2025 Strengthening Urban and Peri-Urban Food Systems

Background

The process to develop Policy Recommendations on “Strengthening Urban and Peri-Urban Food Systems to Achieve Food Security and Nutrition in the Context of Urbanization and Rural Transformation,”  started at CFS 52 with a presentation of the main findings of the HLPE Report on “Strengthening Urban and Peri-Urban Food Systems to Achieve Food Security and Nutrition in the Context of Urbanization and Rural Transformation”.

The subsequent Plenary discussion underlined the importance of recognizing that addressing urban and peri-urban food insecurity and malnutrition requires building upon all relevant CFS policy products and workstreams and considering the interaction between food systems and other systems such as housing, water, energy, sanitation, waste and transport. In addition, the Plenary highlighted the need to address the complex nature of urban and peri-urban food systems, which involves multi-level, multilateral and multi-actor governance processes within and beyond national borders, and, finally, taking the diversity of urban and peri-urban situations into account, recognizing that contexts may vary based on income, connectivity, size, governance structures and capacities. 

 Following this CFS stakeholders were invited to send written inputs highlighting their views on priority issues to be addressed during the CFS policy convergence process. This was followed by an open-ended working group meeting in December which discussed the workplan for the policy convergence process followed by a thematic discussion also in January to analyze specific concepts/policy areas of the HLPE Report. A zero draft of the policy recommendations was circulated in February, followed by an OEWG in March followed by a call for written inputs to which the PSM responded. A first draft is expected in mid-April; to be followed by a second call for written inputs and this would form the basis for negotiations in June and July.

Since this time CFS has held two rounds of open-ended working group negotiations on the draft policy recommendations under the leadership of Mr Jujjavarapu Balaji (Alternate Permanent Representative of India to FAO, IFAD, and WFP), who is serving as the Rapporteur.

This important CFS initiative with the broader agrifood system has also been recognised by the 2023 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report. The report explains the mechanisms whereby urbanization drives agrifood‑system changes across the rural–urban continuum, from changes in food production (both positive and negative) to changes in consumer behaviour, ultimately affecting access to healthy diets.

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