The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) and the World Union of Wholesale Markets (WUWM) have signed today a Memorandum of Understanding to supports the transition towards greater resilience in fresh food markets, in Africa and Asia.
2022 marks a decisive action year for scaling up and accelerating the implementation of robust, context specific efforts to eradicate hunger and increase accessibility of safe, nutritious foods for all people, whilst remaining within key Earth’s systems thresholds like climate change and biodiversity loss.
Fresh food markets are important points of access to affordable, safe and nutritious foods and are key sources of income and employment as well as places where vendors and consumers engage daily. This is especially so for those most vulnerable to hunger and malnutrition, like those working in the informal sector, earning low-incomes, and urban residents who are either distanced from food supply, spend a higher percentage of their income on food, housing, and basic services (where such services are available), or have non-nutritious foods more widely accessible, affordable, and promoted.
Fresh food markets are important points of access to affordable, safe and nutritious foods and are key sources of income and employment as well as places where vendors and consumers engage daily. © GAIN
Technical assistance provided by WUWM members will cover:
- infrastructure development,
- co-designed and improved market operations and business models, professionalisation of vendors (in areas such as business management, food safety and food waste),
- support for peer-to-peer champions, as well as food systems and nutrition policies and governance.
This will be realised through GAIN’s on-going Resilient Markets programmes and by WUWM leveraging its membership across the world. Advocacy will focus on the value of effective, efficient, robustly operated, networked and sustainable fresh food markets with skilled vendors and champions.
In a world where around 50% of the population struggle to have access to healthy diets the modernization and structuration of the fresh food sector will be key to drastically reduce malnutrition around the world.
"In a world where around 50% of the population struggle to have access to healthy diets the modernization and structuration of the fresh food sector will be key to drastically reduce malnutrition around the world. Through the development of fresh food markets, the partnership between WUWM and GAIN will facilitate this goal."
"During the COVID-19 crisis, GAIN became increasingly aware of the importance of traditional food markets for those engaged in the informal sector, like market vendors, as well as low-income consumers." Said GAIN’s Executive Director, Lawrence Haddad, "Enabling these markets to function better and with greater resilience means working together with the world's best experts in the field. GAIN is thrilled to join with WUWM, an organisation that represents that expertise."
Enabling these markets to function better and with greater resilience means working together with the world's best experts in the field. GAIN is thrilled to join with WUWM, an organisation that represents that expertise.