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

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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, [...]

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UNSCN Discussion Paper - Water and Nutrition. Harmonizing actions for the UN Decade of Action on Nutrition and the UN Water Action Decade Progress for both SDG 2 and SDG 6 has been unsatisfactory, with several indicators worsening over time, including an increase in the number of undernourished, overweight and obese people, as well…
UNSCN Discussion Paper Urban-Rural Linkages for Nutrition. Territorial approaches for sustainable development 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…
UNSCN Brief “Non-communicable diseases, diets and nutrition” Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are now the leading cause of mortality worldwide; they are responsible for 70% of global deaths; equivalent to 40 million people. The health and economic repercussions…
Guidance Note on Integration of Nutrition in the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (renamed Cooperation Framework) The purpose of this Guidance Note is to assist United Nations Country Teams (UNCTs) with the integration of nutrition into the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework that…
UNSCN Discussion Paper - Schools as a System to Improve Nutrition Given the changing circumstances in the nutrition landscape, there is a need to reassess and reiterate the role of the schools in improving health and nutritional status of children. This discussion…