E-mail bulletin with news of the International Network of Resource Centres on Urban Agriculture and Food Security (RUAF).

In this bulletin you will find information on:

1. Proposal extension RUAF Cities Farming for the Future approved!

2. RUAF-Cities Farming for the Future programme in 2006

3. Recent and upcoming Events (co-) organised by RUAF partners

• RUAF and Urban Agriculture at the UN Habitat World Urban Forum 2006
• Urban Agriculture Conference for Municipal Authorities in Lima, Peru

4. New Urban agriculture related projects initiated by RUAF partners:

• Establishment of a Chinese Urban Agriculture association
• Sustainable Wastewater Use for Health and Livelihoods Security

5. Recent and upcoming publications by RUAF Partners

• Books
  - Cities Farming for the Future - Urban Agriculture for Green and Productive Cities
  - and others
• CDs & DVDs
  - Small Urban Producers Organizations; Key partners for sustainable development
  - and more
• Urban Agriculture Magazine -Urban Agriculture Magazine No. 16: Formulating Effective Policies on Urban Agriculture
  - Upcoming Issues Urban Agriculture Magazine

Overview of RUAF Partners

1. PROPOSAL EXTENSION RUAF CITIES FARMING FOR THE FUTURE APPROVED!

The RUAF Foundation is proud and happy that the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Directorate General for International Cooperation (DGIS) has honoured our request for the extension of RUAF Cities Farming for the Future programme in 2009 and 2010 (100% subsidy).

This means that in those years we will be able to continue building the process in the 18 RUAF-CFF pilot cities plus adding new elements. We will continue improving the quality of our RUAF services and the impacts of our work and that of our local partners.

Some data:
- 114 organisations applied to DGIS-MFS
- 58 have been approved (of which some partially)
Average score 69; RUAF score 79 (5th ranking overall), which is very good also considering that we competed with organisations like Oxfam-NOVIB, Cordaid, and other organisations with a large staff and a track record of many years.

2. THE RUAF-CITIES FARMING FOR THE FUTURE PROGRAMME IN 2006

For a description of the objectives and strategies of the RUAF-CFF programme (and more details on the activities of the RUAF Partners in 2006), please visit our website: www.ruaf.org.

Participatory action planningThe RUAF Partners continued in the first 6 pilot cities (Beijing, Hyderabad, Accra, Pikine-Dakar, Bulawayo and Villa Maria del Triunfo-Lima; see RUAF update no. 6 on the RUAF-website) the MPAP-process (Multi-stakeholder Policy formulation and Action Planning).

In the above mentioned 6 cities MPAP facilitating teams have been formed that usually include one or more municipal departments and one or more NGO's, research institutes and farmers' organisations.

Exploratory Studies have been executed together with the local partner organisations. These studies entail different activities like a Stakeholder analysis, a policy review, mapping of the farming locations and available open spaces and diagnosis of the situation regarding urban agriculture in the city based on literature review and rapid participatory diagnosis.

In each city a Multi-Stakeholder Forum was established that discussed the results of the exploratory survey and formulated a Strategic Agenda for the development of urban agriculture in their city, which at present are being operationalised in Action Plans, projects and revised norms and regulations on urban agriculture.

Capacity Building Mid 2006, the Regional RUAF centres also started activities in a second batch of 6 pilot cities: Belo Horizonte (Brasil); Bobo Dioulasso(Burkina Faso); Freetown (Liberia); Cape Town (South Africa); Bangalore(India); and Chengdu (China).

For example: In Freetown the RUAF-CFF programme (locally named the Freetown Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture Project) was successfully launched by Dr. S. Monde, Minister for Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS) on the 5th of June 2006. The launching was attended by about 30 participants from various government ministries, FAO, CARE, National Farmers Association, City Council etc.

Training of Trainers (ToT) workshops have been organised for trainers from these cities (30 persons). The curriculum of these trainings was adapted to the specific local circumstances and training needs of the trainers involved.

For example: IAGU organised the ToT in Bobo Dioulasso (Burkina Faso) in May 2006. The ToT consisted of 3 modules/blocks: participatory training techniques; Urban Agriculture (concepts, advantages and risks; farming systems) and the MPAP process (approach, tools, gender). The trainers applied the new knowledge and skills in “dry-run or simulation sessions