Marc Wegerif | University of Pretoria (original) (raw)

Papers by Marc Wegerif

Food Security, Oct 25, 2023

w on small-samples and was only carried out over short time periods near the beginning of the Cov... more w on small-samples and was only carried out over short time periods near the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic (e.g. Rwafa-Ponela et al., 2022; Wegerif, 2020a). This paper adds to existing work with a year of field research with street traders to reveal more in-depth information on how street traders selling food 1 were affected and how they responded during the pandemic and how this compares to the formal food sector, in particular supermarkets. What happened in this crisis confirms and reveals more about the important contribution of street traders to food and nutrition security. Understanding the contribution of street traders is essential given the context in South Africa, even before Covid-19, which includes massive inequality, unsustainable 1 For the sake of brevity, we will in places refer to street traders or traders to mean, unless otherwise specified, street traders selling food. We don't use the term street food traders, because that is generally used to refer to those selling cooked food. Due to the focus of the study and limitations of time and resources, the traders in this study are primarily selling uncooked fresh produce.

Urban Agriculture Magazine, 2015

This article constructs a picture of green vegetable growing and supply in Dar es Salaam by looki... more This article constructs a picture of green vegetable growing and supply in Dar es Salaam by looking at the lives and work of a small trader and an urban farmer. It reveals the importance of a range of distribution and trade networks and the integration of a wider city region, alongside urban and periurban production, for the large-scale supply of these vegetables to urban eaters. The livelihood benefit for the many actors involved is clear as are some of the threats emerging as the city changes.

Edward Lahiff Programme for Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS), University of Western Cape, South ... more Edward Lahiff Programme for Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS), University of Western Cape, South Africa Marc Wegerif Oxfam International South Africa Programme, formerly with Nkuzi Development Association, Polokwane, South Africa Tshililo Manhenze Programme for Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS), University of Western Cape / Nkuzi Development Association, Polokwane, South Africa Julian Quan Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, UK Michael Aliber Human Sciences Research Council, South Africa

Routledge eBooks, Sep 9, 2022

Global Agricultural and Food Marketing in a Global Context

This chapter examines the functioning of the national fresh produce markets (NFPMs) with specific... more This chapter examines the functioning of the national fresh produce markets (NFPMs) with specific reference to three themes: 1) challenges in the regulatory environment, and the importance of social relation; 2) networks in shaping the actual functioning of the NFPMs alongside the narrowly economic relations that exist amongst the market participants in the NFPMs; and 3) the importance of informal sector for the NFPMs and for the distribution of fresh produce. Specific reference is made to the Johannesburg Fres case study for the Johannesburg Fresh Produce Market (JFPM). The chapter proposes some solutions to the mentioned challenges

The rush to invest in farmland in Africa is having an immediate impact on women’s land-use option... more The rush to invest in farmland in Africa is having an immediate impact on women’s land-use options, on their livelihoods, on food availability and the cost of living, and, ultimately, on women’s access to land for food production. These are only the economic impacts. Women’s knowledge, socio-cultural relationship with the land, and stewardship of nature are also under threat. Too often ignored, rural women’s voices and perspectives need to be heeded urgently if a robust rural economy and food for all are to be guaranteed.

Emerald Publishing Limited eBooks, Nov 28, 2022

Routledge Handbook of Sustainable and Regenerative Food Systems, 2020

This article is an analysis of the agri-food system that feeds most of the over four million resi... more This article is an analysis of the agri-food system that feeds most of the over four million residents of the fast growing city of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. It is based on qualitative research that has traced the sources of some important foods from urban eaters back through retailers, processors and transporters to the primary producers. Particular attention is given to the functioning of the market places and how new actors enter into the food system. These reveal that more important to the system than competition are various forms of collaboration. Of particular interest is how a wide range of small-scale and interdependent actors produce the food and get it to urban eaters at a city feeding scale without large vertically- or horizontally-integrated corporate structures. This “symbiotic food system” is an existing alternative to the corporate-dominated agri-business food system; it can and does deliver at scale and in a way that better responds to the needs of people in poverty who are buying food and the interests of food producers. It is not perfect in Dar es Salaam, but the food system is working and is a model that should be built on.

School Food, Equity and Social Justice, 2021

Food Security, 2020

This opinion piece looks at the substantial role of informal traders in ensuring food security, a... more This opinion piece looks at the substantial role of informal traders in ensuring food security, and other economic and social goods in South Africa and how they have been impacted by Covid-19 and responses to it. The state responses have reflected a continued undervaluing and undermining of this sector to the detriment of the traders themselves, their suppliers, and their customers. There is a need for a new valuing of the sector that would recognise and build on its mode of ordering and key contributions to society. This needs to include: shifting the narrative about the actors involved and challenging the concept of "informal"; planning and regulating to ensure more space for owner-operated small-scale food retailers; and putting in place a social-safety net to support them in times of crisis.

