The ICLEI-RUAF CITYFOOD network aims to accelerate local and regional government action on sustainable and resilient city-region food systems by combining networking with training, policy guidance and technical expertise to its participants.
CITYFOOD is open to local and regional governments, whether they are engaging with the issue for the first time or working to implement the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact and at the frontier of innovative food systems work.
CITYFOOD is active in both the Global North and South and will build a strong south-south-north exchange platform for learning amongst cities. It will establish direct connections with people on the ground and between staff engaged in policy development.
The purpose of this network is to:
- Raise awareness on resilient city-region food systems and urban and peri-urban agriculture.
- Create an advocacy platform for cities to gain political recognition and support from national governments and international support organizations.
- Provide information to cities around the world, stimulate exchange of experiences, identify and disseminate important lessons, good practices, practical guidelines and toolkits.
- Provide cities with training and technical and policy assistance and guidance in managing their food systems and in engineering resilience.
- Facilitate cooperation between cities worldwide and between local governments and civil society in this important policy area.
Activities undertaken by the network include, amongst others:
- Training as well as technical assistance and policy advice on the topics of food system assessment and planning, food policy formulation and monitoring, urban and peri-urban agriculture, and other related topics of interest.
- Development and dissemination of fact sheets, business models, guidelines and tools in hard-copy and in an online library. This will include a section on national and municipal policies on urban agriculture and city-region food systems and reports on their impacts plus a compendium with information and examples of business models and prototypes for sustainable urban and peri-urban agriculture. In addition, guidelines and toolkits will be made available on food system analyses, food flows and footprint analyses, multi -stakeholder food systems planning, establishing food councils, and designing municipal food strategies.
- A City hub where cities can present online their food policies and programs, including their components and results.
- A Community of Practice where practitioners can share experiences on food system analysis as well as on the planning and design of city food strategies.
- The organization of inter-city exchanges and learning.
- Awareness raising and lobbying at international events.
