The 2012 edition of Africités is focusing on "building Africa from its territories: what challenges for the local governments?". It has many implications for food and nutrition security, agriculture and management of natural resources.

Indeed, rising and volatile food prices, financial and economic crises, competition for access to natural resources, and environmental degradation affect food and nutrition security of populations, urban as well as rural.

Therefore, the challenges for citizens and the various authorities concerned in Africa, public or private, whether local, national or supranational, are to design and implement resilient food systems.

A first step is to create good governance mechanisms that mobilize all stakeholders to work together better and to develop new practices concerted and shared. The actors should engage in strategic territorial planning of cities, strengthen linkages between urban and rural areas, and develop the urban and peri-urban agriculture. This contributes to the creation of green cities, mosaics of trees, forests and agricultural areas all contributing to a green economy and to resilience to climate change.

FAO is organizing the Special Session "Food and Nutrition Security for African Cities: Territorial and environmental challenges" on December 5 2012 from 14h30 to 18h00, Hôtel des Almadies. It will allow stakeholders from Africa and elsewhere to discuss achievements and to develop proposals in support initiatives improving food and nutrition security of urban populations through a territorial and integrated approach.

Programme in English - Programme en français

This event will also be an opportunity to launch 2 new publications:

• Pro-poor legal and institutional frameworks for urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) - FAO Legislative Study - 108 (2012) - written by Yves Cabannes
• Pour des villes plus vertes en Afrique - FAO (2012)

The presentations included:

- an introduction and presentation of territorial and environmental challenges for African cities,

- a description of the decentralized cooperation programme between the Région Ile-de-France and Antananarivo for strategic planification for green spaces and agriculture

- the role of urban and peri-urban agriculture for safe and diversified diets in southern cities

- the issues and experience from the "Growing Greener Cities" programme of FAO

- the case study of the Belo Horizonte food system

The documents who came out from the FAO Special Session in Africities (agenda here) are:

• a background paper on "Territories and Local Governance: Food and nutrition security Challenges and FAO Actions";
• six recommendations from the FAO special session; list of presidium and speakers;

For more information, you can read the summary and notes related to the presentations and the discussions session.