Improving Food Access in Dar es Salaam’s Urban Peripheries: The Role of Weekly Markets
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Date
2025
Authors
Kissoly, Luitfred
Ngassa, Claudio
Norman, Fatma
Rutatora, Sabrina
Aluko, Angela
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Abstract
Ensuring access to safe and nutritious food is a growing policy priority across Africa, where rapid urbanization and population growth are transforming cities. By 2050, sub-Saharan Africa’s (SSA) population will reach about 2.5 billion, with 60% living in urban areas and up to 15 mega-cities emerging (UN-DESA, 2021; Chen et al., 2022). Much of this growth is happening in urban peripheries with limited infrastructure, where access to food, water, and sanitation remains inadequate (Ingwani et al., 2024; Meth et al., 2021). Amid these gaps, Weekly Food Markets (WFMs) have become crucial food access points. Operated semi-formally by local authorities, they allow small vendors to sell fresh, affordable foods directly to consumers (Hiebert et al., 2017). This policy brief examines how WFMs contribute to nutritious food access in Dar es Salaam, the fastest-growing city in Tanzania, where many peri-urban households rely on such informal outlets (Blekking et al., 2023). The insights aim to inform inclusive food policies that improve access for underserved urban populations.