With compliments to HLPE-FSN team for drafting the complexity of urban and peri urban food system and food security in the context of urbanization and rural transformation, following points are offered:
1. Conceptual framework
- The food systems evolve and coexist with typologies of human settlements. The urbanization is a continual process of human settlement transformation, taking place in diverse typologies of changes in dominant occupations, lifestyle, culture and behavior, and thus altering the demographic and social structure of both urban and rural areas (World Urbanization Prospects: United Nations, 2018), and the food system transformation is corollary to it. This phenomenon of demographic shift, primarily triggered by combinations of social and economic pull and push factors at different period of time; leaves options and / or choice for the people to adjust in lifestyle, including food. A small section on this process can be considered.
3. trends/variables/elements identified in the draft report
- The challenges and opportunities for the food security with sustainable food system (Table 4.1) may not be generalized for urbanization per say but may be contextual to corresponding distinct food systems and individuals. The territorial markets may be less relevant to food importing countries, where trade assumes greater significance. Similarly, the single member working population, a pronounced urban phenomenon, would depend on different food system than normal households.
- The quest to enhance resilience of food security in urban context may anchor on positives of efficient market and supply chains, higher literacy and awareness, better social services and convenience of public interventions and distress mitigation, that get easily harnessed in urban food system. In some respect, the rural transformation is more guided by urban transformation and not vice versa, particularly in conditions of promotion of rural non farm employment, commercial farming and market oriented economy, seeking parity with urban lifestyle.
- The context of modern and traditional channels in retail sector (Fig 4.2) possibly has got disrupted due to spurt in digital payment system during COVID and rapidly increasing digital connectivity across the continents. Now the analytical studies on household spending using digital payments reflect emerging trends of consumer behavior. The solutions for resilience of food security may possibly also account these trends and technological currents, getting stronger in coming future.
Rajiv Mehta, Senior Statistician, FAO, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Dr. Rajiv Mehta