PRISM :: Browsing by Author "Draper, Dianne"

Browsing by Author "Draper, Dianne"

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Open Access
A Comparative Policy Framework Analysis of the Impact of International Environmental Agreements and Processes on Local Community Development in Kenya
(2014-05-01) Ouko, Evans Mark; Draper, Dianne; Grant, Miriam
Policy and technological factors outside the immediate boundaries of environmental resource areas are increasingly viewed as critical to the outcomes of chosen management strategies. In particular, the derivation of commons policy by most developing countries from a similar set of international treaties and processes often results in uncertain and unintended consequences on local development. I undertook a multi-scalar policy analysis case study with a mixed methods approach of Kenya forestry governance by examining how external factors influence national policies and selected local community development projects in order to contribute to theory and programmatic improvements. Political ecology was adopted as the broad investigative tool toward multiple socially constructed realities for different actors. Study participants were located at local, national and international agency levels with a focus on international treaties and processes impacting on forest governance. I found that international actors had, in practice, acquired significant stake-holding of contested forest areas in Kenya through their categorization as globally significant biodiversity habitats. The emergence of horizontal and vertical networks and coalitions propagated skewed power relationships in the new multilevel management arrangements. Normative goals of international environmental treaties aimed at benefitting local communities were routinely superseded by higher level interests with preference for the maintenance of the status quo such as neoliberal-informed and centralized commons management. I recognized the centrality of a shared commons in the rural development agenda and the need to adopt more redistributive contextualized policies and intervention programs that give relevance to accepted and relevant local cultural practices if more sustainable outcomes are to be achieved. More collaborative efforts and linkages at vertical and horizontal levels within and between Community Forest Associations, development cooperatives at regional and national levels, and deliberate linkages to international nongovernmental organizations that support their beliefs in practice will be critical in reversing the power imbalances observed in forest governance. Because ICDPs have evolved into major development mechanisms in Kenya’s overall development process I recommended that a comprehensive and inclusive political definition of its boundaries and aims should be undertaken in order to rationalize its operations within the overall development agenda.
Open Access
Assessing the Sustainability of Tsunami-Impacted Communities of Thailand’s Andaman Coast: An Institutional Ethnography
(2013-01-25) Williams, Aaron; Draper, Dianne; Rankin, Janet
The 2004 Andaman Sea-Indian Ocean tsunami had a profound and enduring effect on communities, environment, and the overall livelihood of survivors. For impacted regions, the nature of reconstruction and recovery efforts has permanent implications for the long-term sustainability of communities and the livelihood of individuals. This institutional ethnography (IE) study assesses the sustainability of reconstruction aid and recovery in the four tsunami-impacted communities of Ban Nam Khem, Bangkaya, Thuungwa, and Khao Lak in Phang Nga province of Southern Thailand. The purpose of this study is to describe the post-tsunami landscape of recovery within these communities, and to document how survivors have experienced the processes of reconstruction, aid and recovery in their everyday world. Employing IE, the research exposes the broader influence of policies and plans created by institutions and government bodies that dictated the ruling relations of recovery within communities of focus. Analysis of data collected from February 2011 to December 2012 revealed an uneven pattern of aid and recovery not only between villages, but within villages. These patterns are delineated by divergent policies for aid and recovery that set people and communities on different trajectories in the reconstruction and recovery process. This has resulted in varying and uneven outcomes for long-term recovery both between and within communities of study. The emerging problematic within the study centres on the struggle for valuable land within the region. Furthermore, the emerging issues surrounding land and varying policies and plans for aid and recovery appear to shed light on fundamental flaws in reconstruction policies as a top down approach, while revealing the benefits of a grass-roots approach to reconstruction, aid, and recovery cultivated through non-governmental organization support, and enacted by people within the community. The overall outcomes and assessment of sustainable development in the reconstruction and aid recovery are discussed as are recommendations regarding how they can be linked to broader global and domestic forces impacting recovery. It is hoped that this study will not only help the people of the selected communities better understand the policies and processes that dictated the reconstruction and recovery effort in their communities, but also allow for NGOs and levels of government to understand more effective ways to rebuild communities following a disaster.
