Food, agriculture and cities: challenges and priorities

More and more of the world's population is becoming concentreted in and aroud large cities. Ensuring the right to have access to safe and nutritious food to the billions of people living in cities represents a global development challenge of the highest order.

Promoting sustainable agricultural production in urban and peri-urban areas and developing food systems capable of meeting urban consumers demand will become increasingly important to global food security. Currently however, the important relationship between food security, agriculture and urbanization is often not sufficiently recognized.

There is an urgent need to ensure that cities are included on the agenda of food and agriculture policy makers, planners and institutions. Likewise, it is equally urgent to integrate food security and agriculture into the agenda of city planners and local urban authorities.

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Selected documents

• UNDESA, Population Distribution, Urbanization,Internal Migration and Development: An International Perspective, 2011
• UNDP, Engaging with the urban poor and their organizations for poverty reduction and urban governance, Issues paper 2011
• FAO - Food for the Cities. Food Supply and Distribution Policies to Reduce Urban Food Insecurity - A Briefing Guide for Mayors, City Executives and Urban Planners in Developing Countries and Countries in Transition, 2000
• FAO/ETC/RUAF electronic conference. Urban and peri-urban agriculture and urban planning, 2000
• UNDP - International Poverty Centre. Poverty and the City, 2005
• UNCHS-General Assembly. Food for the Cities Urbanization, Food insecurity and Urban Management, 2001