10. PRIORITY AREAS FOR NORTH-SOUTH, SOUTH-SOUTH COOPERATION

Seminar participants emphasised that technical cooperation among city and local authorities (CLAs), both North-South and South-South cooperation, needs to be developed to better understand urban food security challenges and to address specific food supply and distribution (FSD) constraints. Cooperation can take various forms. Disseminating good practices in addressing FSD constraints (e.g. market management and ownership, market waste management, informal food sector support and food microenterprise development) should be the goal for information, sensitization and training activities.

To have effective cooperation and agreement, all actors involved should:

• be fully committed;
• develop a clear and achievable mission and goals;
• identify the type of partnership to be agreed upon;
• develop an estimated timeline for deliverables;
• secure required resources; and
• set clear expectations and provide necessary staffing and training.

To ensure transferability of knowledge, technology and lessons learnt, matching the needs and experience between cities is essential. Matching mechanisms should be developed and supported by international organizations (e.g.: FAO, UNCHS, UNDP), national governments as well as world and regional associations (e.g.: the World Union of Wholesale Markets, CityNet, IULA). International organizations and associations should also ensure that technical cooperation between CLAs is technically sound, meaningful and useful for all parties concerned and correctly addresses constraints in a sustainable manner. Successful cooperation requires that special care is taken to use experts who are technically competent, have adequate language abilities and training skills and are knowledgeable of local conditions.

Participants highlighted that funding is a major requirement for successful North-South and South-South technical cooperation. Therefore, interested parties must be prepared to make the necessary investment and cost sharing should be considered when planning the exchanges.

Examples of possible concrete North-South and South-South cooperation among CLAs are detailed in Table 10.1.

Table 10.1: Examples of possible concrete North-South and South-South cooperation between city and local authorities

Areas for Capacity building	Resource Cities/Institutions	Beneficiary Cities/Institutions
Food Distribution and Marketing
Wholesale market development and design	Jakarta (Wholesale Market)	Colombo
Retail markets and outlets into urban planning	Lyon	Jakarta, Ho Chi Minh City, Vientiane, Phnom Penh,
Informal food sector management and street vendors	Bangkok, Calcutta	Colombo
Post-harvest services (marketing)	Muntinlupa
Food packaging	Japanese cities (to be explored)	Muntinlupa
Nutrition
Nutrition for children	Makati (Healthy Cities Programme) (to be explored)	Kathmandu
Food Production and Processing
Food/agricultural production	To be explored	Ulaanbaatar
Food Financing
Food financing including micro-credit	To be explored	Ulaanbaatar
Water Management
Water resource management and water pollution	Nancy (to be explored)	Ho Chi Minh City
Waste Management
Solid waste management from markets and slaughterhouses	To be explored	Muntinlupa

Note: Organizations such as FAO, regional networks such as CityNet and regional programmes such as Asia Urbs may facilitate and/or coordinate North-South and South-South technical cooperation among CLAs, through their specific modalities and to identify other potential partners for those cities needing capacity building support.

The following are specific objectives of North-South and South-South technical cooperation:

• Greater awareness among the policy makers, city executives and senior planners of CLAs about food security challenges as well as present and future constraints affecting various elements of the food supply and distribution systems (FSDSs) of their cities - through information dissemination and sensitization activities;
• strengthened capacity of technical staff of CLAs in the design and implementation of technically sound urban FSD policies and programmes in developing countries through training;
• improved urban planning and management skills and tools for FSD through training targeted at urban planners;
• sustainable solutions for specific constraints affecting local FSDSs through information dissemination, sensitization and training programmes targeting policy makers, city executives, senior planners and technical staff of CLAs.

CLAs can collaborate with international organizations such as FAO and regional networks, such as CityNet, to develop information dissemination, sensitization and training instruments (videos, CD-ROMs, technical documentation, training material, etc.). Stakeholders can organize regional and national seminars and workshops in the various aspects of FSDSs. Topics may include:

• analysis of constraints affecting FSDSs in the context of urban expansion and increasing urban poverty;
• formulation of urban FSD policies and programmes;
• integration of FSD into urban planning and management;
• decision making in public infrastructure investment;
• enhancement of private investment in FSD;
• training producers, traders and shopkeepers;
• consumer information campaigns;
• formulation of technical cooperation projects.

Main activities and instruments for technical cooperation

North-South and South-South cooperation can be undertaken through a variety of activities and instruments that can be grouped as follows:

A. Information dissemination and sensitization

Instruments: Technical documentation in local languages adapted to a target readership, videos, multimedia CD-ROMs, dissemination of good practices in addressing FSD constraints, dissemination of data from global and regional databases, specific regional/sub-regional/national workshops and study tours.

B. Training

Instruments: training material in local languages, trainers (from universities), videos, multimedia CD-ROMs, specific regional/sub-regional/national training seminars, grants for attending training courses, dissemination of good practices in addressing FSD constraints, fellowships and study tours, etc.

C. Direct technical assistance

Instruments: equipment and technical experts and instructors (from CLAs, NGOs, equipment supplying companies, etc.).

