Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) Annual Conference 2025: Geographies of Creativity/Creative Geographies: Decoloniality in Food Systems Gastro Politics

At Lagos Food Bank, one motivational sign reads, “Hunger is not for anyone”, yet millions go hungry daily. 1.3 billion tons of food globally go to waste annually, straining the world's resources and damaging the environment (FAO, 2019). Scholars have examined non-governmental organisations, local community groups, and volunteers in reducing food insecurity through food redistribution.(Damiani et al., 2021; Facchini et al., 2018; Papargyropoulou et al., 2022). However, little attention has been given to food redistribution from a decolonial perspective, especially in rapidly urbanising contexts in Africa. (Kesselman, 2024).
Food redistribution has become a much-needed intervention in Nigeria, where 25 million people struggle with hunger (UNICEF, 2023). This study examines Lagos Food Bank's hunger relief and community resilience approach. Through qualitative methods, including semi-structured interviews with stakeholders, ethnography, and participant observation, it investigates the benefits and challenges of food redistribution in an urban African setting shaped by colonial histories of food governance. Initial findings reveal how these initiatives contribute to global Sustainable Development Goals and explore how food redistribution challenges food commodification and promotes food sovereignty.
This research enriches discussions around urban food security, advocating for community-led and intersectional approaches to food redistribution. It emphasises the need for a policy framework that tackles systemic challenges, such as food insecurity and gender access disparity. The insights gained will benefit policymakers, practitioners, and researchers committed to achieving food justice in developing nations.