Food Security in Ghanaian Urban Cities: A Scoping Review of the Literature
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Date
2021
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
nutrients
Abstract
Urbanisation in Ghana could be negatively impacting the state of food security, especially
in economically vulnerable groups. Food supply, safety, and quality are all aspects of food security
which could be impacted. We conducted a scoping literature review to understand the nature and
magnitude of evidence available on the urban food security situation in Ghana. A literature search
was conducted in Medline, CINAHL, Embase, Global Health, Scopus,Web of Science, AfricaWide
Information and Google Scholar to identify relevant peer-reviewed and grey literature. 45 studies,
mainly cross-sectional surveys/food samples analysis, met the inclusion criteria. The majority of
studies were concentrated in the Greater Accra Region (n = 24). Most studies focused on food safety
and quality (n = 31). Studies on supply and stability were, however, scarce. Qualitative research
methods were uncommon in the included studies. The existing literature on food security are
concentrated in two regions: The Greater Accra and Ashanti regions. Future studies exploring food
security in urban Ghana should focus on exploring the lived experiences and perceptions of food
insecurity and food stability by urban-dwellers using qualitative methods. The evidence suggesting
that the safety/quality of foods sold in Ghanaian markets is poor should be a concern to consumers
and policy makers.
Description
Research Article
Keywords
food quality, food access, food utilization, food security, urban Ghana, scoping review, urbanization, urban and peri-urban agriculture