Open Access
Birds, Buildings and LEED Mitigation Design at the University of Calgary Campus
(2014-05-05) Wood, Jessica Suzanne; Draper, Dianne
This appears to be the first study at the University of Calgary to assess bird collisions with buildings. Through an exploratory approach the intention was to gain an understanding of birds colliding with buildings at the university. Bird collisions were documented at the University of Calgary during the 2013 spring and fall bird migration. Only five birds were found to collide with four building structures. The low sample size posed challenges in undertaking statistical analysis. This research contributes a new vegetation density matrix and additions to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Pilot Credit 55. The information in this study may be built upon in order to conduct confirmatory research that accurately determines the extent of bird-building collisions at the University of Calgary and will, in turn, contribute to conservation of resident and migratory bird populations.
Open Access
Canadian Parks for Tomorrow: 40th Anniversary Conference: Introductory material
(2008) Draper, Dianne; Scace, Robert
Open Access
Collective Action and Sharing Space Across Difference: A Participatory Case Study at the Old Y Building
(2016-02-04) Edworthy, Son; Miller, Byron; Tretter, Eliot; Draper, Dianne; Keough, Noel; Ngo, Hieu
In the context of increasing global tension, racialized violence and Islamaphobia, with significant local impacts, one of the most important questions humans face is how to share space across difference? Linking network theory with frameworks of equity and access, this participatory case study explores spatialities of network formation across socially constructed difference. The study nested a Participatory Action Research process in a case study of a nonprofit centre known as the Old Y building, which houses over 70 diverse nonprofit organizations. Through the participatory process of the research, involving iterative cycles of action and reflection, co-researchers recognized socio-spatial patterns of exclusion from networks, and generated ideas for practical solutions. Results of this research contribute to both academic and community-based practice, providing insights into how space can facilitate connections across difference, and could lead to more equitable access to resources and decision-making.
Open Access
Coyote (Canis latrans) Family Activity in a Landscape of Fear
(2024-01-10) Mitchell, Robert; Alexander, Shelley; Draper, Dianne; Johnson, Steig
At a global scale, rapid urban expansion is spilling human development over the boundaries that divide urban and rural. This overlap creates conflict as some wildlife species are forced to adjust to urban areas alongside human residents. One such species that has readily adapted to this urban life is the coyote (Canis latrans). Unfortunately for the coyote, being a medium-sized carnivore, human residents may feel threatened by this predatory neighbour. To address this fear, managers often turn toward aggressive management strategies. These strategies aim to induce fear in the coyotes, making them leave or avoid humans. For coyotes that have long resided in cities or have nowhere else to go, this management could arguably cause suffering or reduced fitness. To explore the latter, I used camera traps spanning an urban-to-rural gradient in and around Calgary, Alberta. I captured images from the homesites of these coyotes to better understand how fear might manifest behavioural differences and what effect this might have on fitness-related behaviours. Urban coyotes displayed significantly higher levels of fear-related behaviours like vigilance and den guarding but lower levels of exploration. The trade-off these coyotes make in committing more time to being on alert and guarding pups could make for less time for necessary fitness-related behaviours, like effective hunting and receiving signals from their environment. Given coyotes are a vital top carnivore in urban areas, one consequence of the previous might be less effective control of prey populations. Fearful coyotes may also seek easier anthropogenic food sources that can lead them to further conflict with humans. With conflict incidents with coyotes frequently appearing in the media across Canada, I explore how my findings support a peaceful, non-harassment coexistence approach, where people work with the coyotes instead of against them.
