With increasing urbanization and population growth, urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) is being progressively recognized as a key player in supplying safe and nutritious food to urban dwellers and in reducing food loss and waste through short supply chains. UPA also generates various benefits for the daily lives of billions, from social to educational aspects, and from economic to environmental functions, ensuring prosperous livelihoods for many urban and peri-urban dwellers.
The practice of UPA is central to the mission of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in support of the transformation to more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems, and is critical for achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Through the Green Cities Initiative, FAO strives towards the integration of UPA into national and local agricultural development strategies, food and nutrition programmes and urban planning to improve people’s well-being and the environment.
In collaboration with Rikolto and the RUAF Global Partnership on Sustainable Urban Agriculture and Food Systems (RUAF), FAO launched the Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture Sourcebook – From production to food systems. This event introduced the book and demonstrated how it can support local decision-makers, policy advisors, urban planners, and other stakeholders to provide guidance and recommendations when planning and implementing UPA interventions.
You can find the recording of the event here. To download the publication, please visit the FAO Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture website.
