Linking Agrifood Systems to Urban Development: a collaborative roadmap for achieving collective impact

As urban populations continue to expand, the challenges of ensuring food security and improved nutrition, as well as biodiversity, climate resilience and environmental sustainability across the urban and rural areas are becoming a priority.

The United Nations has clearly recognized the pivotal role of cities and local governments in achieving sustainable agrifood systems transformation during the 2021 Food Systems Summit and the subsequent Stocktaking Moment in 2023. In 2023, urban agrifood systems and healthy diets were the focus of the FAO flagship publication, the “State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World”. Also, in the same year, in the Washington Declaration of the 2nd World Forum on Urban Forests, FAO has emphasized the need for a more equitable ecosystem. In 2024 the importance of taking action on urban agrifood systems is gaining even more momentum with the publication of the High-Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and nutrition (HLPE-FSN) report on strengthening urban and peri-urban food systems to achieve food security and nutrition.
A fast-growing number of local and regional governments are transforming agrifood systems, incorporating both green infrastructure and food systems, in their policies, planning and actions. However, cities and local governments do not receive adequate support and recognition at global and national levels. Moreover, in most cases, agrifood systems issues are managed separately from environmental, health and urban development portfolios.