MEETING URBAN FOOD NEEDS
IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
AND COUNTRIES IN TRANSITION
Olivio Argenti , FAO
Key elements
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Considerations on urbanization, urban food
security and role of CLAs
Complex food systems meeting urban food needs
FAO project “Meeting urban food needs”
Academic partnerships opportunities
“The task of feeding the world’s cities adequately constitutes an increasingly pressing challenge,
requiring the coordinated interaction of food producers, transporters, market operators and a myriad
of retail sellers. It also requires constant improvements in the quality of transport and distribution
systems. Not least, it involves a shared understanding among city officials and national and
international development agencies of the common problems and the potential solutions faced when
seeking to feed cities on a sustainable basis”
(Jacques Diouf, DG FAO, FAO: The State of Food and Agriculture 1998)
... urban poverty tends to be fuelled by people migrating towards the cities in an attempt to escape
the deprivations associated with rural livelihoods. Partly due to the rural decline, the world is
urbanizing at a fast pace and it will not be long before a greater part of developing country
populations is living in large cities. Therefore, urban food security and its related problems should also
be placed high on the agenda in the years to come.
(Jacques Diouf, DG FAO, FAO: The State of Food Insecurity 2006)
1
URBANIZATION, URBAN FOOD SECURITY
AND ROLE OF CITY AND LOCAL AUTHORITIES
URBANIZATION: KEY ISSUES 1
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Urban areas are constantly growing and diversifying (regional variations)
Different types of cities: megacities, large cities, medium and small - with different
growth patterns
Absolute numbers of households living close to – or below – poverty levels are
growing
Urbanisation gives rise to ever larger slums with no public infrastructure and services
and with limited, if any, services and food retail outlets.
Changes in socio-economic charateristics of urban districts and “fragmented” urban
areas (urban deserts)
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More people in search for income – particularly youth
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Poverty is accompanied by a rise of the informal economy
URBANIZATION: CONSEQUENCES 1
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Growing and diversifying demand for food products (vegetable, animal and fish)
and food-related services.
Urbanization and urban life styles increase distances between home and work place,
increase the number of people depending on markets for food purchases and causes
changes in dietary patterns (more meat products, more street food, more junk food,
etc.) and increases the demand for food-related services, particularly processed
food and restaurants.
Households in urban deserts face greater difficulties – and thus expenses –to get
their daily food supplies.
Slums households access low quality and unsafe food or travel distance to the
nearest food market or shop.
Land use conflicts – food productive land to different use
Less water for agricultural production due to increasing demand for other uses
URBANIZATION: CONSEQUENCES 2
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Urbanization impacts on the organization of local food systems and on food market
logistics in urban and periurban areas. Existing wholesale markets and
slaughterhouses become congested and their location unsuitable and inefficient.
Growing informality in food systems and higher risks to society
Food contamination increases due to low applicability of norms and regulations and
absence of traceability systems
Growing numbers of food-loaded truck in/out of cities (traffic jams and pollution)
Increasing urban food waste - as well as food losses along enlarging systems having negative environmental impacts because of the energy, biodiversity,
greenhouse gases, water, soil and other resources embedded in food that no one
consumes.
Political instability in the cities (Arab Spring)
MILLENIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS
If the food security of urban consumers, and of those living close
to or below the poverty lines, is not adequately addressed at
both national and local levels as well as within urban development
plans, then countries may fail in achieving the Millenium
Development Goals.
“EXTERNAL” FACTORS
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International food markets highly and increasingly competitive
Growing consumers’preference for locally produced food:
 Taste
 Increasing costs of food transport
 Environmental impact of food transport
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Climate change -> natural disasters
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Decentralization of responsibilities to local government authorities
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Changing power-relations between local government authorities and
ministries (Peru confrontation)
URBANIZATION: OPPORTUNITIES
Cities represent an expanding urban market and thus and engine of growth of
local food production and rural areas
 economies of scale;
 new efficiency levels possible: need for logistics, technology,
infrastructure, services and managerial skills
 opportunities for income through micro and small enterprises or food
products and services – particularly for youth
 opportunities for small farmers’integration to urban markets
INFORMAL FOOD SECTOR
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Informal food sector activities represent a sizeable share of the national food
economy and an important source of food security for low income families along
local food systems.