Land, 2020

Land related inequality is a central component of the wider inequality that is one of the burning... more Land related inequality is a central component of the wider inequality that is one of the burning issues of our society today. It affects us all and directly determines the quality of life for billions of people who depend on land and related resources for their livelihoods. This paper explores land inequality based on a wide scoping of available information and identifies the main trends and their drivers. A wider conceptualization of what constitutes land inequality is suggested in response to shifts in how power is concentrated within the agri-food system. Land inequality is the difference in the quantity and value of land people have access to, the relative strengths of their land tenure rights, and about the appropriation of value derived from the land and its use. More data gathering and research needs to be done to better understand and monitor land inequality. Despite data limitations, what can be seen globally is a growing concentration of land in larger holdings leaving th...

Anthropology Today, 2018

is a post-doctoral fellow researching food and land rights with the Human Economy Programme, Univ... more is a post-doctoral fellow researching food and land rights with the Human Economy Programme, University of Pretoria. His doctorate focused on the food system feeding the city of Dar es Salaam. He has worked on development and human rights issues for 30 years. His email is

Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, 2018

This article assesses two models of dairy production and distribution to the large city of Dar es... more This article assesses two models of dairy production and distribution to the large city of Dar es Salaam. One is urban and peri-urban raw milk production through territorial markets and the symbiotic food system and the other a dairy value chain intervention. The raw milk system is remarkably resilient and gives lower prices to milk drinkers and better returns to smallscale farmers. The value chain intervention provides opportunities for some dairy farmers but can't compete and favors corporate entities less aligned with most farmers' and city residents' interests. Policy maker's preference for value chain interventions appears to be ideological as it is not justified by the outcomes, but support for alternatives is growing and needs to be built on.

Qualitative Research Journal, 2019

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to show why and how the “ride-along” can add great value to ... more Purpose The purpose of this paper is to show why and how the “ride-along” can add great value to qualitative research. Design/methodology/approach The paper is primarily based on ethnographic research into food systems that the author carried out in Tanzania and draws on other research experience and existing literature on the “go-along” and “walk-along”. Findings Transport choices are made in all social science research and therefore deserve greater attention in research design. Transport will influence how the researcher is perceived and what they will experience and find. The ride-along, when done well, minimises the risks and adds value to qualitative research. Practical implications Researchers need to be reflexive about transport choices and give them greater consideration in research design and practice. The examples from field experience and the considerations identified in this paper will assist researchers and their supervisors in this process. Originality/value Despite th...

Sustainability, 2017

The city region foodscape is a relational space of spatially proximate as well as more distant re... more The city region foodscape is a relational space of spatially proximate as well as more distant relations. The current understanding of city region foodscapes will be enhanced by more analyses of what is happening in the African and Asian cities where rapid population growth and urbanization, with all its challenges and opportunities, is predominantly taking place. This paper explores the city foodscape of one such city, the rapidly growing Dar es Salaam with over 4.5 million inhabitants. By following some important foods for eaters in the city, this paper draws a picture of the changing shape and nature of Dar es Salaam's foodscape and draws out lessons for debates on city region food systems and urban food planning. It is found that key staple foods are coming from the rural hinterland through a food system that is not part of or modeled on the globally dominant corporate food system and as such represents a working alternative. This food system neither fits within administrative boundaries nor relies primarily on local production. We argue that more academic and policy attention needs to be given to understanding and reinforcing such middle-ground, neither local nor global, food systems that are delivering at city feeding scale.

Agriculture, 2016

This article is an analysis of the agri-food system that feeds most of the over four million resi... more This article is an analysis of the agri-food system that feeds most of the over four million residents of the fast growing city of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. It is based on qualitative research that has traced the sources of some important foods from urban eaters back through retailers, processors and transporters to the primary producers. Particular attention is given to the functioning of the market places and how new actors enter into the food system. These reveal that more important to the system than competition are various forms of collaboration. Of particular interest is how a wide range of small-scale and interdependent actors produce the food and get it to urban eaters at a city feeding scale without large vertically-or horizontally-integrated corporate structures. This "symbiotic food system" is an existing alternative to the corporate-dominated agri-business food system; it can and does deliver at scale and in a way that better responds to the needs of people in poverty who are buying food and the interests of food producers. It is not perfect in Dar es Salaam, but the food system is working and is a model that should be built on.

