The Supermarket Revolution and Food Security in Namibia

The surprisingly high rate of supermarket
patronage in low-income areas of Windhoek, Namibia’s capital and largest
city, is at odds with conventional wisdom that supermarkets in African
cities are primarily patronized by middle and high-income residents and
therefore target their neighbourhoods. What is happening in Namibia and
other Southern African countries that make supermarkets so much more
accessible to the urban poor? What are they buying at supermarkets and
how frequently do they shop there? Further, what is the impact of
supermarket expansion on informal food vendors? This report, which
presents the findings from the South African Supermarkets in Growing
African Cities project research in 2016-2017 in Windhoek, looks at the
evidence and tries to answer these questions and others. The research
and policy debate on the relationship between the supermarket revolution and food security is also discussed. Here, the issues include
whether supermarket supply chains and procurement practices mitigate
rural food insecurity through providing new market opportunities for
smallholder farmers; the impact of supermarkets on the food security and
consumption patterns of residents of African cities; and the
relationship between supermarket expansion and governance of the food
system, particularly at the local level.