In urban areas, informal food sector activities also make a considerable contribution
to the distribution of food products and provision of services, particularly to
households living in remote urban spaces, often deprived of municipal facilities - such
as water, gas, electricity, retail food markets, etc. The importance of the informal
food sector is not sufficiently appreciated and municipal authorities often adopt
repressive policies.
KEY CHALLENGES
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to feed growing numbers of urban households - and low income ones in
particular - with safe, good quality and accessible food products;
complement and reinforce - at local level - the impact of national food
security and poverty alleviation strategies;
to improve the efficiency, dynamism, inclusiveness and sustainability of
complex local food systems meeting urban food needs;
to strengthen viable local food production, rural-urban linkages and
integrate small farmers to urban markets;
WHAT TO DO? 1
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Stimulate private investments in infrastructure, technology adoption and
entrepreneurship, to increase the efficiency and dynamism of (in)formal
food-related operations (production, transport, packaging, processing,
distribution, ...);
reduce costs/prices of food products and services, diversify their variety
and improve their quality and safety;
facilitate availability of - and access to - affordable and safe food to
urban families and to low income ones in particular,
improve the operational efficiency of “public” market infrastructure,
facilities and services, also through public-private partnerships, in line with
expanding urban food demand;
support informal food sector activities and agents (particular attention to
youth and women)
WHAT TO DO? 2
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stimulate income generating opportunities through micro and small foodrelated enterprises (particular attention to youth and women);
ensure respect of contractual arrangements by all parties thus facilitating
private investments and risks management;
protect productive land and water for food production (territorial plans);
promote urban food waste reduction methods and improve reutilization of
organic waste and by-products from urban areas;
adopt social programmes targeting households living at – or close to –
absolute poverty and groups requiring nutritional support
ROLE OF CLAs 1
Most of the required interventions increasingly fall mostly upon City and Local
Authorities (CLAs) at municipal, provincial and district/regional levels.
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Put urban food security of their population and the development of local
food systems high on their agenda.
Understand the structure, behaviour and performance of urban food
demand and of local complex food systems meeting urban food needs as
well as identify constraints limiting their efficiency, dynamism, inclusiveness
and sustainability
develop appropriate and technically sound policies, strategies and
action/investment plans – with appropriate indicators - at municipal,
provincial, metropolitan and district levels. Insufficient financial resources
require investments to be prioritized
ROLE OF CLAs 2
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strengthen the governance of local food system MUFN through the
establishment of food policy councils involving public and private entities,
able to formulate policies and plans and monitor their implementation
educate consumers in favour of better nutrition, food safety and
sustainable consumption and of the risks of convenient and junk food often
consumed in low income urban areas
integrate food supply and distribution aspects into development plans at
municipal, provincial, metropolitan and district levels
CLAs CONSTRAINTS
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insufficient understanding of local food systems meeting the
food demand of their urban area
inadequate technical capacity to analyze complex food
systems and formulate required interventions
difficulties in partnering among local authorities governing
different components of the local food system
limited capacity to promote public and private ventures
constraints in making food-related norms and regulations
respected
ROLE OF CENTRAL GOV.MNTS
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Adopt national policies and strategies targeting urban food security, in
close collaboration with local authorities
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Create conditions to stimulate public investments (national and local
levels) and public-private ventures in food systems components
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Strengthen applicability of legislation and regulations concerning food
safety
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Adopt/strengthen legislation and regulations concerning land and water
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Promote adoption of technology to improve production, transformation
and distribution of food products as well as organic waste and byproducts
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Adopt measure to ease food related entrepreneurial activities (products
and services) at micro and small level
2
COMPLEX FOOD SYSTEMS
MEETING URBAN FOOD NEEDS
What is a food system meeting urban
food needs?
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Food systems meeting urban food needs are complex and sophisticated sets of
interrelated decisions, activities, technology, norms and regulations, managerial and
contractual practices, financial transfers, etc., spanning rural, periurban and urban areas,
making it possible for food products (vegetable, animal and fish) to be produced,
assembled, transported, processed, marketed and distributed to urban areas and within
urban areas, through traditional outlets (slaughterhouses, wholesale and retail municipal
markets and shops) and modern outlets (supermarkets and large surfaces).
They are governed by local social and cultural rules as well as by legal and regulatory
frameworks rarely respected.