Sustainability, 2014

Global food supply is dominated by transnational corporations, which have great power and are wid... more Global food supply is dominated by transnational corporations, which have great power and are widely critiqued for the negative environmental and social impacts of their operations. Many argue that this industrial food system is unsustainable, yet its expansion seems inevitable and alternatives are seen as incapable of feeding the world's growing and increasingly urban population. Since much of the world's future population growth is going to happen in the cities of the developing world, they have become the frontline for the expansion of the industrial food system, raising the serious challenge of ensuring food security for residents. This paper, based on a qualitative study of patterns of egg provisioning in Dar es Salaam, explores whether existing patterns of food supply in this rapidly growing city, of over four million people, provide workable alternatives. Eggs are an important source of nutrition and patterns of egg supply offer a lens through which to explore the sustainability of different modes of provisioning. A range of non-corporate provisioning patterns, based on small-scale enterprises, are found to have social, economic and environmental advantages, challenging assumptions that corporate food chains are necessary, or desirable, to feed cities sustainably.

… , and Justice: Perspectives on Land Claims in …, 2010

... Xikalamazula suggested clearing the land to be used and, after get-ting the crop, leaving thi... more ... Xikalamazula suggested clearing the land to be used and, after get-ting the crop, leaving this cleared land for Thomas to use in the future. He emphasized that the land belonged to Thomas, as it had been Ndlovu fields before they were removed. ... Hall, Ruth. ...

Food Security, Oct 25, 2023

w on small-samples and was only carried out over short time periods near the beginning of the Cov... more w on small-samples and was only carried out over short time periods near the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic (e.g. Rwafa-Ponela et al., 2022; Wegerif, 2020a). This paper adds to existing work with a year of field research with street traders to reveal more in-depth information on how street traders selling food 1 were affected and how they responded during the pandemic and how this compares to the formal food sector, in particular supermarkets. What happened in this crisis confirms and reveals more about the important contribution of street traders to food and nutrition security. Understanding the contribution of street traders is essential given the context in South Africa, even before Covid-19, which includes massive inequality, unsustainable 1 For the sake of brevity, we will in places refer to street traders or traders to mean, unless otherwise specified, street traders selling food. We don't use the term street food traders, because that is generally used to refer to those selling cooked food. Due to the focus of the study and limitations of time and resources, the traders in this study are primarily selling uncooked fresh produce.

Urban Agriculture Magazine, 2015

This article constructs a picture of green vegetable growing and supply in Dar es Salaam by looki... more This article constructs a picture of green vegetable growing and supply in Dar es Salaam by looking at the lives and work of a small trader and an urban farmer. It reveals the importance of a range of distribution and trade networks and the integration of a wider city region, alongside urban and periurban production, for the large-scale supply of these vegetables to urban eaters. The livelihood benefit for the many actors involved is clear as are some of the threats emerging as the city changes.

Edward Lahiff Programme for Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS), University of Western Cape, South ... more Edward Lahiff Programme for Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS), University of Western Cape, South Africa Marc Wegerif Oxfam International South Africa Programme, formerly with Nkuzi Development Association, Polokwane, South Africa Tshililo Manhenze Programme for Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS), University of Western Cape / Nkuzi Development Association, Polokwane, South Africa Julian Quan Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, UK Michael Aliber Human Sciences Research Council, South Africa

Routledge eBooks, Sep 9, 2022

Global Agricultural and Food Marketing in a Global Context

This chapter examines the functioning of the national fresh produce markets (NFPMs) with specific... more This chapter examines the functioning of the national fresh produce markets (NFPMs) with specific reference to three themes: 1) challenges in the regulatory environment, and the importance of social relation; 2) networks in shaping the actual functioning of the NFPMs alongside the narrowly economic relations that exist amongst the market participants in the NFPMs; and 3) the importance of informal sector for the NFPMs and for the distribution of fresh produce. Specific reference is made to the Johannesburg Fres case study for the Johannesburg Fresh Produce Market (JFPM). The chapter proposes some solutions to the mentioned challenges

The rush to invest in farmland in Africa is having an immediate impact on women’s land-use option... more The rush to invest in farmland in Africa is having an immediate impact on women’s land-use options, on their livelihoods, on food availability and the cost of living, and, ultimately, on women’s access to land for food production. These are only the economic impacts. Women’s knowledge, socio-cultural relationship with the land, and stewardship of nature are also under threat. Too often ignored, rural women’s voices and perspectives need to be heeded urgently if a robust rural economy and food for all are to be guaranteed.

