Rural and Urban transformation
Now more than half of the global population lives in cities which are therefore hosting more poor.
Urban households essentially depend on food purchases and the volatility of food prices makes it difficult for poor urban households and particularly those headed by women to adjust. Climate change undermines current efforts to reduce hunger and the frequency of natural disasters escalates. Growing urban populations increase vulnerability and the risk of humanitarian crises. All countries, high as well as low- and middle-income countries, are experiencing all forms of malnutrition which are rooted in poverty and inequality: a dietary transition from local diets to increased consumption of processed foods high in fat, sugar and salt and low in fiber combined with more sedentary lifestyles and little space for physical activity creates the “perfect storm” for noncommunicable diseases like heart disease, diabetes and certain forms of cancer. Vulnerable households require social protection, adult education including nutrition education and legal protection to realize and protect optimal nutrition. As cities expand, so does the length of the rural-urban food supply chain which increases food losses and negatively affects safety and quality of the food products.
A wide variety of local innovative initiatives is taking place, both in LMIC as in wealthy nations. But cities need to be empowered to do more, better and now.
Latest content relevant to Rural and Urban transformation
Webinar: Human mobility across the urban-rural continuum in the time of COVID-19
21/07/2020 - 21 July, from 16:00 to 17:30 East Africa Time (EAT) Register here This webinar is part of a series of webinars (PLG Webinar Series and URL Webinar Series) that aim to contribute to the thinking [...]
Webinar: Cities and Covid-19. Food access for vulnerable communities
15/05/2020 - Friday 15 May at 15:00 CESTRegister here: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/8729481715829403919 FAO, UNEP, ICLEI, RUAF and Rikolto invite you to learn from the [...]
UNSCN Discussion Paper Urban-Rural Linkages for Nutrition. Territorial approaches for sustainable development
11/02/2020 - The nutrition challenges facing the world of today are daunting. One out of three people suffers from at least one form of malnutrition, and current trends suggest this may increase in the coming [...]
Tenth Session of the World Urban Forum (WUF10)
08/02/2020 - 8-13 February 2020Abu Dhabi's National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), UAE Organized and convened by UN-Habitat, the World Urban Forum has become the foremost international gathering for exchanging views [...]
Making urban food environments fit for children
06/01/2020 - All children have the right to adequate nutrition and good health to reach their full potential within their cities and communities. Urban food environments need to provide children, their families [...]
First International Forum on Urban-Rural Linkages
10/11/2019 - 10-14 November 2019Songyang, China Urbanization processes shape large areas of the world, while the revitalization of rural regions has been neglected for a long time. Nevertheless, cities and [...]
Urban-Rural Linkages: Guiding Principles and Framework for Action to Advance Integrated Territorial Development
19/08/2019 - In many countries, the link between rural and urban areas is an increasingly important area of focus for sustainable development. There is also general agreement that any development of urban, [...]
Urban Food Systems for Better Diets, Nutrition, and Health
17/05/2019 - Friday, 17 May 2019 12:15 pm to 1:45 pm (EDT) IFPRI, Washington, D.C. 20005 The explosive growth of cities all over the world has led to major shifts in diets, with serious consequences [...]
LAUNCH EVENT: 2019 Global Food Policy Report
27/03/2019 - Wednesday 27 March 2019 - 12:15 PM to 01:45 PM EDTIFPRI, Washington, DC IFPRI’s flagship report reviews the major food policy issues, developments, and decisions of 2018, [...]
FAO’s Framework for the Urban Food Agenda: A holistic approach to ensuring sustainable development.
07/03/2019 - With unprecedented levels of urban population growth and with almost 80% of all food that is produced already consumed within urban areas, fostering resilient and economically prosperous food systems, [...]
