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DocumentFood, Agriculture and Cities. Challenges of Food and Nutrition Security, Agriculture and Ecosystem Management in an Urbanizing World 2011
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No results found.Urbanization is one of the key drivers of change in the world today. The world‟s urban population currently stands at around 3.5 billion. It will almost double to more than 6 billion by 2050. This is a challenge not only for urban areas but also for rural areas, because many people, especially the young, will migrate from rural areas to urban areas over this period. When addressing urbanization challenges, we are also addressing, directly or indirectly, rural and territorial development. What do we have to do to ensure people‟s access to good nutrition in cities? What do we have to do to produce enough food for urban dwellers? What infrastructures are needed and what kind of food production is possible in cities? How can cities preserve the services of the surrounding ecosystems? A very wide range of important issues links urbanization and food security. The “Food for the Cities” multidisciplinary initiative started in FAO in the year 2000. It has covered a great variety of areas such as food supply, nutrition education, school gardens, urban and peri-urban agriculture and forestry; how to support small producers in urban and peri-urban areas, waste management and re-use of wastewater. The experience shows conclusively that we all need to work in partnership when addressing issues of urbanization and food security, from the public sector, the private sector and civil society. Local authorities are key players in this context, however, urban actors have often not considered th e food system an important issue when designing, planning and managing cities. The perception has been because food is there and one can easily buy it in the supermarkets or along the streets, that food will always be there. This perception was altered for many in 2008, when the food prices peaked. More than 20 countries around the world experienced food riots in urban areas. Hunger, now in both rural and urban areas, has now become vocal, and this is changing the political scene. All stakeholde rs need to work together at global and local levels, for advocacy, for project implementation, but also for raising awareness on urbanization and food security as one of the key issues of our times. This position paper addresses a wide audience, from field workers to decision makers, to help understand the challenges that continuing urbanization brings to food, agriculture, and the management of natural resources. The approach proposed here is based on four dimensions that characterize, design a nd implement food systems for cities. The paper has been prepared as a support for all actors to help advocate for political support and to assist in developing operational strategies adapted to local realities. Food and nutrition security in cities can not be taken for granted. It is part of a complex system. Supporting the most vulnerable groups in an urbanizing world demands discussions on food, agriculture and cities in the context of rural-urban linkages. -
Brochure, flyer, fact-sheetUrban Food Environments and Green Spaces
Improving people’s access to nutritious food and green spaces
2019Also available in:
No results found.Urban dwellers should be able to easily access nutritious food and green public spaces in order to lead a healthy lifestyle. Food-retail environments play a key role in shaping dietary practices. Access to parks and green areas give urban residents space for physical activity, reducing the risk of non-communicable diseases and promoting psychological wellbeing. Urban forests, trees and green spaces also contribute to climate-change resilience. The synergies of healthy food outlets and green spaces are not well reflected in urban planning and action, however. This initiative will assess the distribution of green spaces/green infrastructure and the food outlets in targeted cities to measure their accessibility, as well as their potential as a source of income generation. The results will support the implementation of accessible networks of green spaces and nutritious food outlets that promote physical activity and help people choose foods that lead to a healthier diet. -
MeetingOptimizing Trees and Forests for Healthy Cities: Developing Guidelines for Decision and Policy Makers
Meeting Proceedings
2014Also available in:
No results found.Since January 2011, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has been spearheading the initiative for the production of “Guidelines for Policy and Decision Making: Promoting Urban and Peri-‐urban Forestry”. These guidelines are being prepared at the global and regional levels through a consultative process. The primary audiences for this document are policy and decision makers holding an authority positions and a strategic influence in city administration, civil society , business or politics. As a first step in the guidelines development process, and in order to deliberate upon regional issues and challenges relevant to UPF, FAO invited experts from various parts of the Asia-‐Pacific region to New Delhi (India). Coming from different disciplines and having different professional backgrounds, these experts represented a wide cross section of key influencers in UPF policy and decision making. Apart from generating useful insights and inputs for the “Guidelines for Policy and Decision Making: Promoting Urban and Peri-‐urban Forestry”, the meeting also paved the way for a sustained and structured dialogue on UPF in the Asia-‐Pacific region. It is hoped that the dialogue initiated by FAO at New Delhi will result in the emergence of new networks and institutional collaborations that will help urban and peri-‐urban forests and trees achieve their potential and ensure healthy and sustainable urban habitats across the Asia-‐Pacific region. The meeting wa s held within the framework of the International Congress on Urban Green Spaces (5–7 March 2012), co-‐organized by the Center for Urban Green Spaces (CUGS), Aravali Foundation for Education (AFE), New Delhi (India), and the Department of Environment, Government of National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, in association with the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), Government of India. The main objective of this meeting was to invite delegates to give their inputs on the regional draft version of the document “Towards Guidelines for Policy and Decision making: Promoting Urban and Peri-‐urban Forestry”, in order to support its finalization. The meeting also aimed to achieve a better understanding of the overall institutional, policy and networking framework on UPF; to develop strategic advice to raise the profile of forests and trees on the national, regional and global urban agendas; and to define strategic opportunities for implementing adaptable and efficient UPF programmes in the Asia-‐Pacific region.
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