Tropentag 2020, September 9 - 11, virtual conference, Germany "Food and nutrition security and its resilience to global crises"

Where Do Inhabitants of the Parish Kanyanya in Kampala Shop?

¹The Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, Healthy Diets from Sustainable Food Systems Initiative, Uganda
²Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen Economic Research, The Netherlands

Abstract

As Africa is urbanizing, the urban population in Uganda increased from 7.4 million in 2014 to 9.4 million in 2017. Thus, the dietary aspiration of the African population is changing, and urban food systems have to evolve rapidly to address the new demand. This requires a deep understanding of the current food system. We contribute to the literature by identifying the currently used retail outlets of inhabitants of a low- and middle-income area in Kampala, Uganda.
Kanyana parish (Kawempe division, Kampala, Uganda) was selected, which has similar demographic characteristics to Kawempe division and Kampala city. Three Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with parish representatives (disaggregated into women, men and youth) were conducted to gather information around the used food sources in 2020.
Eighty-five inhabitants participated in the FGDs. Preliminary results indicate that food stalls (fixed stall location in residential areas) are the main food outlet used by the community. Over 80% use the local market to purchase their food items, which takes on average 20 min on foot to reach. Around 30% mentioned shopping in supermarkets. Fresh vegetables and fruits are mostly bought at the local market (51%) or the market and food vendors/hawkers (22%). Modern retails (supermarkets) are only used by a minority to purchase meat, eggs, fish or milk and milk products. Fruit and vegetables are consumed daily by 19% and 34%, while meat consumption was stated to be consumed monthly or rarely (32%).
Traditional retail outlets are still the major food supplier in a low- and middle-income parish of Kampala, Uganda. Supermarkets are mainly used to buy milk products, meat and fish. Further, analyses of the FGD results and research are needed to understand the reasons behind the preferred and used retail outlet.

Keywords: Food outlets, Kampala, traditional and modern retail, urban food system

Contact Address: Andrea Fongar, The Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, Healthy Diets from Sustainable Food Systems Initiative, Plot 106 Katalima Road, Naguru, Kampala, Uganda, e-mail: a.fongarcgiar.org