Open Access
Coyote (Canis latrans) occurrence relative to human use on Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park, Alberta
(2016) Lantz, Jamie; Alexander, Shelley; Draper, Dianne; Pavelka, Mary
Although coyote (Canis latrans) attacks in Canada are rare, they tend to fuel lethal action. However, killing coyotes is ineffective for reducing long-term conflict and is ecologically destructive. Thus, coexistence is crucial. Understanding how humans and coyotes share the landscape is important to help mitigate conflict. I explored human-coyote co-occurrence in Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park, Alberta between June 2014 and June 2015. Cameras and scat surveys collected data on high and low human use trails. These two methods detected coyote occurrence equally on both trail types as well as across seasons. On all trail types coyote occurrence was greatest during the winter (versus fall and summer), dispersal season (versus the weaning season) and nighttime and daytime (versus the twilight periods). Coyote occurrence significantly decreased on trails when cyclists, vehicles and prey were present. In contrast, coyote occurrence increased when coyote(s) used trails within the past day.
Open Access
Determinants of Risk in Bear-Train Interactions
(2015-12-04) Burley, Brianna; Draper, Dianne; Cartar, Ralph
Railway-caused bear mortality is a concern in the Canadian Mountain National Parks. This research examined the behavioral responses of bears and oncoming trains to better understand what bears perceive as ‘risky’ in bear-train encounters. I used videos of bear-train interactions to measure site-specific variables at bear-train encounter sites to explain a bear’s flight initiation distance (FID) and Flee Speed from an oncoming train. I found that a bear’s FID to an oncoming train was best explained by an interaction between Train Speed and Slope, and between Longitudinal Visibility and Perpendicular Visibility, and that their Flee Speed was best explained additively by Species (bear), Train Speed, the bear’s distance from the track and the between-side difference in Delta Density of Overhead Vegetation. These results can be used to help make site-specific mitigations to areas of the railway where a bear might deem the location more ‘risky’.
Open Access
Evolution of Low Impact Development in Calgary, Alberta
(2015-07-09) Ryan, Susan Elizabeth; Draper, Dianne
Calgary is a leading Alberta municipality in low impact development (LID). This thesis provides a discussion and analysis of Calgary’s transition to the LID approach to stormwater management. The drivers of change that preceded the introduction of LID to Calgary are examined. Research includes in-depth assessment of interwoven federal, provincial, regional and municipal regulatory and policy aspects, as well as interviews with practicing stormwater management professionals. The natural hydrological regime (created by Calgary's cold, semi-arid climate, Chinooks, post-glacial topography and dense clay soils) relies on evaporation and evapotranspiration, rather than infiltration for pre-development stormwater processes. The goal of the city’s Stormwater Management Strategy is to improve post-development stormwater quality and minimize morphological impact on the receiving waters. In April 2014, Calgary adopted Interim Stormwater Targets based on pre-development peak and annual volume discharge per unit area. LID remains an evolving field, with many challenges yet to be overcome.
Open Access
Exploring Flood Risk Perceptions and Risk Management Preferences in the Aftermath of the Calgary Flood of 2013
(2016) Tanner, Alexa; Draper, Dianne; Arvai, Joe
Many studies have examined the general public’s flood risk perceptions; however, discussion continues around clarifying the variables that drive perceptions and management preferences. This thesis examines flood risk perceptions and management preferences of the general public within the City of Calgary in the aftermath of the 2013 Alberta flood. The findings reveal that short-term flood risk is influenced by direct experience with flooding, while long-term risk perceptions are not. Using perceptions of distance, direct experience was found to influence perceptions of distance, and by proxy, risk perceptions. Further, participants’ views towards climate change were found to be more influential in shaping risk perceptions than being evacuated due to the risk of flooding. In addition, it was found that response-efficacy and flood mitigation preferences were influenced by direct experience during the flood. These results are significant in understanding the role evacuation experience plays in risk perception formation and shaping mitigation preferences.
