Informal Food Networks in the Global South and the Benefits of Symbiotic Food Systems

Taking that weekly trip to the supermarket to buy canned foods, packaged pasta, milk cartons, and chicken filet from the deli may seem normal to many, but in many rapidly urbanizing areas, the supermarket has yet to take off as a dominant source of food. Therefore, experiences and practices in food shopping differ. It's as if we live in different food worlds. Take Dars el Salaam, a large city in Tanzania, as an example. In Dars el Salaam, the supermarket is still viewed as a Western luxury.  Food prices are often too high and the products unfamiliar to draw in low or middle-income customers. Instead, food is obtained daily and through various other avenues. It is astounding to see how much of a difference a pre-conventional food system makes in everyday practices.

Because of the inability to refrigerate and store food, due to limited financial means, large family sizes, small spaces, and unreliable electricity, food must be bought and consumed on a day to day basis. Thus, families must visit markets which are close to them and buy food that can be eaten daily. The food has to be fresh and bought in small quantities. For meat consumption especially, this means that animals must be slaughtered on-site and then brought to the market either the next morning or the day of and sold. Everything that is not consumed locally is sold to other markets, for instance, Chinese buyers, and no waste is produced.

Without a high-technology supermarket system controlled with logistics, informal food networks rely on many people to complete a number of tasks, as delivery has to be coordinated. In Dars el Salaam, salesmen often have apprentices who learn the trade from them. In addition, partnerships are made in the form of cooperatives at the market. Food vendors will step in for each other when needed. They all stand to gain from a cooperative structure. Transportation must also be arranged. There is interdependence between the food delivery drivers, the growers, and the market. Although the supply chain is shorter when compared, coordination is required to ensure food is delivered and sold on time.