Resilience of the food system in medium-sized cities

Background

Nearly 70% of the world's population is expected to live in urban areas by 2050, up from more than 50% in 2018, with the most significant growth occurring in intermediate cities of up to 1 million inhabitants. This rapid urbanization, coupled with the overall increase in global population, creates enormous challenges related to all aspects of sustainability.

Moreover, it is occurring at a time of climate emergency; weather patterns are increasingly unpredictable and climate-related disruptions and stresses such as droughts, floods, storms, etc. are becoming more frequent.

Cities are relevant to the causes of climate change as they are responsible for 70% of global greenhouse gas emissions. A large amount of food reaching urban residents is produced and transformed by a globalized food industry, the third largest contributor to global emissions, and responsible for massive depletion of natural resources and loss of biodiversity.

Cities are also highly vulnerable to the effects of the climate crisis. Events such as hurricanes, floods, prolonged droughts and temperature spikes can cause severe disruption to the infrastructure and systems on which cities depend. This includes the impact on stakeholders, activities and assets of city food systems (food production, aggregation, processing, distribution and storage, markets, consumption and waste management) in urban, peri-urban and rural hinterlands and further afield.

The most vulnerable socio-economic groups (including marginal actors in the food system, people living in informal settlements without basic infrastructure and sanitation, women, youth, people with disabilities and others) are the most affected and have the least opportunities for recovery, jeopardizing not only their livelihoods, but also their food security and nutrition.

Cities can be hubs of technological and social innovation that devise solutions to reduce carbon footprints and create environments for health and well-being.

Objective

This webinar is oriented to cities and their food systems, considering the global perspective of cities, the situation of the region, as well as orientations and proposals underway to promote innovative solutions for urban planning of agri-food systems, improve the resilience of intermediate cities in the face of extreme weather events.

Panelists

Mario Lubetkin, FAO Assistant Director-General and FAO Regional Representative for Latin America and the Caribbean.

João Intini – Food System Policy Officer,

Angela Blanco, Emergency and Rehabilitation Officer, FAO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean

Guido Santini, Technical Coordinator of the City-Region Food System Program, FAO NSP

Ana Albornoz, Mayor of Santa Juana, Chile, member city of the Intermediary Cities and Agrifood Systems Network (CISA).

Marisson Melo, Head of International Relations Consultancy, National Supply Company (CONAB), Brazil. 

Kevin Lagos, Manager, Management Planning and Evaluation Unit, Suplidora Nacional de Productos Básicos, (BANASUPRO), Honduras.

Rodrigo Perpétuo. Executive Secretary, Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI).

Moderators

Sara Granados, Food Systems Specialist - Governance FAO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean.

Makiko Taguchi, Agriculture Officer, FAO NSP

Carmen Zuleta, FAO NSP City-Region Food System Program Specialist, FAO NSP

Live broadcast