Open Access
Exploring Volunteers' Understanding of Harm in International Volunteering Projects: A Mental Models Approach
(2015-10-20) Ladosz, Monika; Draper, Dianne
Despite the growing numbers of volunteer tourists each year, volunteers’ understandings of harm while participating in international volunteering projects have received little attention. I conducted a qualitative study using a mental models approach to explore how volunteers based out of Calgary understand harm before going abroad and after returning from international volunteer trips. I explore how emotions work in these particular spaces and how they impact volunteers’ overall experiences. Gaps in volunteers’ understanding of harm pre- and post-travel were identified and analyzed. Findings suggest that volunteers’ pre-travel understanding of harm was associated with physical harm, however, volunteers’ understanding of harm post-travel tended to be associated with emotional harm. Understanding emotions in volunteer tourism spaces will aid sending organizations in mediating the relationships within and between volunteers in order to understand how harm may be reduced by training, support and outreach programs.
Open Access
Exploring youth engagement in environmental volunteering: Findings from a cross-case analysis
(2015-04-02) Puckett, Grace; Draper, Dianne; Rettie, Kathleen
Despite interest in youth-environment interactions, the convergence of “youth” and “environmental volunteering” has received little attention. I conducted a qualitative, cross-case study to explore how and why youth, aged 18 and younger, participate in environmental volunteering. Transcripts from interviews with volunteer coordinators and youth volunteers were coded to understand the similarities and differences in the structure, motives, challenges, and benefits of youth engagement. Although often overlooked as environmental volunteers, my findings suggest that children and teenagers can and are making contributions as volunteers. Experiences of youth volunteers differ in important ways from adults; however, a number of parallels can be drawn. A unique set of functions specific to the experiences of environmental volunteers emerged, suggesting the need for researchers and practitioners to take into account the meaningful ways that environmental volunteer motives differ from other contexts. A rich opportunity exists to connect youth with the environment through volunteering.
Open Access
From Inidicators to Action: The Contribution of the Sustainable Calgary Community Sustainability Indicator Initiative to Sustainability Praxis
(2005) Keough, Noel; Draper, Dianne
Open Access
Global Neoliberal Agendas and Local Livelihood Realities of Carbon Trade: Whose Interests, Whose Benefits in Nepal's Community Forest Governance
(2017) Bastakoti, Rishi Ram; Davidsen, Conny; Draper, Dianne; Tam, Chui-Ling; Einsiedel, Edna; Haluza-DeLay, Randolph
Forests are an important component of climate change governance for their function of carbon sequestration. Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) in developing countries has become a global approach to combat climate change through carbon trade. Treating carbon as a commodity has created economic pressures for locals' livelihoods in competition with global conservation efforts to increase carbon stocks. The REDD+ framework is adding complexity to an already complex framework of rights and resources which might jeopardize past successes of decentralized forest governance. Nepal offers a fitting case study for an exploration of how global policy has affected forest governance and community forestry practices through the commodification of forest carbon. With a history of devolution towards community-level forest governance, Nepal represents a prime example of successful community forestry governance practice prior to the onset of carbon trade. Recently, Nepal started REDD+ policy preparations with the support of global donor agencies, which are anticipated to change the national forestry framework considerably. This research aims at gaining insight on the multi-level policy dynamics between global and local interests which often find themselves in conflict. Using political ecology approach on multi-scale forest governance from local forest communities to national policy actors, this research identifies critical concerns for forest tenure security, state-community power relationships, forest governance of local commons, and local rights. The findings highlight challenges to REDD+ as it should not alter but complement existing rights and community governance, and as its goals need to be carefully negotiated vis-a-vis local non-monetary livelihood needs and expectations to ensure long-term viability and justice. Overall, this dissertation helps to broaden our understanding of the global-local links of carbon trade politics, contribute to careful and sustainable policy implementation of new climate change mitigation efforts, and help build a stable future of community forestry governance in the Global South.
Open Access
Identifying barriers to environmentally sustainable tourism: Exploratory findings from the Bighorn Backcountry
(2020-04-03) Tyssen, Rebecca Kathryn; Draper, Dianne; Blue, Gwendolyn; Herremans, Irene M.
