In the global south, informal food supply flows play an important role in food distribution and access across urban, peri-urban and rural divides. This public service (and unlooked private sector activity) was disproportionately affected by government-imposed lockdown restrictions on mobility and commerce occasioned by the Covid-19 pandemic. At the same time, increased adoption of digital tools and services was widely reported in the media and across a plethora of development and public sector agencies, locally and internationally.

Similarly, there was a boost in the number and configuration of digital platforms which claimed to utilise technological tools and venture-capital-backed business models to coordinate last-mile food delivery services primarily to the middle and upper classes of society. All told, these companies raised hundreds of millions of dollars between them across Africa.

With the recession of the pandemic and subsequent economic reopenings, food flows through the informal sector have resumed in full force in all 3 markets. And the streets are again filled with busy rickety omnibuses tricycles and other informal forms of public service vehicles. But the effects of the forced economic break linger, and rising national and global macroeconomic conditions contribute to a worsening outlook and social experience. Add to this the local political and social dynamics such as protests in Kenya and elections and central bank currency missteps in Nigeria that have dominated recent discourse.

The trendsAf study will apply ethnographic and other research methods to investigate:

• The relationships between mobility options and food flow in Nairobi through several key hubs.
• The extent to which digital tools, platforms (and services) are used (or not) to facilitate the movement of food through Nairobi’s markets and vast network of street retailers from sourcing areas within and outside the Nairobi metropolitan area. Including the awareness of and desirability (or lack thereof) for such tools, and why.
• The effects of urban design policy (by design or not) on the development of these food flow systems.
• A review of existing upcoming digital food commerce business models and analyses of their current operations.

We believe that understanding food flows as impacted by urban design, mobility options and ethnography is the foundation of designing better cities, digital and non-digital delivery systems and innovation models that are inclusive and sustainable. We are calling on innovation system designers, analysts and social researchers to come together and work within our virtual lab configuration to deliver this study with the aid of local-on-the-ground partners. At trendsAf, everyone is welcome.

To conduct this research, we will produce a pre-report assessment brief and case study (of select food hubs, transit patterns and key players. This rapid assessment brief will include a literature review of extant material on Nairobi’s urban design policies and social impact, it will also detail the areas of interest, and suggest the scope for further research. We will conclude the brief by sharing insight from key stakeholder interviews.

Accordingly, our team lead and research partner, Abraham Augustine who will be in Nairobi metropolitan area throughout May will also use the opportunity to engage with key stakeholders, entrepreneurs and policy specialists, as part of a learning tour.

Should this interest you, please let us know by emailing [email protected] and a team member will be in touch to engage further and share the next steps for your participation. Thank you very much.

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