Actionable companion · Governance and equitable decisions

From leadership research to district action: The City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality as a Microcosm of Fruit and Vegetable Waste Governance Failure in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Evidence from Formal and Informal Retailers

AI-assisted editorial implementation guide. Proposed district actions are separate from the original authors’ findings and recommendations. Independent peer review of this guide is not asserted.

Evidence and transfer

Education-related source: verify which participants, institutions and outcomes were actually studied before district adoption. Source publication type: research-article. License and identity checks do not establish study quality or causality.

Original authors’ abstract, reproduced under the source license:

Highlights Public health relevance—How does this work relate to a public health issue? Poorly managed Fruit and Vegetable Waste (FVW) is linked to imminent negative environmental and public health effects, which may subsequently impact public health outcomes in urban areas like the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality (COJMM). This study addressed awareness and management practices of FVW among formal and informal retailers, providing evidence to support improved FVW management interventions and policies that enhance sustainability and protect public health. Public health significance—Why is this work of significance to public health? The study addresses a gap in urban FVW governance in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) by displaying how institutional and operational shortcomings in COJMM affect FVW management outcomes, contributing to the body of literature addressing public health governance. The findings provide practical evidence for municipalities to improve enforcement, strengthen regulatory frameworks, and design interventions that enhance effective FVW management. Public health implications—What are the key implications or messages for practitioners, policy makers, and/or researchers in public health? Effective retail FVW management requires stronger governance systems, particularly in municipalities such as the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality and similar urban LMIC settings. Practitioners, policy makers, and researchers should prioritize integrated, context-specific interventions that address infrastructural, institutional, and operational challenges to FVW management. Abstract FVW has become a major sustainability concern due to rapid urbanization and rising demand for fresh produce in LMIC. This study investigates FVW governance by assessing awareness levels and FVW management practices among formal and informal fruit and vegetable retailers in Region F of the COJMM. Quantitative, descriptive design was employed. Data were collected using questionnaires that assessed demographic details, awareness of FVW, and current FVW management practices. The findings from 43 formal and 118 informal retailers revealed fragmented governance across the retail sectors. 54.2% of informal retailers reported being unaware of municipal waste management by-laws, and 83.9% indicated that disposal was the only effective waste management method. Formal retailers showed greater awareness of the impacts of poor FVW management (83.7% agreed or strongly agreed), yet 65.1% still relied primarily on disposal practices. The findings show limited awareness of municipal waste governance tools and reliance on disposal, with minimal FVW valorization. Chi-square results showed that age, gender, and education significantly influence awareness among informal retailers, while no significant differences were found among formal retailers. The study concludes that unsustainable FVW management is driven by structural governance limitations, highlighting the need for inclusive approaches to improve urban FVW governance in LMIC.

A 90-day district inquiry

1. Days 1–15 · Appraise. Read the source methods, recruitment, comparator, outcomes and limitations. Record how the study setting differs from your district and which claim the design can support.
2. Days 16–30 · Design. Select one recurring district decision. Publish the decision owner, evidence requirements, consultation process and appeal route; test the process on a bounded low-risk decision. Agree participation, privacy protections, baseline and stopping rules before starting.
3. Days 31–60 · Observe. Collect the pre-agreed measures, keep a log of implementation changes and invite confidential voluntary feedback. Preserve existing support for staff and learners.
4. Days 61–90 · Decide. Track decision time, unresolved objections, documented reasons, appeals and access differences. Review whether the process changes who can participate and who carries the burden. Make a dated decision to stop, revise or extend the inquiry.

Board decision brief

Present the local problem, source setting, evidence limits, intervention, responsible owner, total cost, measured changes and uncertainty. Separate staff perceptions, implementation measures and student learning outcomes.

Attribution and reuse

Mpinane Flory Senekane; Cavin Omphemetse Moreetsi. The City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality as a Microcosm of Fruit and Vegetable Waste Governance Failure in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Evidence from Formal and Informal Retailers. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (2026-04-03). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph23040456

Prepared 2026-11-07. Source authorship and DOI are preserved. The abstract and source passages are attributed extracts; this editorial guide is offered under the same CC BY 4.0 license.