Their complexity and level of sophistication – often allowing fraudulent, corrupted and
criminal practices – increase with the expansion in the size of the urban area, to the point
of making interventions almost impossible.
If ungoverned, food systems adapt to local circumstances but do so at lower levels of
economic and social efficiency. End consumers then have to pay higher than necessary
prices for food products with inadequate quality and safety.
STATIC COMMERCIAL FOOD SYSTEM MEETING URBAN FOOD NEEDS
(vertical approach)
MUFN PROJECT: WHAT WE DO
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Promote research and calls for papers on selected topics
Update/dissemination of analytical methodology
Prepare/disseminate policy-support documents and tools
Assist local government authorities (external funds):
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case studies preparation
enabling policies design
investment and action plans preparation
sensitization and capacity building
3
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 4
ENABLE MORE INCLUSIVE AND EFFICIENT FOOD AND
AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS AT LOCAL, NATIONAL AND
INTERNATIONAL LEVELS
MEETING URBAN FOOD NEEDS
a project “with” and not “for” FAO
WHAT WE DO
1.
2.
3.
4.
Promote research and calls for papers on selected topics
Update/dissemination of analytical methodology
Prepare/disseminate policy-support documents and tools
Assist local government authorities (external funds):
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
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case studies preparation
enabling policies design
investment and action plans preparation
sensitization and capacity building
CALLS FOR PAPERS
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01 - Understanding complex food systems meeting
urban food needs” - methodological approaches and
disciplinary contributions;
02 - Improvement of food-related infrastructure at
wholesale and retail levels;
03 - Complex-systems dynamics principles applied to
food systems.
CALLS FOR PAPERS
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01 - Understanding complex food systems meeting
urban food needs” - methodological approaches and
disciplinary contributions;
02 - Improvement of food-related infrastructure at
wholesale and retail levels;
03 - Complex-systems dynamics principles applied to
food systems.
SOME RESEARCH THEMES 1
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Rural-urban partnerships for food systems development
Indicators for urban food availability and access at municipal,
metropolitan, provincial and district levels.
Community Empowerment around Food Policy. Developing an inclusive,
collaborative process within local government authorities to address urban
food security and improve MUFN systems. Comparative review of urban
food policy councils, committees and local government units.
When national food security policies and strategies fail at local level –
and local ones fill the gap.
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Informal food sector: supportive policies and initiatives;
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Supplying and distributing meat and meat products to urban consumers;
SOME RESEARCH THEMES 2
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Satisfying urban demand for processed products through small scale
processing;
Making food accessible in low income urban areas;
Making food-related laws and regulations impact on local food systems
activities;
Managing environmental impact of food systems activities (on land, water
and air) at urban, peri-urban and rural levels;
Urban food waste: management, utilization and reduction.
The analysis of urban demand for food and food-related services:
structure, distribution, modifications and sustainability.
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Cities and international food markets dependency.
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Food access and social and political instability.
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Assessing capacity needs within local government authorities on food supply
and distribution policies and interventions.
4
ACADEMIC PARTNERSHIPS
ACADEMIC PARTNERSHIPS 1
If your institute:
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wants to have its research efforts reach as wide an audience as possible;
takes pride when its research efforts influence decision-makers in
developing countries and countries in transition;
considers it important that its students are confronted with real problems and
trained to identify concrete solutions;
is in a position to fund its own activities under this partnership,
then let us work together!
ftp://ext-ftp.fao.org/AG/Data/AGS/MUFN/MUFN_partnerships.pdf
ACADEMIC PARTNERSHIPS 2
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Promote and share relevant results of ongoing research including literature
reviews and good practices;
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Collaborate in calls for papers;
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Generate research by postgraduate students on agreed topics;
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Lead a research network on a specific topic;
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Develop distance learning material and modules;
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Participate in expert meetings to be held in FAO-Rome.
INTERNS AND VOLUNTEERS
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Opportunities for young graduates to work as interns
and volunteers with the MUFN project in FAO-HQs in
Rome.
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Priority will be given to candidates proposed by
institutes which are academic partners of the MUFN
project.
Thank you for your attention
Olivio Argenti
(BSc Hons Econ London - MSc Oxon AgricEcon)
Coordinator
Project “Meeting urban food needs”
B613 – AGS
FAO - Rome – Italy
E: MUFN@fao.org
Skype: FAO-MUFN