Narrative explorations of the role of the informal food sector in food flows and sustainable transitions during the COVID-19 lockdown

Globally, the informal food sector has been the recipient of exclusionary urban policies, despite its dominant role in urban life. This study examined the contributions of the informal food sector to food flows during the COVID-19 lockdown in Cape Town, South Africa. An ethnographic research method consisting of in-depth interviews and participant observations was used to gather data between April and November 2020. The data were thematically analysed. Corporate retailers and informal vendors managed food flows through the city prior to COVID-19. Due to the lockdown regulations, food flows through the informal sector ceased. The situation resulted in job loss and increased food insecurity. During this challenging period, the informal sector transformed food flows by facilitating sustainable urban agriculture, food aid programmes, and community change. Although the sector can hinder urban modernisation, the current study findings showed that the informal food sector is a buffer for meeting urban sustainability needs. Regulatory frameworks that embrace inclusive governance approaches are highly recommended.Author summary: This paper demonstrates that the informal food sector contributes to food distribution, access, and sustainability transformations. This contribution was highlighted during the COVID-19 lockdown period when lockdown regulations severely disrupted the sector and limited food access for several households. Through informal food vendors (such as spaza shops, truck sellers, home gardeners, community soup kitchens, and street food vendors), food aid, urban gardens, and seed sharing were initiated in several communities in Cape Town during the lockdown. A food movement was created among people of different racial and economic backgrounds through dedicated volunteers and individuals seeking a transformed food distribution system. These groups demonstrate the resilience of the informal sector and its ability to overcome barriers and connect people to food. The findings of this paper are based on an ethnographic study conducted in Cape Town in 2020.