Emerald Publishing Limited eBooks, Nov 28, 2022

Routledge Handbook of Sustainable and Regenerative Food Systems, 2020

This article is an analysis of the agri-food system that feeds most of the over four million resi... more This article is an analysis of the agri-food system that feeds most of the over four million residents of the fast growing city of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. It is based on qualitative research that has traced the sources of some important foods from urban eaters back through retailers, processors and transporters to the primary producers. Particular attention is given to the functioning of the market places and how new actors enter into the food system. These reveal that more important to the system than competition are various forms of collaboration. Of particular interest is how a wide range of small-scale and interdependent actors produce the food and get it to urban eaters at a city feeding scale without large vertically- or horizontally-integrated corporate structures. This “symbiotic food system” is an existing alternative to the corporate-dominated agri-business food system; it can and does deliver at scale and in a way that better responds to the needs of people in poverty who are buying food and the interests of food producers. It is not perfect in Dar es Salaam, but the food system is working and is a model that should be built on.

School Food, Equity and Social Justice, 2021

Food Security, 2020

This opinion piece looks at the substantial role of informal traders in ensuring food security, a... more This opinion piece looks at the substantial role of informal traders in ensuring food security, and other economic and social goods in South Africa and how they have been impacted by Covid-19 and responses to it. The state responses have reflected a continued undervaluing and undermining of this sector to the detriment of the traders themselves, their suppliers, and their customers. There is a need for a new valuing of the sector that would recognise and build on its mode of ordering and key contributions to society. This needs to include: shifting the narrative about the actors involved and challenging the concept of "informal"; planning and regulating to ensure more space for owner-operated small-scale food retailers; and putting in place a social-safety net to support them in times of crisis.

Land, 2020

Land related inequality is a central component of the wider inequality that is one of the burning... more Land related inequality is a central component of the wider inequality that is one of the burning issues of our society today. It affects us all and directly determines the quality of life for billions of people who depend on land and related resources for their livelihoods. This paper explores land inequality based on a wide scoping of available information and identifies the main trends and their drivers. A wider conceptualization of what constitutes land inequality is suggested in response to shifts in how power is concentrated within the agri-food system. Land inequality is the difference in the quantity and value of land people have access to, the relative strengths of their land tenure rights, and about the appropriation of value derived from the land and its use. More data gathering and research needs to be done to better understand and monitor land inequality. Despite data limitations, what can be seen globally is a growing concentration of land in larger holdings leaving th...

Anthropology Today, 2018

is a post-doctoral fellow researching food and land rights with the Human Economy Programme, Univ... more is a post-doctoral fellow researching food and land rights with the Human Economy Programme, University of Pretoria. His doctorate focused on the food system feeding the city of Dar es Salaam. He has worked on development and human rights issues for 30 years. His email is

Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, 2018

This article assesses two models of dairy production and distribution to the large city of Dar es... more This article assesses two models of dairy production and distribution to the large city of Dar es Salaam. One is urban and peri-urban raw milk production through territorial markets and the symbiotic food system and the other a dairy value chain intervention. The raw milk system is remarkably resilient and gives lower prices to milk drinkers and better returns to smallscale farmers. The value chain intervention provides opportunities for some dairy farmers but can't compete and favors corporate entities less aligned with most farmers' and city residents' interests. Policy maker's preference for value chain interventions appears to be ideological as it is not justified by the outcomes, but support for alternatives is growing and needs to be built on.

Qualitative Research Journal, 2019

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to show why and how the “ride-along” can add great value to ... more Purpose The purpose of this paper is to show why and how the “ride-along” can add great value to qualitative research. Design/methodology/approach The paper is primarily based on ethnographic research into food systems that the author carried out in Tanzania and draws on other research experience and existing literature on the “go-along” and “walk-along”. Findings Transport choices are made in all social science research and therefore deserve greater attention in research design. Transport will influence how the researcher is perceived and what they will experience and find. The ride-along, when done well, minimises the risks and adds value to qualitative research. Practical implications Researchers need to be reflexive about transport choices and give them greater consideration in research design and practice. The examples from field experience and the considerations identified in this paper will assist researchers and their supervisors in this process. Originality/value Despite th...

Sustainability, 2017

The city region foodscape is a relational space of spatially proximate as well as more distant re... more The city region foodscape is a relational space of spatially proximate as well as more distant relations. The current understanding of city region foodscapes will be enhanced by more analyses of what is happening in the African and Asian cities where rapid population growth and urbanization, with all its challenges and opportunities, is predominantly taking place. This paper explores the city foodscape of one such city, the rapidly growing Dar es Salaam with over 4.5 million inhabitants. By following some important foods for eaters in the city, this paper draws a picture of the changing shape and nature of Dar es Salaam's foodscape and draws out lessons for debates on city region food systems and urban food planning. It is found that key staple foods are coming from the rural hinterland through a food system that is not part of or modeled on the globally dominant corporate food system and as such represents a working alternative. This food system neither fits within administrative boundaries nor relies primarily on local production. We argue that more academic and policy attention needs to be given to understanding and reinforcing such middle-ground, neither local nor global, food systems that are delivering at city feeding scale.

