MEETING URBAN FOOD NEEDS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

AND COUNTRIES IN TRANSITION

Olivio Argenti , FAO

Key elements

1. Considerations on urbanization, urban food security and role of CLAs

2. Complex food systems meeting urban food needs3. FAO project “Meeting urban food needs”4. 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)

1URBANIZATION, URBAN FOOD SECURITY

AND ROLE OF CITY AND LOCAL AUTHORITIES

URBANIZATION: KEY ISSUES 1

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)

More people in search for income – particularly youth Poverty is accompanied by a rise of the informal economy

URBANIZATION: CONSEQUENCES 1

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

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

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

Climate change -> natural disasters Decentralization of responsibilities to local government

authorities 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

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

1. to feed growing numbers of urban households - and low income ones in particular - with safe, good quality and accessible food products;

2. complement and reinforce - at local level - the impact of national food security and poverty alleviation strategies;

3. to improve the efficiency, dynamism, inclusiveness and sustainability of complex local food systems meeting urban food needs;

4. to strengthen viable local food production, rural-urban linkages and integrate small farmers to urban markets;

WHAT TO DO? 1

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

stimulate income generating opportunities through micro and small food-related 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.

1. Put urban food security of their population and the development of local food systems high on their agenda.

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. integrate food supply and distribution aspects into development plans at municipal, provincial, metropolitan and district levels

CLAs CONSTRAINTS

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

Adopt national policies and strategies targeting urban food security, in close collaboration with local authorities

Create conditions to stimulate public investments (national and local levels) and public-private ventures in food systems components

Strengthen applicability of legislation and regulations concerning food safety

Adopt/strengthen legislation and regulations concerning land and water Promote adoption of technology to improve production, transformation

and distribution of food products as well as organic waste and by-products

Adopt measure to ease food related entrepreneurial activities (products and services) at micro and small level

2COMPLEX FOOD SYSTEMS

MEETING URBAN FOOD NEEDS

What is a food system meeting urban food needs?

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

1. Promote research and calls for papers on selected topics

2. Update/dissemination of analytical methodology

3. Prepare/disseminate policy-support documents and tools

4. Assist local government authorities (external funds):

case studies preparation enabling policies design investment and action plans preparation sensitization and capacity building

3STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 4ENABLE MORE INCLUSIVE AND EFFICIENT FOOD AND AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS AT LOCAL, NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL LEVELS

MEETING URBAN FOOD NEEDSa project “with” and not “for” FAO

WHAT WE DO

1. Promote research and calls for papers on selected topics

2. Update/dissemination of analytical methodology

3. Prepare/disseminate policy-support documents and tools

4. Assist local government authorities (external funds):

case studies preparation enabling policies design investment and action plans preparation sensitization and capacity building

CALLS FOR PAPERS

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

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

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.

Informal food sector: supportive policies and initiatives; Supplying and distributing meat and meat products to

urban consumers;

SOME RESEARCH THEMES 2

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.

Cities and international food markets dependency. Food access and social and political instability. Assessing capacity needs within local government

authorities on food supply and distribution policies and interventions.

4ACADEMIC PARTNERSHIPS

ACADEMIC PARTNERSHIPS 1

If your institute: 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

Promote and share relevant results of ongoing research including literature reviews and good practices;

Collaborate in calls for papers; Generate research by postgraduate students on agreed

topics; Lead a research network on a specific topic; Develop distance learning material and modules; Participate in expert meetings to be held in FAO-Rome.

INTERNS AND VOLUNTEERS

Opportunities for young graduates to work as interns and volunteers with the MUFN project in FAO-HQs in Rome.

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