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In this study we explore what roles informal midstream businesses have in food systems, and the outcomes they influence – such as food safety, food availability affordability and accessibility, various dimensions of livelihoods (including employment and labour conditions), and the environment. Informal businesses operate outside of the formal economy. They are often not officially registered, do not maintain bookkeeping, pay income taxes, or own a bank account, and do not hold official employment relations with their workers. There are multiple perceptions and theories on informality, but recent insights inform us that the informal economy can play a constructive and rational role in complementing the formal economy. Informality is not a stage in development, which will disappear with modernisation of the economy. informality is an intrinsic part of the whole economy and therefore set to stay. Most efforts by governments to formalise the informal economic sectors have failed. Governmental efforts to regulate the informal economy come with significant risks and may have an adverse effect on economic growth and its inclusivity. We conclude from this study that informal midstream businesses contribute in many ways to food system outcomes, such as access by poor consumers to affordable food. But they sometimes also constrain such outcomes by, for example, maintaining poor workers’ conditions. As they operate outside regulation policies for food safety and may lack knowledge on hygiene standards, informal food provisioning may also come with higher health risks compared to formal food suppliers, such as supermarkets. Social capital and trust have significant effects on the performance of informal businesses. This is related to the observation that informal entrepreneurs are often not only driven by economic rationale but also by social goals. Governments can support informal midstream businesses by improving infrastructure, but also including them in policy dialogue. How

Interdisciplinary knowledge in the agri-food domain is needed to support transitions towards resilient and sustainable urban food systems and to contribute to achieving the SDG2 Zero Hunger and SDG 11 Sustainable cities and communities. This paper proposes an interdisciplinary framework to study urban food system outcomes and options for transformations in Low and Middle Income Countries in the context of changing rural-urban linkages and migration flows. The framework is a combination of a general analytical food system approach with add-ons from spatial and participatory approaches.

Increasingly, urban stakeholders are becoming more engaged in contributing to reducing the intensified flooding risks due to climate change in Belgium, the UK and the Netherlands. The aim of this study is to motivate stakeholder engagement for urban flood management. A template is provided including a total of four steps defining stakeholder positions, task roles and barriers, and showing how to deal with the barriers by suggesting communication levels, strategies and approaches. Overall, green solutions to drainage are thought to be favourable to quality of life, recreation, playground, air quality, health, heat stress, and depending on levels of inclusiveness, green can also contribute to social cohesion.