Applied research by geographers at Cardiff University on food systems has shaped and established the first global policy framework for research and intervention on sustainable urban food.
Issue
Urban dwellers consume up to 70% of available food supply, even in countries with large rural populations, and rapid urbanisation is increasingly threatening global food security and the ability of communities to have access to adequate food.
Approach
Building on the findings of an ESRC project on school meals that highlighted the potential of city governments to reform food system dynamics, the Cardiff University team proposed a new research and policy agenda on urban food, highlighting the role of cities in food systems.
Impact
The research underpins the UN’s FAO ‘Framework for the Urban Food Agenda’ and is helping to ensure that UN FAO’s strategic approach to the challenges of urban food security is resourced, developed and implemented globally. The seven Comprehensive Areas of Support in the framework attracted $20 million in funding from donor countries to facilitate the development of urban food systems in Tunisia, Bangladesh, Peru, Ecuador, Mexico, Costa Rica, Ukraine and Tanzania.
Professor Sonnino joined the European Commission’s FOOD 2030’s Expert Group, whose FOOD 2030 report helped secure funding for urban food projects. In May 2020 the ‘Building Pathways Toward FOOD 2030-led Urban Food Policies’ (FOODTRAILS) project was awarded €12M to co-design and co-implement sustainable urban food policies in 11 partner cities across nine European countries (Italy, France, UK, Denmark, Albania, Portugal, Greece, Poland and the Netherlands).
More information
Institution: Cardiff University
Researcher: Professor Roberta Sonnino