Urban Food Actions Platform

Food production depends and impacts on ecosystem services and biodiversity, with spillover effects going beyond food. Urban and peri-urban agriculture and food processing can contribute to improving the resilience of territories in the face of climate change, natural disasters and disrupted suppy chains. Urban food consumption can also influence where and how food is produced. 

How can you optimize agriculture production while managing ecosystem services and biodiversity and improving resilience to climate change? Numerous examples are presented, explaining how to implement sustainable urban and peri-urban food production and processing; how these can mitigate the heat island effect, prevent floods, reduce the energy needed for cooling and heating buildings, improve social inclusion, (indirectly) raise awareness on combating food waste, or contribute to better access to healthy, diversified and fresh products. Resources on Urban and Peri-Urban Forestry are also available.

 

Related Resources

Food production and ecosystem management - Reports & Case Studies
IN FRENCH ONLY The podcast presents the development of urban gardens practices in Africa in early 2023. In the face of inflation and the post-COVID situation, city dwellers and municipalities are increasingly mobilising to develop urban and peri-urban agriculture. The challenges are numerous and require comprehensive urban planning (such as access to...
(Africa)
2023 - Christine Aubry, Abou Ba
Food production and ecosystem management - Reports & Case Studies
The report first evaluates the dynamics between urbanisation and green spaces, and second, explores the potential of green spaces to boost the resilience and sustainability of cities in the future. The results show that as urban agglomerations become larger and more compact, green spaces disappear, exacerbating their vulnerability to climate...
(Africa)
2022 - Brilé Anderson, Jorge Eduardo Patiño Quinchía and Rafael Prieto Curiel
Governance and planning, Food production and ecosystem management, Food supply and distribution - Guidelines
Developing and maintaining healthy retail food environments and green spaces isof the utmost and pressing importance in urban centres. To this end, it is crucial to provide cities with tools to assess the availability, accessibility and use of food outlets and green spaces that facilitate healthy eating and living for...
Peru, Tanzania, Tunisia (Global coverage)
2022 - FAO, GAIN, WOF
Food production and ecosystem management - Reports & Case Studies
This report evaluates how and when forests – inside, near and far away from cities – contribute to health and well-being, water security, climate change mitigation, and biodiversity conservation benefits for cities and their residents. As city leaders face demands from growing urban populations, coupled with the impacts of a...
(Global coverage)
2022 - Wilson, S.J., E. Juno, J.R. Pool, S. Ray, M. Phillips, S. Francisco, and S. McCallum. 2022
Food production and ecosystem management - Reports & Case Studies
Globally, over three million people migrate to cities each week looking for work opportunities or to join their families. By 2050, over two-thirds of the global population is expected to live in urban areas. The city of Dakar in Senegal has also faced this unprecedented population increase in the last...
Senegal (Africa)
2022 - Coll.