Feeding Hungry Cities: Food Security in Southern Africa

The Feeding Hungry Cities project was designed to raise awareness about urban food security, demonstrate the complexity of urban food security, portray the human aspect, and encourage dialogue and discussion. According to the organisers, while the global food agenda often focuses on rural agricultural development when it comes to discussions on food security, Southern Africa is one of the fastest urbanising regions in the world – more people are living in cities, yet the concept of urban food security is largely left off of international agendas, even as consumers are finding their food budgets severely stretched. The documentary series and short radio drama were produced as part of this on-going work to ensure that the issue stays in the public spotlight.

The radio package is being provided free of charge to radio stations, and includes the following:

• 2 disc sets of the 10-part radio documentary series;
• A 20 minute radio drama - available in English, Portuguese, Zulu, Xhosa, Shona, and Nyanja;
• Original theme music highlighting food security;
• Promotional trailers;
• A presenters guide leaflet with discussion ideas; and
• Posters

Radio Drama

The radio drama "Trading Places" uses entertainment-education to convey messages and ideas, as well as encourage dialogue around food issues. The story focuses on Elizabeth, a woman making her living cooking food in her city's main outdoor market. Together with her friend, Esther, they do what any mother would do for her kids to ensure their well being. But when a developer threatens to displace them from the spot which is their livelihood, she finds, eventually, comfort from Grace, a young, snobbish, but good willed university student with a genius plan.

Documentaries

This series chronicles the complex issues of how cities in Southern Africa feed themselves. Correspondents across the region seek to find out what are cities eating, where food is produced and purchased, and most importantly question whether is it enough to sustain a healthy lifestyle. There are ten documentaries which cover issues such as where food comes from, supermarket expansion, food across borders, nutritions, and HIV and food security, among others.

Music

To add to the entertainment value of the production, and also promote messages further, original theme music was composed. This music forms part of the productions, and can also be aired alone.

Presenter's Guide

To complement the radio documentaries/ drama, a presenters guide was developed to assist radio presenters to talk about the ideas raised through the two productions. The guide provides tips on how to use both the drama and documentaries to raise awareness and encourage dialogue.

Food Insecurity