Recent interest in actively developing the tourism industry in the Bighorn Backcountry of Alberta has caused concern over the sustainability of such development. There is agreement among tourists, developers, and other stakeholders that the authentic environment, free of large amounts of infrastructure, should be preserved. To maintain a sustainable tourism environment without hard infrastructure mitigating environmental impact, the Alberta Government has identified a target tourist type, authentic tourists. Authentic tourists are considered to have a high level of ecological concern for the destinations that they visit, resulting in the province’s expectation that such tourists will exhibit a high level of responsibility for environmental sustainability. I interviewed tourists staying in the Bighorn Backcountry, representative of the authentic tourist type, in order to explore challenges related to the proposed development model. I identified a conflict between how tourists perceived their responsibility for the environmental sustainability of their destination and the expectation for responsibility that the development plan is reliant on. Use of online platforms is explored as an approach for overcoming the identified conflict. Findings suggest there is potential in the anticipation stage of travel to engage tourists with environmental concerns and initiatives. Requirements for information to be accessed and utilized by tourists include the need for convenience, trustworthiness, and presentation of facts rather than opinion.
Open Access
Ideological Coyotes: A more-than-human geography of landowners’ discourse in the Foothills Parkland Region of Alberta, Canada
(2021-09-14) Boesel, Alexandra V.M.; Alexander, Shelley M.; Draper, Dianne; Colpitts, George
This thesis presents a critical animal geography analysis of human-coyote relationships in the Foothills Parkland Region of Alberta, Canada. Concerned by large-scale reports of coyote killing in rural parts of North America, this thesis reveals discursive themes in interviews of landowners living alongside coyotes in the study area. Previous studies in North America have predominantly focused on why killing predators is not sound ecological practice. While some studies have begun to address human dimensions of perceived wildlife conflict, research has not attended directly to the discourse and ideologies behind the perceived conflict with coyotes. In this thesis, I identify that coyote management practices appear sociocultural and ideological rather than ecological in reasoning. In the more-than-human landscape of the Foothills Parkland Region, where livestock industry abounds, coyotes are discursively framed as pestilant and threatening bodies to many agricultural landowners. Yet, as the region has developed, becoming more heterogenous, views on coyotes are increasingly divided and polarized. This research explores how coyotes become social, cultural, political, and ideological creatures. While, overall, I find practices regarding coyotes are dictated by speciesism, my discourse analysis also identifies that ideologies of rurality, masculinity, and capitalism influence the human-coyote relationship. The Foothills Coyote Initiative provided 47 audio interviews which I transcribed, coded, and analyzed, identifying emergent discursive themes in landowners’ reported relationships with coyotes. Bringing together disciplines of rural geographies and critical animal geographies, this thesis reveals the ideologies that sustain the practice of killing coyotes, offering insights on anti-predator attitudes across North America.
