This thesis focuses on the topic ‘The World Trade Organisation and Food Insecurity in the South: Prospects for the ECOWAS sub-region'. It is cast against the background of the prevailing global food crisis which is generally accepted as having assumed monumental dimensions in sub-Saharan Africa where a total of over 150 million people are said to be under the direct threat of hunger and starvation. The study appraises the mainstream understanding of the root causes of the on-going food crisis, the policies prescribed for their resolution as well as the efficacy of the neo-liberal multilateral institutional frameworks from within which these are currently being deployed. The global and regional multilateral institutions of reference here are the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) respectively. The study contends that the hegemonic narrative is severely limited; that the perspective which drives it suffers from some highly virulent blind-spots on the critical questions of history and the structural notions of power – notions which go to the very heart of the contemporary structuring of the global food system, and which, in the case of West Africa, is assuring the privileged access of some classes to food and food-producing resources whilst excluding the bulk of the class of the majority. Consequently, from a macro-historical qualitative perspective, the study develops and deploys an alternative conceptual framework from within which it appraises the regional agricultural and related trade policies of the member states of the ECOWAS which were developed in response to the neoliberal regimes of the WTO. With the reality of third world structural dependency as a point of departure, and situating this within the theoretical framework of Robert W. Cox and the tenets of Dependency theory, the study poses the question of whether and/or how, in the specific instance of West Africa, the framing of the region’s food and agricultural policies, couched as they have been in conformity to the broader context of the regimes of the WTO, has resulted in the aggravation of insecurity in food production and consumption. Pursuant to investigating this question, the study finds that as adherence by the member states of the ECOWAS to the rules of the WTO Agreements in particular and the dictates of neoliberal economic agenda in general intensifies, regional food and agricultural development strategies of the region have invariably proven incapable of overcoming the logic of structural capitalist dependency. Rather, as the ECOWAP achieves coincidence with the regimes of the WTO, those exact material conditions that stymie the prospects for structural transformation of the agrarian economy in the West African sub-region are being reinforced. The exacerbation of the associated problems of agricultural productivity decline, as well as the concomitant loss of household and national incomes is effectively putting even the food that is available both in the local and international markets well beyond the reach of the bulk of the poverty stricken majority of the people of Western Africa.

Research was conducted to better understand the food insecurity (FI) experience among women in a small indigenous Canadian Arctic community. A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted in January-February 2006 with 54 women (20-40 years). Interviews were conducted on food insecurity, lifestyle, health, dietary self-efficacy and traditional food (TF) frequency; anthropometry data were also gathered. FI affected 55% of participating households in the community. Issues of food availability, quality and variety; lack of consumer skills; and lack of TF access were recognized as potential barriers to food security. Women from FI households were more likely to report an inability to access TF (p=0.0171). No associations were found between food security status and dietary self-efficacy or TF frequency of use. Current measures, programs and policies addressing FI need to consider unique barriers facing Indigenous Peoples living in northern Canada, including the barriers that affect access to TF resources.

The majority of people in North America have lost not only the knowledge of how to successfully sustain themselves from the land but, even more troubling, the basic knowledge of where the food comes from, what real food is, or even what to do with it. It is not only basic knowledge of food that is being lost in the consumer culture; many of the private and public spaces that were central to the social fabric of the city, street, and family are changing and losing their significance. The mass marketing of the consumer lifestyle has led to the disappearance of home gardens, local restaurants, neighbourhood coffee shops, and farmers’ markets. It has altered the fine grain of our city, streets, and homes, thereby reducing the social interactions that once created lively streets in the past. This thesis examines both the historical and current relationship and influence of food in cities, streets and homes in relation to the growing issues of access to fresh whole food and the dispersed city form. In addition, it will investigate how food orientated developments such as Community Food Centres can act as a catalyst for urban revitalization in failing urban cores and provide a resiliency to the economies of the city. The analysis of the influence of food, challenges that midsized cites are facing, and a series of precedents will provide a set guidelines for architects and planners developing urban projects. Three main themes are explored as a means to revitalization of urban neighbourhood through food: reuse of under used or abandoned land, our cultural connection to food, and the activities and culture that the two create together. These themes will explore the use and cultural significance of kitchens, markets, and restaurants and public space as architectural spaces that create community as a means to better understand what mechanisms of these aspects are the keys to the building of vibrant communities. This concept will be explored through the design of a community food centre in St. Patrick’s Ward in Guelph, Ontario.

