Food securitization and urban agriculture in Hanoi (Vietnam)

Abstract

Based on a qualitative study of Hanoi underprivileged households’ livelihoods, this article addresses the role of urban and periurban agriculture in the food securitization process. It begins by showing that the spatial dynamics occurring in the emerging metropolis induce strong competition for the various uses of land. The urbanization process is based on a tremendous land-seizure policy, and officials seem to regard farmland as a land reserve instead of as a source of food. However, as a source of cheap, diversified, and safe food, and as a component of households’ livelihoods, urban agriculture plays a specific role in food-securitization strategies, especially for low-income households by reducing their food vulnerability in both short- and long-term; hence, it is a factor of resilience. Because the urbanization process that jeopardizes access to land seems particularly damaging for those households, urban planning is reconsidered from a spatial justice perspective. The food securitization approach, focusing on actors’ strategies, indicates how urban planning generates rising inequalities in the emerging metropolis. This study proposes that the current pattern of urban development induces spatial injustice in access to urban resources and land, thereby increasing inequalities in urban dwellers’ ability to manage their food security situation.

Determining key research areas for healthier diets and sustainable food systems in Viet Nam

“…Commonly, rural households grow part of their food for home preparation, and even in the peri-urban districts of Viet Nam's major cities it is common for households to grow crops or raise small numbers of livestock (Pulliat 2015;NguyenThi Tinh et al 2007).…”

What Constraints the Expansion of Urban Agriculture in Benin?

“…Five main barriers for UA development were found in the literature review. First, the lack of access to land and tenure insecurity were indicated as major barriers [25,[29][30][31][32][33][34][35]. Indeed, not owning the land urban farmers worked on put them in a land insecurity situation, that impeded their investment, given the risk of non-compliance of mandatory reimbursements.…”

“…Second, insufficient government support was a major barrier to urban cultivation [25,[29][30][31][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42]. Indeed, unclear urban policies on land use led to small or even the absence of investments as farmers forgo the risk of losing their relatively small income if authorities would claim the land and destroy their crops.…”

“…We noted a positive correlation between the access to and the ownership of land and the scale of the production system. Second, farming efficiency was a driving factor towards UA implementation [26,[31][32][33]38,43,47,49]. Indeed, improved production systems, where fewer inputs (fertilizer, water) were used, were a motivating factor for urban farmers to develop large farms [47].…”

“…Third, policy support was found to boost the development of UA [25,[27][28][29]33]. For example, in Tanzania, the policies allowed farmers to freely organize themselves in interest groups that could exert pressure on policymakers for support to farmers [25].…”