Agriculture, 2016

This article is an analysis of the agri-food system that feeds most of the over four million resi... more This article is an analysis of the agri-food system that feeds most of the over four million residents of the fast growing city of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. It is based on qualitative research that has traced the sources of some important foods from urban eaters back through retailers, processors and transporters to the primary producers. Particular attention is given to the functioning of the market places and how new actors enter into the food system. These reveal that more important to the system than competition are various forms of collaboration. Of particular interest is how a wide range of small-scale and interdependent actors produce the food and get it to urban eaters at a city feeding scale without large vertically-or horizontally-integrated corporate structures. This "symbiotic food system" is an existing alternative to the corporate-dominated agri-business food system; it can and does deliver at scale and in a way that better responds to the needs of people in poverty who are buying food and the interests of food producers. It is not perfect in Dar es Salaam, but the food system is working and is a model that should be built on.

Sustainability, 2014

Global food supply is dominated by transnational corporations, which have great power and are wid... more Global food supply is dominated by transnational corporations, which have great power and are widely critiqued for the negative environmental and social impacts of their operations. Many argue that this industrial food system is unsustainable, yet its expansion seems inevitable and alternatives are seen as incapable of feeding the world's growing and increasingly urban population. Since much of the world's future population growth is going to happen in the cities of the developing world, they have become the frontline for the expansion of the industrial food system, raising the serious challenge of ensuring food security for residents. This paper, based on a qualitative study of patterns of egg provisioning in Dar es Salaam, explores whether existing patterns of food supply in this rapidly growing city, of over four million people, provide workable alternatives. Eggs are an important source of nutrition and patterns of egg supply offer a lens through which to explore the sustainability of different modes of provisioning. A range of non-corporate provisioning patterns, based on small-scale enterprises, are found to have social, economic and environmental advantages, challenging assumptions that corporate food chains are necessary, or desirable, to feed cities sustainably.

… , and Justice: Perspectives on Land Claims in …, 2010

... Xikalamazula suggested clearing the land to be used and, after get-ting the crop, leaving thi... more ... Xikalamazula suggested clearing the land to be used and, after get-ting the crop, leaving this cleared land for Thomas to use in the future. He emphasized that the land belonged to Thomas, as it had been Ndlovu fields before they were removed. ... Hall, Ruth. ...

This is my PhD thesis on the symbiotic food system that feeds the majority of residents of the fa... more This is my PhD thesis on the symbiotic food system that feeds the majority of residents of the fast growing city of Dar es Salaam. It is based on years of actor orientated ethnographic research that involved following the food from the urban eaters to the primary producers through the networks of traders, transporters and processors.

This is the only quantitative survey of evictions from farms in South Africa post apartheid. It i... more This is the only quantitative survey of evictions from farms in South Africa post apartheid. It identifies the number of evictions in the first ten years after democracy and the last ten years of apartheid and finds a remarkable continuity and continued high numbers of evictions. More black South African where evicted from farms than benefitted from land reform in the first ten years of liberation.

Submission on South African draft Constitution amendment bill regarding the property clause, 2020

This is a submission made to the Parliament of South Africa on the draft 18th Constitution Amendm... more This is a submission made to the Parliament of South Africa on the draft 18th Constitution Amendment bill that is dealing with the amendment of the property clause of the Constitution to allow for land expropriation without compensation. The draft bill can be found here: https://www.parliament.gov.za/storage/app/media/CommitteeNotices/2019/december/06-12-2019/Draft_advertised.pdf

Submission made to Parliamentary Constitutional Review Committee (5th Sept 2018) on review of th... more Submission made to Parliamentary Constitutional Review Committee (5th Sept 2018) on review of the "property clause" (section 25) of the South African Constitution. Core argument is the need for the creation of: a constitutionally recognised social function of land; the space for expropriation without compensation under certain conditions; affirmative obligations to advance the rights of women and vulnerable groups; protection of rights from arbitrary state action; and an obligation to create an enabling environment for small-scale farmers to succeed.

Presentation made at Africa Innovation Summit: Addressing Africa’s Challenges. Kigali, June 2018.... more Presentation made at Africa Innovation Summit: Addressing Africa’s Challenges. Kigali, June 2018. In session on Meeting the Basics: Water-Energy-Food Nexus