This study aims to fill this gap by examining the role of Somali migrants in informal food economy and transformation of urban food chains in Nairobi. The study will also address various inter-related gaps in knowledge that appear when South-South migration is examined from a food perspective and global food security is examined from a migration perspective. The principle objective of the study is to investigate and understand the role of Somali migrants in informal food economy and transformation of urban food chains in Nairobi.
The following specific aspects of the study will be investigated:
- Demographic characteristics of Somali migrant informal food vendors.
- Locational and business characteristics of Somali migrants’ informal food vending enterprises, including operational and institutional challenges and their coping strategies.
- The impact of Covid-19 lockdown measures on the Somali migrants’ informal food vending enterprises.
- Gendered dimensions of Somali migrants’ informal food vending enterprises.
- The role of Somali migrants in the local food supply and distribution, food security, as well as in the transformation of Nairobi’s urban food chains.
- Policy interventions for sustainable and inclusive informal food economy in Nairobi.