The geographies of health and development is an emerging sub-discipline, tying in with many of the conceptual, theoretical and practical components of other disciplines working in health, health care, economics, and international development. Spatially and theoretically grounded in geography, this collection offers a fresh perspective on the dialectic relationships between health and development. Health problems in a developing context take on much higher rates of prevalence as a result of the varied cultural, structural and economic vulnerabilities of the people they impact. This book begins by exploring some of the circumstances surrounding the distinctive health inequities currently facing many developing countries, including malaria, maternal mortality and HIV/AIDS. This is followed by a discussion of how matters of physical access and human resource issues and, perhaps most importantly, the challenges of financing, together shape the access and utilization of health care. Examining how the environment interacts to influence the health of the people that live there, the next section includes discussion around challenges of food (in)security, and the importance of clean and uncontaminated water for health. Finally, the book explores the influence of globalization on health, specifically within the urban environment, against the backdrop of global health policy.

The geographies of health and development is an emerging sub-discipline, tying in with many of the conceptual, theoretical and practical components of other disciplines working in health, health care, economics, and international development. Spatially and theoretically grounded in geography, this collection offers a fresh perspective on the dialectic relationships between health and development. Health problems in a developing context take on much higher rates of prevalence as a result of the varied cultural, structural and economic vulnerabilities of the people they impact. This book begins by exploring some of the circumstances surrounding the distinctive health inequities currently facing many developing countries, including malaria, maternal mortality and HIV/AIDS. This is followed by a discussion of how matters of physical access and human resource issues and, perhaps most importantly, the challenges of financing, together shape the access and utilization of health care. Examining how the environment interacts to influence the health of the people that live there, the next section includes discussion around challenges of food (in)security, and the importance of clean and uncontaminated water for health. Finally, the book explores the influence of globalization on health, specifically within the urban environment, against the backdrop of global health policy.

This volume examines the dominant neoliberal agenda for agricultural development and hunger alleviation in Africa. The text reviews the history of African agricultural and food security policy in the post-colonial period, across a range of geographical contexts, in order to contextualise the productionist approach embedded in the much heralded New Green Revolution for Africa. This strategy, supported by a range of international agencies, promotes the use of hybrid seeds, fertilisers, and pesticides to boost crop production. This approach is underpinned by a new and unprecedented level of public-private partnerships as donors actively work to promote the private sector and build links between African farmers, input suppliers, agro-dealers, agro-processors, and retailers. On the consumer end, increased supermarket penetration into poorer neighbourhoods is proffered as a solution to urban food insecurity. The chapters in this volume complicate understandings of this new approach and raise serious questions about its effectiveness as a strategy for increasing food production and alleviating poverty across the continent. This book is based on a special issue of African Geographical Review.