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Achieving urban food security through a hybrid public-private food provisioning system: the case of Nanjing, China

Author

Listed:
  • Taiyang Zhong

    (Nanjing University)

  • Zhenzhong Si

    (Balsillie School of International Affairs)

  • Jonathan Crush

    (Balsillie School of International Affairs)

  • Steffanie Scott

    (University of Waterloo)

  • Xianjin Huang

    (Nanjing University)

Abstract

Chinese cities have been able to maintain much higher levels of household food security than many other cities in the Global South, according to recent surveys. Yet, little is known about the governance of the food provisioning system that underpins its urban food security. Based on a combination of household survey data, unstructured interviews and analyses of government documents, regulations and laws, we reveal that both Nanjing’s food provisioning system and its governance employ a public-private hybrid model. The hybridity is reflected in the mixed ownership structure of food wholesale and retail markets, the companies that manage them, and the involvement of both public and private capital in these markets. This hybridity prevents market failure in food system operation and thus is the underlying mechanism that ensures physical accessibility to and affordability of food in the city; it also balances food affordability and the profitability of food markets. This paper identifies various food security policies and regulations implemented by the Nanjing municipal government, such as the “vegetable basket” policy, the “crawling peg” policy in urban planning, the financial supports for upgrading wet market facilities and reducing rental fees, and the regulations on the retailing of fresh produce in supermarkets. These policies ensure that there is relatively equitable and easy access to healthy food for Nanjing residents and that the establishment of new wet markets keeps up with urban population growth. These food policies in Nanjing provide important lessons for other cities in the world to foster urban food security.

Suggested Citation

  • Taiyang Zhong & Zhenzhong Si & Jonathan Crush & Steffanie Scott & Xianjin Huang, 2019. "Achieving urban food security through a hybrid public-private food provisioning system: the case of Nanjing, China," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 11(5), pages 1071-1086, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:ssefpa:v:11:y:2019:i:5:d:10.1007_s12571-019-00961-8
    DOI: 10.1007/s12571-019-00961-8
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    Cited by:

    1. Marc C. A. Wegerif, 2020. "“Informal” food traders and food security: experiences from the Covid-19 response in South Africa," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 12(4), pages 797-800, August.
    2. Alesandros Glaros & Geoff Luehr & Zhenzhong Si & Steffanie Scott, 2022. "Ecological Civilization in Practice: An Exploratory Study of Urban Agriculture in Four Chinese Cities," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-16, September.
    3. Huidan Xue & Yujia Zhai & Wen-Hao Su & Ziling He, 2023. "Governance and Actions for Resilient Urban Food Systems in the Era of COVID-19: Lessons and Challenges in China," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-25, August.
    4. Chen, Di & Wang, Chunyan & Liu, Yi, 2023. "How household food shopping behaviors changed during COVID-19 lockdown period: Evidence from Beijing, China," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    5. Yuan, Yuan & Si, Zhenzhong & Zhong, Taiyang & Huang, Xianjin & Crush, Jonathan, 2021. "Revisiting China’s supermarket revolution: Complementarity and co-evolution between traditional and modern food outlets," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 147(C).
    6. Taiyang Zhong & Jonathan Crush & Zhenzhong Si & Steffanie Scott, 2022. "Emergency food supplies and food security in Wuhan and Nanjing, China, during the COVID‐19 pandemic: Evidence from a field survey," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 40(3), May.
    7. Taiyang Zhong & Zhenzhong Si & Steffanie Scott & Jonathan Crush & Kui Yang & Xianjin Huang, 2021. "Comprehensive Food System Planning for Urban Food Security in Nanjing, China," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-17, October.
    8. Kehinde Paul Adeosun & Mary Greene & Peter Oosterveer, 2022. "Informal ready-to-eat food vending: a social practice perspective on urban food provisioning in Nigeria," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 14(3), pages 763-780, June.

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