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Bridging Informal Divides: Urban Food Security and Sustainable Livelihoods in the Global South

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Health, Well-Being and Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2026 | Viewed by 517

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Jonathan Crush

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Balsillie School of International Affairs, Waterloo, ON, Canada
Interests: South-South migration; informal economies; governance and urban food systems
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Mulugeta Dinbabo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute for Social Development, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa
Interests: migration; remittance; food security; climate change
Dr. Sean Sithole

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute for Social Development, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa
Interests: digital remittances; mobile transfers; migration; food security; social media

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Urban food systems across the Global South are fundamentally shaped by informal economic practices, where marginalized communities drive street food vending, household-level production, small-scale trade, and mobile food distribution. These actors form the backbone of urban food security, enhancing dietary diversity, economic resilience, and cultural vibrancy. Yet their critical contributions remain under-recognized within formal governance frameworks, leaving them vulnerable to precarity and exclusion.

This Special Issue examines how informal food entrepreneurs navigate economic, spatial, and regulatory divides to sustain urban food systems. We explore how their practices influence food accessibility, nutritional outcomes, and ecological sustainability while fostering community resilience.

We welcome interdisciplinary, critical, and empirical contributions analyzing the intersections of urban informality, food security, and sustainability transitions across Global South contexts. Studies may address (but are not limited to) the following topics:

  • Grassroots innovations in circular food economies;
  • Governance of informal food spaces for sustainability;
  • Equity dimensions of urban food access;
  • Climate resilience in small-scale food distribution;
  • Policy gaps in supporting informal food livelihoods.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Jonathan Crush
Prof. Dr. Mulugeta Dinbabo
Dr. Sean Sithole
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • food systems
  • urban food security
  • circular food economies
  • sustainability transitions
  • ecological sustainability

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

24 pages, 672 KB  
Article
An Intersectionality-Based Policy Analysis (IBPA) of Post-Pandemic Recovery Policies: Experiences of Women Informal Food Vendors in Kisumu City, Kenya
by Joyce Kiplagat, Patrick Mbullo Owuor, Rebecca Gokiert and Elizabeth Onyango
Sustainability 2026, 18(1), 334; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18010334 - 29 Dec 2025
Viewed by 222
Abstract
Introduction: The informal food sector in Kisumu City, largely run by women informal food vendors, plays a crucial role in the urban food system. However, these female-led businesses faced disproportionate risks stemming from COVID-19-related policies, exacerbating gendered vulnerabilities. This paper explores the gender [...] Read more.
Introduction: The informal food sector in Kisumu City, largely run by women informal food vendors, plays a crucial role in the urban food system. However, these female-led businesses faced disproportionate risks stemming from COVID-19-related policies, exacerbating gendered vulnerabilities. This paper explores the gender gaps of post-pandemic recovery strategies and their implications for resilience, recovery, and sustainability of women-led informal food businesses. Methods: This cross-sectional study was guided by the Intersectionality-Based Policy Analysis (IBPA) framework. In collaboration with the Pamoja Community-Based Organization, we employed qualitative methods grounded in community-based participatory approaches. Data were collected through key informant interviews (n = 20), depth interviews (n = 20), focus group discussions (n = 40), and a review of policy documents (n = 2). Data was analyzed guided by the eight principles of the IBPA framework alongside Braun and Clarke’s six-phased thematic analysis approach. Results: Findings indicated that power dynamics in the formulation of post-pandemic policies and top-down implementation approaches excluded women informal food vendors from meaningfully participating in policy processes. For example, female vendors were excluded from the recovery priorities as the strategies adopted had limited to no targeted gender-responsive interventions. As such, women informal food vendors faced several challenges during recovery, including limited government support, barriers to accessing credit facilities, heightened household and unpaid care work, gender-based violence, sexual exploitation, and insecurity. The female vendors employed both individual agency and collective action to facilitate recovery. Discussion: Gender-responsive COVID-19 policies were critical to addressing the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on women-led informal food businesses. Moving forward, a comprehensive understanding of existing sociocultural inequalities is crucial for designing post-pandemic strategies that are gender-inclusive and promote equitable recovery. Such an approach would enhance women informal food vendors’ resilience to emergencies and their contribution to urban household food security and livelihood. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bridging Informal Divides: Urban Food Security and Sustainable Livelihoods in the Global South)
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