Improved rural urban linkages: Building sustainable food systems

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

10 Jan 201705:41

Summary

TLDRThe video addresses the escalating urban population, projected to reach 70% by 2050, and its impact on food systems. It highlights challenges such as food insecurity, socio-economic disparities, and environmental degradation. The script underscores the importance of sustainable urban-rural linkages, emphasizing the role of food systems in connecting communities. It showcases initiatives like the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact and local actions in cities like Toronto and Rosario, which are working towards sustainable urbanization. The FAO's Food for Cities program is highlighted for its efforts in developing sustainable food systems, ensuring food security, social inclusion, and ecosystem management.

Takeaways

🌍 More than half of the world's population currently lives in urban areas, a number expected to rise to 70% by 2050.
🌾 Urbanization poses significant challenges to conventional food production and supply, potentially widening the rural-urban divide.
🍎 Food and nutrition insecurity is a concern for both rural and urban residents, who may lack access to sufficient, nutritious, safe, and affordable food.
🏡 Social and economic inequality affects access to urban markets for smallholder farmers, and some people cannot afford or access basic food and services.
🌿 Environmental degradation and unsustainable practices are prevalent, with inefficient use of natural resources along the food value chain.
🔗 Food systems can bridge rural and urban communities, playing a key role in designing balanced and inclusive linkages.
🌳 Sustainable urbanization can be achieved by considering land and water use, food production, environmental management, transport, and distribution.
🤝 All actors and stakeholders, including farmers, producers, consumers, research institutions, civil society, policymakers, and government officials, need to be involved in decision-making processes.
🏙️ International initiatives like the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact and the New Urban Agenda guide cities towards sustainability and social justice.
🌱 Local actions, such as setting up a compost plant in Sri Lanka or providing training and support to urban farmers in Argentina, demonstrate city efforts to improve food systems.
🌐 FAO's Food for Cities program and the RUAF Foundation work globally in city regions to develop participatory action plans addressing local food system priorities.

Q & A

What is the current percentage of the world's population living in urban areas?
-More than 50% of the world's population currently lives in urban areas.
What is the projected increase in urban population by 2050?
-The number of people living in urban areas is expected to rise to 70% by 2050.
What challenges does the increasing urban population pose to food production and supply?
-The increasing urban population will cause enormous challenges for conventional food production and supply, contributing to the divide between rural and urban areas.
What are some of the issues faced by both rural and urban residents regarding food and nutrition security?
-Both rural and urban residents often lack access to sufficient nutritious, safe, and affordable food suitable to their diets and local culture.
How do smallholder farmers face challenges in accessing urban markets?
-Smallholder farmers often lack access to urban markets due to social and economic inequality.
What is the impact of degraded environmental and natural resources on food systems?
-Degraded environmental and natural resources lead to unsustainable practices that do not use natural resources efficiently, affecting the food systems.
How can food systems link rural and urban communities and contribute to sustainable urbanization?
-Food systems can link rural and urban communities by addressing land and water use, food production, environmental management, transport, distribution, marketing, and consumption, which concern both urban and rural areas.
Who are the key stakeholders that need to be involved in the decision-making process for sustainable urbanization?
-Key stakeholders include smallholder farmers, producers, consumers, research institutions, civil society, policymakers, and government officials.
What is the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact, and how does it engage cities?
-The Milan Urban Food Policy Pact engages more than 120 cities in building food systems based on the pillars of sustainability and social justice.
What is the role of the FAO's Food for Cities program in addressing urban food challenges?
-FAO's Food for Cities program works in city regions worldwide to develop participatory action plans addressing locally identified priorities and key areas of intervention for sustainable and resilient city region food systems.
Can you provide an example of a local initiative mentioned in the script that addresses food system challenges?
-In Sri Lanka, the Balangoda Urban Council set up a compost plant in its nearby rural area, which processes municipal solid waste, avoids waste accumulation in the city, and provides organic fertilizer for farmers.

Outlines

00:00

🌆 Urbanization and Food Security Challenges

The script addresses the rapid urbanization trend, with over 50% of the global population currently residing in cities, a figure projected to reach 70% by 2050. This demographic shift poses significant challenges to traditional food production and supply systems, potentially exacerbating the divide between rural and urban areas. Both urban and rural residents face issues such as food and nutrition insecurity, limited access to sufficient, nutritious, safe, and affordable food, and socio-economic disparities. The script highlights the need for sustainable practices to efficiently use natural resources and the importance of food systems in bridging the gap between rural and urban communities. It emphasizes the role of various stakeholders, including farmers, producers, consumers, research institutions, civil society, policymakers, and government officials, in creating balanced and inclusive food systems. Initiatives like the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact and the New Urban Agenda are mentioned as examples of international efforts to promote sustainable urban food systems. Local actions, such as waste management and organic fertilizer provision in Sri Lanka, and training and support for urban farmers in Argentina, are also discussed as part of the solution.

