience building programming in Bulawayo and other urban areas might be improved. The study utilised a mixed methods research approach. These included the collection of both quantitative and qualitative data employing a survey questionnaire targeting 200 food insecure beneficiary households, focus group discussions with representatives of food insecure households, and key informant interviews with various stakeholders, including the Bulawayo city council administrators, NGO managers and government officials. The data was then analysed using Microsoft Excel for survey data and thematic analysis for qualitative data from interviews and focus group discussions. The main risk driver of food insecurity in Bulawayo was found to be related to the deteriorating broader macro-economic environment in Zimbabwe, which is resulting in high unemployment, hyper-inflation and low incomes in general. The study also established that climate change impacts and the recent Covid-19 pandemic had deepened food insecurity. In response, the strategies being implemented to build food security resilience were the promotion of urban agriculture, cash transfer programs, casual work and income-generating projects. The study then questioned to what extent these and other interventions really were building “resilience”, given the range of constraining factors revealed. The thesis concludes by making recommendations about how these might be addressed. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/131650 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:41:16.700Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/131650 Building resilience to urban food insecurity in Bulawayo City, Zimbabwe Dube, Thulani Zweig, Patricia Jane Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Geography and Environmental Studies. Food insecurity -- Zimbabwe -- Bulawayo Food supply -- Government policy -- Zimbabwe -- Bulawayo UCTD ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Given the rapid rate of urbanisation in Africa, food insecurity, once predominantly encountered in rural areas, is now increasingly manifesting in urban areas. Despite this, food security programming generally remains focused on rural productionist approaches ill-suited for urban contexts. This suggests that urban food insecurity remains largely misunderstood, bringing into question the effectiveness of resilience-building programmes and strategies being adopted to address it. Focusing on the city of Bulawayo in Zimbabwe, this study aimed to determine the nature and effectiveness of food security resilience-building strategies currently being employed there by a range of different stakeholders, from the state, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and United Nations Agencies to the beneficiary households themselves. In achieving this aim, the objectives of this study were to identify the common shocks to the urban food system in Bulawayo, document the current resilience building strategies being used by different stakeholders, assess the effectiveness of those strategies in addressing food insecurity among poor urban households, and to proffer recommendations about how resilience building programming in Bulawayo and other urban areas might be improved. The study utilised a mixed methods research approach. These included the collection of both quantitative and qualitative data employing a survey questionnaire targeting 200 food insecure beneficiary households, focus group discussions with representatives of food insecure households, and key informant interviews with various stakeholders, including the Bulawayo city council administrators, NGO managers and government officials. The data was then analysed using Microsoft Excel for survey data and thematic analysis for qualitative data from interviews and focus group discussions. The main risk driver of food insecurity in Bulawayo was found to be related to the deteriorating broader macro-economic environment in Zimbabwe, which is resulting in high unemployment, hyper-inflation and low incomes in general. The study also established that climate change impacts and the recent Covid-19 pandemic had deepened food insecurity. In response, the strategies being implemented to build food security resilience were the promotion of urban agriculture, cash transfer programs, casual work and income-generating projects. The study then questioned to what extent these and other interventions really were building “resilience”, given the range of constraining factors revealed. The thesis concludes by making recommendations about how these might be addressed. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Gegewe die vinnige tempo van verstedeliking in Afrika, kom voedselonsekerheid, wat eens hoofsaaklik in landelike gebiede voorgekom het, nou al hoe meer in stedelike gebiede voor. Ten spyte hiervan bly voedselsekerheidprogramme oor die algemeen steeds gemik op landelike produksiebenaderings wat nie vir stedelike kontekste geskik is nie. Dit dui daarop dat stedelike voedselonsekerheid steeds grootliks misverstaan bly, wat die doeltreffendheid van die veerkragtigheidsbouprogramme en -strategieë wat gevolg word om dit aan te pak, bevraagteken. Hierdie studie fokus op die stad Bulawayo in Zimbabwe, en is daarop gemik om die aard en doeltreffendheid te bepaal van die veerkragtigheidsboustrategieë ten opsigte van voedselsekerheid wat tans deur ʼn verskeidenheid belanghebbers, van die regering, nieregeringsorganisasies (NRO’s) en agentskappe van die Verenigde Nasies af, tot die begunstigde huishoudings self, aangewend word. Om dit te bewerkstellig, was die doelwitte van hierdie studie om die algemene skokke vir die stedelike voedselstelsel in Bulawayo te identifiseer, die huidige veerkragtigheidsboustrategieë wat deur verskillende belanghebbers gebruik word, te dokumenteer, die doeltreffendheid van daardie strategieë in die oplos van voedselonsekerheid onder arm stedelike huishoudings te assesseer, en om aanbevelings te bied oor hoe veerkragtigheidsbouprogramme in Bulawayo en ander stedelike gebiede verbeter kan word. Die studie het ʼn gemengde-metodes-benadering tot navorsing gebruik. Hieronder tel die insameling van kwantitatiewe en kwalitatiewe data met behulp van ʼn opnamevraelys wat op 200 begunstigde huishoudings met voedselonsekerheid gemik is, en onderhoude met hoofinformante by verskeie belanghebbers, waaronder die stadsraadadministrateurs van Bulawayo, bestuurders van NRO’s en staatsamptenare. Die data is daarna met behulp van Microsoft Excel vir opnamedata en tematiese ontleding vir kwalitatiewe data uit onderhoude en fokusgroepbesprekings ontleed. Daar is bevind dat die hoof- risikoaandrywer van voedselonsekerheid in Bulawayo verband hou met die agteruitgang in die groter makro-ekonomiese omgewing in Zimbabwe, wat hoë vlakke van werkloosheid, hiperinflasie en lae inkomste oor die algemeen tot gevolg het. Die studie het ook bepaal dat die impak van klimaatsverandering en die onlangse Covid-19-pandemie voedselonsekerheid vererger het. Die respons was om die bevordering van stedelike landbou, kontant-oordragprogramme, deeltydse werk en inkomste-generende projekte as strategieë vir die opbou van voedselsekerheidsveerkragtigheid in werking te stel. Die studie het bevraagteken tot watter mate hierdie en ander ingrypings werklik besig is om ‘veerkragtigheid’ te bou, gegewe die omvang van die beperkende faktore wat onthul is. Die tesis sluit af deur die aanbied van aanbevelings oor hoe hierdie faktore aangepak kan word. Masters 2025-02-03T11:59:56Z 2025-02-03T11:59:56Z 2024-12 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/131650 en Stellenbosch University 124 pages : illustrations application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Food insecurity -- Zimbabwe -- Bulawayo Food supply -- Government policy -- Zimbabwe -- Bulawayo UCTD Dube, Thulani Building resilience to urban food insecurity in Bulawayo City, Zimbabwe |
| title | Building resilience to urban food insecurity in Bulawayo City, Zimbabwe |
| title_full | Building resilience to urban food insecurity in Bulawayo City, Zimbabwe |
| title_fullStr | Building resilience to urban food insecurity in Bulawayo City, Zimbabwe |
| title_full_unstemmed | Building resilience to urban food insecurity in Bulawayo City, Zimbabwe |
| title_short | Building resilience to urban food insecurity in Bulawayo City, Zimbabwe |
| title_sort | building resilience to urban food insecurity in bulawayo city zimbabwe |
| topic | Food insecurity -- Zimbabwe -- Bulawayo Food supply -- Government policy -- Zimbabwe -- Bulawayo UCTD |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/131650 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT dubethulani buildingresiliencetourbanfoodinsecurityinbulawayocityzimbabwe |