Life in urban Africa is often mired in crisis, thus researchers and practitioners usually pay attention to the multiple urban development challenges and sometimes interpret the activities and actions of urban dwellers as their means to survive in these cities. Urban food security research has remerged in recent years as a major development agenda in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), especially following the food price crisis of 2007/08, which translated into violent protest in many African cities. There is increased recognition that the issue of urban food insecurity encompasses more than just an availability crisis, yet there is limited attention paid to the multiscalar and multifaceted political-economic, social-cultural and environmental factors that drive food insecurity in cities. This research examines the multifaceted factors that shape food insecurity among urban dwellers in Gaborone, Botswana, by assessing household food access and choice/consumption patterns. Gaborone, the capital of Botswana, like many African cities, has experienced rapid urban growth since independence, however, with low subsistence agricultural production, Botswana depends largely on South Africa for food imports. Using in-depth analysis and research techniques, including participant observation, food diaries and discussions with 40 households, this study examines urban dwellers’ complex food experiences. The data from Gaborone show that changing urban food system, food prices, income status and people’s lifestyle influences urban residents’ ability to access appropriate foods. The research highlights the poor quality of urban diets in Gaborone among the survey population. The high consumption recorded of processed foods; sugars and oils are major contributory factors to the so-called ‘double burden’ of disease, where food insecurity and malnutrition coexist with obesity, a situation that is increasingly prevalent in low-income societies. Drawing on an easy-to-use analytical tool, the Household Dietary Diversity Score, while combining it with a political ecology approach to provide more contexts, this study highlights the political-economic, socio-cultural and ecological factors that drive urban dietary diversity. The research, therefore, contributes to the methodological debate around measures of food access, while providing empirical details on the case of urban food insecurity in Botswana. Further inquiries on the factors influencing people’s food choices and consumption patterns reveals that multiple interacting factors, including cost, convenience, commercials, culture and class influence the decision around which foodstuff households consume and that food consumption patterns within Gaborone are fluid, dynamic and hybridized. Thus, food consumption in SSA matters in its own right and by illustrating that consumption patterns in Gaborone are heterogeneous and fluid this research helps us better understand and contest the idea that globally food consumption patterns are becoming increasingly homogeneous and predictable. By providing a conceptually holistic and methodologically in-depth assessment of food experiences in Gaborone, this research calls for increased attention towards urban dwellers' agency and the complexity, dynamism and hybridity of urban processes in SSA cities / The International Development Research Centre (IDRC); International Foundation for Science (IFS) (Sweden) and The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada

Food security continues to be an area of concern worldwide. In Canada, our ability to feed ourselves has diminished significantly and on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, we produce less than 5% of the food we consume. A number of factors have influenced this decline including the globalization of food systems and an increase in regulations. Cities have an opportunity by way of by-laws to increase local food security. In this case study, The City of Colwood has little functional agricultural land but a significant opportunity to expand its urban agriculture activities. Although the community supports such initiatives, the local government has not yet implemented supportive policies and by-laws. This municipal government has the ability to increase local food security through the use of its legislative abilities.

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<p>In the era of AIDS, food and nutrition are becoming more of a priority for many households and communities. This is more so now that treatment is available for people infected with HIV and AIDS. Food and nutrition are fundamentally intertwined with HIV transmission and the impacts of AIDS. Evidence of the ways in which food insecurity and malnutrition may interfere with the effectiveness of antiretroviral therapy is well documented. Aim: The purpose of the study was to inform improvements in food security interventions for PLWHA through an investigation of existing food security interventions in the Khomas Region, Namibia.</p>

A paradox exists between food insecurity and obesity. Childhood obesity has tripled in the past three decades. This study aimed to understand the relationships between food insecurity, poverty income ratio, food stamps usage, perceived diet quality, and weight status in children. A child’s weight status is determined by many different factors and this study investigated several of these aspects. It was found that the family’s poverty index ratio had the greatest effect on a child’s BMI, but household food security status, ethnicity, and the perceived inability to serve balanced meals were all found to be statistically significant when considering a child’s BMI.

Over 12% of households were food insecure in Canada in 2011. Despite recognition of this problem, there remains no targeted public policy to address it. To inform interventions, examined in this thesis were how changes in financial resources related to changes in severity of food insecurity, the needs of food insecure households, and the effectiveness of current interventions. Studies 1, 2, 4, and 5 utilized data from a sample of 485 low income families living in high poverty neighbourhoods in Toronto, and Study 3 used data from the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) 2009-2011. In Study 1, the sensitivity of severity of food insecurity to changes in employment and income was observed. In Study 2, it was found that severity of food insecurity was associated with increasing probability of experiencing hardships in other domains such as delayed bill payments and giving up household services. The relationship between food insecurity and obesity among women was examined in Study 3, and it was shown that diagnoses of mood disorder partially explained the association. Patterns of association also varied by family status and severity of experiences. In Studies 4 and 5, use and non-use of current interventions focused on alleviating hunger (i.e. food banks) and improving healthy food access in communities (i.e. community gardens, Good Food Box) were examined among food insecure families. There was a low prevalence of use of all types of programs. Programs were not used because programs were not accessible or were not viewed as appropriate supports to meet needs. Taken together, findings suggest that interventions focused on potential manifestations and consequences of food insecurity are misplaced, and reinforce the urgent need for interventions to alleviate the financial insufficiency and insecurity that underpins food insecurity.