Open Access
An Investigation of Five Decades of Canid Management Research in the United States and Canada
(2019-07-24) Plotsky, Kyle; Alexander, Shelley M.; Draper, Dianne; Musiani, Marco; Collard, Rosemary-Claire; Pavelka, Mary McDonald
Predator removal has been the dominant method of mitigating predator damage to livestock for centuries in the United States and Canada. The 1970s saw legislative and cultural shifts from predator eradication to selective and non-lethal mitigation strategies. Research concurrently increased and focused on which strategies were effective at reducing livestock depredations. I collected research findings published between 1970 and 2018 on mitigating livestock depredation by coyotes and wolves. I investigated potential issues in this literature with implications for current canid management, such as whether traditional management strategies have been properly evaluated or whether the research endorsed a particular strategy. I also investigated the characteristics of the research over time and whether the research showed evidence of publication bias. Lastly, I evaluated whether the confounding effect of context has been accounted for in the research. I found there were nearly three times as many non-lethal than lethal research findings and twice as many types of non-lethal strategies than lethal strategies. My results also justify the use of producer assessments in future research on mitigating livestock depredations. I found differences in research characteristics, such as the canid species evaluated and how research findings are disseminated, across the five decades between 1970 and 2018. I also report that research quality improved across the five decades as there were fewer lower quality research findings after the 1980s. There was no evidence of traditional success oriented publication bias. I did find evidence that non-success related research characteristics were associated with publication in journals and I termed these relationships ‘non-traditional publication bias’. Research findings that evaluated wolves, had academic Principal Investigators, or used statistical analyses were more likely to be published in journals. My final analysis focused on five contextual factors: historical/concurrent lethal control, wild prey, landscape, season, and anthropogenic characteristics. Research findings did not consistently report contextual information. Similarly, there were only a few instances of authors reporting an effect of contextual factors on their results. Based on the CONSORT checklist used in medical research, I developed guidelines for the reporting of future research to ensure replicability and usability in meta-analyses.
Open Access
Listening to Community: Towards Best Research Practices in Pond Inlet, Nunavut
(2024-01-17) Spiers, Kent Gordon; Peric, Sabrina; Draper, Dianne; Dawson, Peter; Oetelaar, Gerald; Hird, Myra
What are the specific conditions and circumstances that can either prevent or facilitate an ethical, meaningful, productive, and respectful collaboration between Settler researchers and Indigenous People engaged in community or regional monitoring programs? How can I bring Settler research and Indigenous knowledge systems together to facilitate more equitable and proactive environmental monitoring programs? My research examines the connections between community-based environmental monitoring, research ethics, and the role of social science in climate change adaptation programs. In this dissertation, I examine the context, community concerns and recommendations for research that emerged during my fieldwork, interviews, and workshops conducted in Pond Inlet and Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, and Calgary, Alberta. It is widely recognized that over the last few decades, the planet has been undergoing rapid climate change, particularly in the Arctic. Climate change has led to a discussion about the role of Settler research and Indigenous knowledge in understanding and addressing environmental changes and community and regional priorities. In the North of Canada and other Arctic regions, the role of Settler researchers facilitating ecological monitoring, environmental changes, and local and regional policy changes has been largely overlooked. As more Indigenous organizations and communities continue to advocate and demonstrate the validity of their knowledge systems, levels of government and research institutions seek to facilitate and embrace the co-integration Indigenous Knowledge (IK) and Settler research. At an individual level, the co-integration of IK with Settler research will build skills and promote community resilience brought on by climate change. At a societal level, the benefits and potential of integrating IK with Settler research are a resource that needs to be investigated. It can add new and essential aspects to climate change adaptation strategies. However, it can also be problematic and reproduce already existing colonial dynamics. In this dissertation, I provide an overview and discussion of the potential role for Settler researchers in climate change research related to adaptation measures for Indigenous communities across the North of Canada and case study results. The outcomes of my research indicate that: 1) there needs to be a significant increase in the number of climate change adaptation projects that incorporate Inuit Knowledge (IK); 2) social science could play a role in the success and sustainability of climate change program development and deployment, and 3) the measurable and tangible ways communities may evaluate the success of adaptation programs. My research also outlines the concerns related to Settler researcher behaviors and practices that a group of Inuit from Pond Inlet and Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, experienced while working on university-based research projects and reports a series of recommendations they provided. My study also presents the concerns and recommendations of Inuit community members about the need to decolonize university ethics boards and research. The objectives of the workshop were to 1) get a sense of Settler research behavior community members saw as unethical, 2) synthesize the recommendations made by various Indigenous organizations related to ethical engagement and a decolonized research approach, and 3) develop a framework for an ethics workshop aimed at decolonizing university research ethics processes, which Indigenous peoples lead, and research in general. The findings indicate the great need for: (1) the inclusion of Indigenous epistemologies into university ethics training and certification processes equal to Settler science; 2) improved understandings of how academic disciplines should consult and work with Indigenous communities; 3) protocols and procedures for Settler research to be integrated with Indigenous Knowledge to be established. Each university, Settler researcher, and Indigenous community has specific circumstances, limitations, obstacles, research priorities, and capacities that need to be understood. The conclusions of my study are: 1) there is a need for Settler researchers to be aware of and recognize different epistemological orientations; 2) universities and researchers must make a concerted effort to spend more time supporting Indigenous-led research, and co-designing and implementing research projects collegially with Indigenous communities; 3) the relevance of Settler research projects needs to be clearly articulated with community members, and the research results need to be presented to the community in a variety of ways, such as through social media, town halls, plain language reports, etc.; 4) Settler researchers can make efforts to document community-level concerns in order for the community to be able to collaboration with Settler researchers on specific concerns.