05:02

🌱 Sustainable City Region Food Systems

This paragraph continues the discussion on the importance of sustainable and resilient city region food systems, emphasizing the need to ensure food security, nutrition, and social inclusion. It underscores the significance of promoting equity, providing decent livelihoods and jobs, and managing natural resources sustainably. The script concludes by directing interested parties to a website for more information, suggesting a call to action for those seeking to engage with these issues on a deeper level.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Urbanization

Urbanization refers to the population shift from rural to urban areas, leading to the growth of cities. In the context of the video, urbanization is a significant factor contributing to the challenges faced by conventional food production and supply systems. As the video mentions, over 50% of the world's population currently lives in urban areas, and this number is expected to rise to 70% by 2050, which will exacerbate issues related to food and nutrition security.

💡Food and Nutrition Insecurity

Food and nutrition insecurity describe situations where individuals lack consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life. The video highlights that both rural and urban residents often face this issue, unable to access sufficient, nutritious, safe, and affordable food that suits their dietary needs and local culture. This is a critical challenge that sustainable urban food systems must address.

💡Sustainable Practices

Sustainable practices are methods that use natural resources efficiently and effectively, ensuring long-term environmental health and social equity. The video underscores the importance of adopting sustainable practices in food systems to prevent degradation of environmental and natural resources. An example given is the need to avoid unsustainable practices that do not use resources efficiently, which is a call for a shift towards more sustainable models.

💡Value Chain

The value chain in the context of the video refers to the full range of activities required to bring a product from conception, through the different phases of production (growing, rearing, or extracting, processing, making, assembling, packaging, etc.), to delivery to final consumers, and final disposal after use. The video mentions that food systems link rural and urban communities and are key in designing balanced and inclusive linkages, which include land and water use, food production, environmental management, transport, distribution, marketing, and consumption.

💡Social Inequality

Social inequality refers to the unequal distribution of resources, opportunities, and privileges among different social groups. The video discusses how smallholder farmers often lack access to urban markets, contributing to social and economic inequality. This highlights the need for inclusive policies and practices that ensure equitable access to resources and opportunities within the food system.

💡Environmental Degradation

Environmental degradation is the deterioration of the natural environment through processes such as pollution and deforestation. The video points out that unsustainable practices lead to environmental degradation, which is a significant concern for the long-term viability of food systems. It is implied that sustainable urban food systems must consider the environmental impact and work towards mitigating degradation.

💡Food Systems

Food systems encompass the wide range of activities and processes relating to the production, distribution, and consumption of food. The video emphasizes the importance of food systems in linking rural and urban areas and ensuring sustainable urbanization. It also mentions the need for a holistic approach that considers all aspects of the food system, from production to consumption.

💡Stakeholders

Stakeholders are individuals, groups, or organizations that have an interest or stake in a particular issue. The video calls for the involvement of all actors and stakeholders in the decision-making process, including smallholder farmers, producers, consumers, research institutions, civil society, policymakers, and government officials. This highlights the need for a collaborative approach to addressing food system challenges.

💡Milan Urban Food Policy Pact

The Milan Urban Food Policy Pact is an international agreement that engages cities in building sustainable and equitable food systems. The video mentions that this pact involves more than 120 cities, focusing on sustainability and social justice as key pillars. This example illustrates the kind of international coordination and commitment needed to ensure sustainable food systems in urban areas.

💡Food Waste

Food waste refers to the loss or discarding of food, which is a significant issue globally. The video discusses food loss and waste as key issues in Colombo, Sri Lanka, where nearly 75% of total losses occur during transportation. This highlights the need for action plans to reduce waste along the food value chain, which is a critical component of sustainable food systems.

💡Resilient City Region Food Systems

Resilient city region food systems are those that can adapt and respond to challenges while ensuring food security and nutrition. The video mentions that FAO's Food for the Cities program aims to build such systems that also provide decent livelihood opportunities and promote social inclusion and equity. This concept is central to the video's message about the need for sustainable and adaptable food systems in urban areas.

Highlights

More than 50% of the world's population currently lives in urban areas, with an expected rise to 70% by 2050.

Rising urban population poses significant challenges to conventional food production and supply.

Food and nutrition insecurity is a common issue for both rural and urban residents.

Small holder farmers often lack access to urban markets.

Degraded environmental and natural resources are a result of unsustainable practices.

Food systems can link rural and urban communities, promoting balanced and inclusive linkages.

All actors and stakeholders need to be involved in decision-making processes for sustainable urbanization.

The Milan Urban Food Policy Pact engages over 120 cities in building sustainable food systems.

The New Urban Agenda published by the UN aims to guide urbanization efforts for the next 20 years.

Local initiatives like the Balangoda Urban Council in Sri Lanka are setting up compost plants to process municipal solid waste.

In Argentina, Rosario municipality provides training and support to urban farmers transitioning to ecological agriculture.

Cities like Toronto and Bell Horizon have established food policy councils to advise on food policy issues.

FAO's Food for Cities program and the RUAF Foundation work globally to develop participatory action plans for local food systems.

Action plans address locally identified priorities and key areas of intervention for sustainable food systems.

In Colombo, Sri Lanka, food loss and waste are significant issues, with vegetable and fruit waste along the value chain reaching up to 40%.

FAO's program aims to build sustainable and resilient city region food systems ensuring food security, nutrition, and social inclusion.

For more information, visit the FAO website for details on their initiatives and programs.