Urban Food Actions Platform

Food systems should ensure that enough nutritious food is available for everyone, whether they live in urban or rural areas, and they are poor households. The challenge is to do so while minimizing any harmful impact on the environment. 

This thematic area focuses on efficient and resilient food supply and distribution systems. For instance strengthening the rural-urban food supply chain in order to face and adapt to disruptive events; developing sustainable food transportation and logistics planning in order to reduce carbon emissions by improving alternative fuels or means of transport and thus improve connections with peri-urban and rural nearby areas; strengthening or developing energy efficient municipal public markets including farmers markets, retail and wholesale markets; creating an enabling environment for the informal food system sector and their stakeholders.

Related Resources

Food supply and distribution - Reports & Case Studies
This study addresses three distinct but interrelated issues in the integration of local food suppliers in modern food distribution in Tanzania. These issues are: What are key factors driving the development of modern food retailing in Tanzania? What factors influence the participation of local modern food suppliers in the industry?...
Tanzania (Africa)
2016 - Felix Adamu Nandonde,
Food supply and distribution - Frameworks
In this video, Florence Tartanac, Senior Officer of the FAO Nutrition and Food Systems Division together with Eva Gálvez Nogales, Agribusiness Economist of the FAO Agricultural Development Economics Division explain the importance of Integrating smallholders into food value chains to reduce poverty and improve food security for millions of poor...
(Global coverage)
2016 - Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Food supply and distribution - Reports & Case Studies
The City Region Food System of Rotterdam is characterised by the paradox of being an international port – a gateway to Europe, particularly for fruit and feed – while at the same time having a small but prolific local food movement that consists of citizens and entrepreneurs who are motivated...
Netherlands (Kingdom of the) (Europe)
2016 - Jan Willem van der Schans, Paul de Graaf
Food supply and distribution - Reports & Case Studies
The food system in the Quito Metropolitan District (DMQ) can be characterised as a mixture of a Food System 1.0 and 2.0. Ecuador’s internal food market has consistently grown over recent years. Food consumption statistics show that fresh and processed food household expenses have grown annually by 3% over recent years...
Ecuador (Latin America and the Caribbean)
2016 - Inigo Arrazola, Nataly Pinto Alvaro, Johanna Renckens, Hector Ballesteros, Patric Hollenstein
Food supply and distribution - Reports & Case Studies
This study on Bristol, UK, is part of joint effort of the RUAF Foundation and the Food Business Knowledge Platform, together with local partners, to contribute to a better understanding of how different types of private sector players can shape/enable the existence of a city region food system (as opposed...
United Kingdom (Europe)
2016 - Joy Carey