Open Access
Marketing and Shaping Shanghai in Travel Writings: A Critical Analysis of the Evolving Tourism Discourse in the New York Times Travel Section
(2016) Wang, Yifan; Schneider, Barbara; Keller, Jessalynn; Draper, Dianne
Tourism discourse has been affirmed to be a site where tourist destinations are constantly invented, reinvented, produced and reproduced. More importantly, tourism discourse constantly undergoes variation along with the changing social context and the unfixed power relations between host and guest society. By using critical discourse analysis to analyze the New York Times travel writings covering Shanghai and tracing the evolving discourse, it is discovered that the newspaper increasingly projects the image of Shanghai as a metropolis for diverse consumption by adopting commercialized language, and consequently cultivates a homogenized discourse and routinized ways of viewing Shanghai. It is concluded that the changing discourse suggests the newspaper’s closer relationship with the tourism industry, and the travel writings have become the product of consensual marketing for profitability and reflect the collaborative relationship between the newspaper and the tourism industry of Shanghai.
Open Access
Perilous Connections: Poverty, Food Insecurity, HIV/AIDS, and Gender in Lilongwe, Malawi
(2016) Mambo, Tatenda T; Grant, Miriam; Draper, Dianne; Madibo, Amal; Tam, Chui-Ling
Although food security has largely been a rural issue, it is increasingly an urban concern, particularly in slums and informal settlements of southern Africa. In Malawi, high urbanization rates are leading to new configurations of the urban landscape, characterized by the growth of slums. Slums highlight the increasing prominence of poverty within cities, exhibited by deplorable living conditions. Much of this poverty stems from absence of economic growth relative to the rate of urban growth. Given that cities are cash dependent, slum residents often cut back on food expenditures, which are viewed as variable compared to more fixed costs such as rent, fuel, and education. Food security is further complicated by the HIV/AIDS epidemic, which largely affects the most economically active segments of the population (15–45 years), resulting in the erosion of social and human capital, and removal of social safety nets. Good nutrition, imperative for people infected with HIV/AIDS, slows progression of the disease, makes medication more effective, and maintains immune strength to fight opportunistic infections. The burdens created at the intersection of HIV/AIDS and food security disproportionately affect women because they are physiologically more susceptible to infection and furthermore, they are the primary care givers, producers and acquirers of food within households. The status and resources available to women are therefore central to addressing the problems outlined above. Drawing on a pragmatist perspective emphasizing context, this study holistically explores the causal dynamics and linkages between poverty, food insecurity, HIV/AIDS and gender in Kauma and Mgona, two slums in Lilongwe, Malawi. While food insecurity was high in both study sites, geography accounted for the differences, affording Kauma residents a wider range of livelihood activities. Contrary to the literature, migration to the city for many women limited their ability to contribute to their household, financially or by acquiring food, and as such decreased self-determination. Gender dynamics within households and the resources available to women in the urban environment, determined women’s contributions to household food and nutritional status. Only by holistically studying food insecurity and the interrelated complexities of poverty, HIV/AIDS and gender, can we begin to find comprehensive solutions.