Allow poor people – as small-scale farmers, fishers, street traders and spazas – to produce, transport and sell food. This must include all spaza shops and street vendors.
To avoid any concentration of crowds, facilities of existing public infrastructure (like schools) could be used.
Rather than food vouchers to allow poor people to access food at supermarkets, do straight cash transfers so that they can buy food from whatever quarter they choose to.
The Solidarity Fund should be drawn on to keep farm and fishing enterprises and other small-scale food enterprises going, including the provision of the appropriate protective equipment necessary.
Small-scale farmers could establish depots to which produce is brought for onward sale. Existing WhatsApp groups could compile spreadsheets indicating what is available for sale.
Negotiate with supermarkets to buy from small-scale farmers. This produce could be advertised specifically as produce from small-scale farmers.
The logistics chains of supermarkets, or other major companies with massive distribution networks that reach every corner of the country could be used to help transport food from small-scale farmers.
Paying cash upfront, government should procure vegetables, fish and other food for public distribution from small-scale producers.
Shopping hours/days could be allocated to specific areas at specific times. This would prevent large numbers at supermarkets at certain times, like immediately after disbursement of social grants. Releasing informal food traders from the lockdown will also reduce the intensity of peak times at supermarkets.
“Don’t try to get the informal sector to comply with registration requirements. It’s informal. Recognise this as a reality and a crucial part of the food economy. But immediately allowing all spaza shops to operate is not enough. Spaza shops are not adequate for households to do their main shopping – people shop around and usually go to spazas for small additional items. The informal sector must be restored, and augmented with new outlets in a more dispersed system”.
Photo by Varun Tandon on Unsplash
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