Issue #6 | More than survival: Food, precarity, and human agency in Dhaka

This article was produced by European researchers in Bonn, Germany. There’s a lot to be said for Western epistemological framings of non-Western contexts, seeing that the research takes the voice of an outsider instead of the people whose lived reality is reflected in the research. But, we feel that this research and its focus on Dhaka makes it valuable for expanding our perspective to non-Western contexts, so it was worth adding into the mix!

This research, conducted by Hans-Georg Bohle, Benjamin Etzold and Markus Keck, critically redefines the concept of resilience by shifting the focus from systems to people. As a concept, ‘resilience’ is traditionally framed in ecological and systems theory. Some researchers argue that this concept of resilience is flawed, because it overlooks the role of human agency in how systems function. 

Bohle, Etzold, and Keck argue that resilience shouldn’t be seen only as the ability of systems to absorb shocks, but also as the capacity of individuals and communities to adapt, self-organise, and transform their livelihoods, particularly in vulnerable settings. They use the food system of Dhaka, Bangladesh as a case study to show how resilience can be conceptualised through the everyday strategies and agency of marginalised urban populations.

Methods

The authors combine conceptual analysis with empirical fieldwork in Dhaka’s food system, focusing on:

• Informal food distribution and street food networks
• Actor*-based governance structures
• Case studies of urban food insecurity

The study blends systems thinking with grounded, actor-oriented approaches, drawing on interviews, observations, and previous publications by the authors to trace how individuals and informal networks contribute to the resilience of urban food systems.

Key Findings

1. Dhaka’s food system shows strong resilience, not through formal infrastructure, but through the adaptive strategies of informal actors; especially street vendors, traders, and low-income workers, who keep food circulating during crises like floods, political unrest, or price shocks.
2. Informal networks and practices are essential to the city’s food governance. Instead of relying on formal rules, Dhaka’s food system is governed by self-organised associations, flexible relationships, and local knowledge, which enable quick responses to disruptions.
3. Agency plays a key role in maintaining food security. From vendors negotiating with authorities to traders adapting to global price shifts, the resilience of the system depends on the everyday decisions, relationships, and creativity of individuals and communities navigating a precarious urban environment.

However, the resilience of the system is achieved at a cost…

While the system remains functional during crises, the most vulnerable populations bear the brunt. Food becomes less affordable and accessible for them, especially during disruptions. Both vendors and consumers are forced to absorb rising prices, navigate structural violence, and rely on informal protections. This raises ethical questions about whose resilience is being maintained, and at what price.

Applications in the Real World

Several aspects of this study led me to talk about it:

• It challenges dominant, systems-oriented definitions of resilience by centering human agency.
• It brings together global theory and grounded, empirical analysis in a Global South context.
• It critically examines informality not as a weakness, but as a key mechanism of resilience.
• The authors contribute a framework for understanding resilience as empowerment, linking it to human rights, capabilities, and justice.

For all its advantages, this study’s findings can be applied in urban policy and aid work, empowering agencies to design more inclusive food systems that empower communities rather than criminalising the actors that work to make the systems work. It also reframes vulnerability for human security and governance agencies, focusing less on external aid and more on freedom, agency, and local knowledge to make communities and individuals more resilient.

Bohle, H.-G., Etzold, B., & Keck, M. (2009). Resilience as agency. IHDP Update, 2, 8–13.

* In sociology, "actors" are the people or groups who take action and make decisions in a given situation. They’re not just affected by systems - they actively shape them.

For example, in a city’s food system:

• A street vendor is an actor because they decide where to sell, what to sell, and how to adapt to challenges.
• A government agency is also an actor, setting rules or policies.

Simply put, actors are the ones who make things happen: they have agency and influence within a system.