Specific areas for technical cooperation

Seminar participants recommended the following priority areas and objectives:[20]

Urban and periurban food production

• awareness and understanding by CLAs of the importance of, and risks associated with, urban and periurban food production through information dissemination and sensitization activities;
• awareness and understanding by CLAs of best practices adopted by cities worldwide in making urban and periurban food production more profitable and sustainable. Best practices need to be identified, compiled and disseminated;
• awareness and understanding by CLAs of safe production technology, nutrition and health for urban and periurban food production, through information and sensitization activities;
• strengthened capacity of public institutions and private sector organizations involved in food production in the design of programmes for the development of urban and periurban food production, promoting the safe use of inputs, transfer of production and processing technologies, marketing and microfinance, etc. through information, sensitization and training;
• exchange of technologies for added value food production in urban and periurban areas, especially vegetables and animal products, as well as post-harvest technologies, through direct technical assistance.

Rural-urban linkages

• awareness and understanding by CLAs of best practices adopted by cities world-wide in developing rural-urban linkages (packaging, transport, market information, etc.). Best practices need to be identified, compiled and disseminated;
• strengthened capacity of public institutions and private sector agents to develop rural-urban linkages: assembly markets, food packaging and transport, market information services, etc. - through information, sensitization and training.

Extension services

There are many cases of effective and efficient urban extension services in developing countries (e.g. Cuba) working to provide food to extremely poor inner-city neighbourhoods. Exchanges of technical assistance should be arranged for the development of the urban-based extension services.

Water management issues in food production

• strengthened capacity for public institutions and the private sector to use dedicated information systems, such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and methodologies developed for land and water management - through information, sensitization and training;
• awareness and understanding by CLAs of safe production technology, nutrition and health for urban and periurban food production through information and sensitization activities.

Livestock production

• planning of new abattoirs, cold storage, dairy processing plants, meat retail outlets, etc. - through direct technical assistance and training of urban planners. Such facilities need to be maintained and adequately managed. Managers and operators of abattoirs and meat and dairy processing plants must be trained. The training must comprise improvements in technology and product hygiene. Instructors from equipment-supplying companies and study tours involving local managers travelling abroad will be required;
• upgrading sanitary control procedures and related equipment through information dissemination, sensitization and training of managers, operators and shopkeepers.

Aquaculture and fish marketing

Policy makers and planners need criteria and instruments to develop safe aquaculture activities in urban and periurban areas as well as safe fish processing and marketing activities in cities. This requires information, sensitization and training as well as equipment and direct technical assistance. Northern CLAs can collaborate with international organizations (such as FAO) and regional networks (such as CityNet) to organize specific regional, sub-regional and national technical and sensitization workshops for the development of aquaculture products and fish processing, marketing and distribution.

Wholesale market development

Public investments in wholesale markets must be adequately justified. Wholesale markets need to be properly located, designed, developed, maintained and managed. Old markets sites need to be decongested. Case studies and evaluations of successes and failures in other cities should be disseminated and discussion workshops held to help decision makers. Planners need to be trained to properly integrate wholesale markets into urban plans. Wholesale markets require professional managers who need to be trained and to visit markets in other cities. Market waste needs to be adequately managed so as not to generate health hazards.

Retail outlet development

• Exchange information and experiences among CLAs on retail marketing related issues, including street vending and food safety aspects;
• train planners to properly integrate retail markets into urban plans, particularly in newly urbanized areas. Retail markets require professional managers who need to be trained and encouraged to visit markets in other cities. Market waste must be adequately managed so as not to generate health hazards;
• strengthen capacity of CLA staff in designing and implementing information and training campaigns involving shopkeepers, retail market traders, street vendors, etc. through training.

Street foods: food safety and nutritional aspects

• Strengthen and update technical knowledge and expertise on analytical laboratory techniques and procedures to support regulatory activities in the street food sector;
• update regulatory frameworks and their implementation by local authorities through sensitization activities and direct technical assistance;
• South-South partnerships are important in allowing municipal authorities in different countries to share experiences on results achieved with different approaches to street food regulation and control. A regional database on the street food sector should be developed in collaboration with local universities.

Micro, small and medium enterprises in food processing and distribution

Asian CLAs need to design and implement effective policy programmes for the development of micro, small and medium enterprises in food processing and distribution. The effective design of these programmes requires information, sensitization and training activities as well as direct technical assistance. Training in areas such as participatory methodologies, spatial planning, hygiene, business skills and organizational development as well as microfinance for micro and small-scale food entrepreneurs.

The environmental impact of FSD activities

There is a need to strengthen CLAs’ understanding of the negative impacts on the environment of FSD activities through information dissemination and sensitization. Criteria for environmental monitoring and impact assessment adapted to local conditions are required. Important areas are: effective and sustainable management of liquid and solid waste, including hazardous substances, from markets and slaughterhouses; use of chemical inputs in food production and use of water.

There is a need to provide expertise to support the development of a regional database on environmental conditions and protective mechanisms in diverse regions.