Unlearning and relearning fresh produce markets : a study of the social and economic forces that shape the Johannesburg Fresh Produce Market

Abstract

The Johannesburg Fresh Produce Market (JFPM) is the largest fresh produce market in Africa, in terms of volume and turnover, and plays a central role in making fresh produce accessible across Gauteng and surrounding areas particularly to the urban poor through the multitudes of informal traders that source produce at the JFPM. As it is such a large and important market, it is surprising to find that there is limited literature available that unpacks actor interactions at the JFPM, giving special attention to the social and economic forces that shape it. This dissertation attempts to do so by identifying and examining how these social and economic forces at the JFPM shape the distribution of power among the actors involved, as well as the contribution of the JFPM in making food accessible in light of the state of food insecurity in South Africa. The findings are drawn from a mixed-methods approach using primary and secondary data sources collected between 2019 and 2021. This included the triangulation of quantitative and qualitative data collected. Presented here, the findings show that the functioning of the JFPM involves a complex interaction between economic and social forces within a regulatory environment that combines free market discourse with high levels of regulation that continue to be influenced by apartheid era governance arrangements, which have not changed much through the decades. Among other factors, this influence is evident in the long-term social relationships among actors of the same ethnic and cultural background. Moreover, these findings highlight the importance of the Market as a source of supply to the informal sector, the role of which is often neglected in policy and development planning in South Africa, and their role in ensuring food accessibility to the urban poor through, among other things, lower prices. At the broader level, the study suggests that there is a need for the JFPM to be transformed to better fit the changed social conditions and remain economically competitive. This can be achieved through the adoption of policies, planning, market maintenance, and regulations that are supportive of the JFPM and the nature of operation of the informal traders active in the food system. Moreover, the findings of the study show the importance of unlearning conventional economic understandings of food markets to give more attention to the people and social relations that are just as important for the function of markets and the food system. Interventions should equally consider the implication of economic and social forces on the food system.