Migration and urban food accessibility in Mumbwa, a tertiary city of Zambia

ABSTRACT Urbanization is occurring across sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), both from migration and natural growth, and often without urban planning, which can hamper the ability of households to obtain affordable, accessible food. Through stratified random sampling, we collected data from 135 households in Mumbwa, Zambia, to examine the relationship between migration and food accessibility in a small tertiary city. We investigate the relationship between socio-economic characteristics and food access of households that migrated or were more established in Mumbwa, and the spatial characteristics of food access. We find recent migrant households have significantly better food access than non-migrant households and those that migrated earlier. Results from a negative binomial regression suggest that recent migrant households tend to have better existing household wealth, labor assets, and smaller household size. Using spatial analysis we identify a cluster of households with lower food accessibility in an unplanned area of the city with limited basic services. We find non-migrant and migrant households in this cluster, which suggests informal settlements in this size city are settled by both household types alike. These results illustrate the challenge policymakers face in addressing urban food accessibility for all residents, due to the spatial, economic, and social heterogeneity of the phenomenon.