NUS so fast: The social and ecological implications of a rapidly developing indigenous food economy in the Cape Town area

Willis Jenny, Losch Bruno, Pereira Laura. 2024. NUS so fast: The social and ecological implications of a rapidly developing indigenous food economy in the Cape Town area. Sustainability Science, 19 : 1595-1607.

Résumé : The modern global food system is highly unsustainable, shaped by industrialisation and corporate consolidation, with negative repercussions on the environment and biodiversity as well as human health. This paper looks at the burgeoning economy in neglected and underutilised species (NUS) in the Western Cape, South Africa, as a potential innovation that could make the local food system more socially and ecologically resilient. Although, at present, NUS are only marginally included in the local food system and policy discussions, NUS increasingly appear in the high-end food industry, driven by international gastronomic trends. These species hold potential as climate resilient, nutritionally dense, and socially and culturally significant foods in the region, but they also carry ecological and social risks. We critically examine the fledgling NUS economy in the Cape Town area to unpack the motivations and challenges associated with the potentially transformative inclusion of these foods into the local food system. We demonstrate that the main risks associated with NUS are negative ecological repercussions, privatisation of the NUS economy, and the reproduction and further entrenchment of unequal power and race dynamics in the region. To mitigate these risks and actualise the related benefits associated with NUS, engagement with the ecological, social, and political context of NUS needs to be significantly deepened. This is particularly true for those working in the high-end food industry, who appear to be driving the NUS economy, and will require education around sustainability and Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), as well as a foregrounding awareness of power dynamics.

Mots-clés Agrovoc : sécurité alimentaire, systèmes alimentaires, savoirs autochtones, industrie alimentaire

Mots-clés géographiques Agrovoc : Afrique du Sud

Mots-clés libres : Cape Floristic Region, Chefs, Food systems, Gastronomy, Neglected and underutilised species, Traditional ecological knowledge

Classification Agris : S01 - Nutrition humaine - Considérations générales
U70 - Sciences humaines et sociales

Champ stratégique Cirad : CTS 3 (2019-) - Systèmes alimentaires

Agences de financement hors UE : Stockholm University, Wellcome Trust

Projets sur financement : (GBR) Sustainable and Healthy Food Systems

Auteurs et affiliations

• Willis Jenny, University of the Western Cape (ZAF)
• Losch Bruno, CIRAD-ES-UMR ART-DEV (FRA)
• Pereira Laura, City University London (GBR) - auteur correspondant

Source : Cirad-Agritrop (https://agritrop.cirad.fr/610169/)

Métriques

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