Food environments in contexts of disasters in Mozambique

Purpose This paper aims to examine relationships between disasters and food environments. Despite expanding theorisation of food environments, current thinking falls short by missing the temporal intra- and inter-annual dynamics of food environments, which are critical in disaster-prone countries. Furthermore, existing conceptualisations of food environments miss a critical discussion on the role of the humanitarian food environment. Both the timescale and the role of humanitarian aid in shaping food environments are critical for disaster prevention and management in the short and long run. Design/methodology/approach The research used a multidisciplinary socio-ecological approach by which nature and humans are treated as a continuum of existence (re)shaping each other over time. The study used geographical information systems and applied surveys, focus group discussions, key informant interviews and observations. Findings The study shows that complex disasters and an unfit environment, marked by limited and decaying ecosystem services, are forcefully pushing people to be integrated into inexpensive and unhealthy food markets. We also find that agriculture is not being pressured and influenced by the climate crisis alone; it is also being reshaped by the influx of aid and humanitarian actors who provide seeds, pesticides, fertilisers, production tools, extension services and link their “beneficiaries” to markets for their outbound products. Originality/value This research is a novel attempt to link disasters and food security by using the food environment framework alongside multiple research methods from social sciences to biophysics. It is additionally original by examining food security dynamics across time scales.