Thumbnail Image

Urbanization is transforming agrifood systems across the rural–urban continuum creating challenges and opportunities to access affordable healthy diets

Background paper for The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2023












de Bruin, S. & Holleman, C. 2023. Urbanization is transforming agrifood systems across the rural–urban continuum creatingchallenges and opportunities to access affordable healthy diets – Background paper for The State of Food Security and Nutrition inthe World 2023. FAO Agricultural Development Economics Working Paper, 23-08. Rome, FAO.




Also available in:
No results found.

Related items

Showing items related by metadata.

  • Thumbnail Image
    Book (series)
    Africa regional overview of food security and nutrition 2020: Transforming food systems for affordable healthy diets 2021
    Also available in:

    Africa is not on track to meet the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 targets to end hunger and ensure access by all people to safe, nutritious, and sufficient food all year round and to end all forms of malnutrition. The number of hungry people on the continent has risen by 47.9 million since 2014 and now stands at 250.3 million, or nearly one-fifth of the population. The 2017, 2018 and 2019 editions of this report explain that this gradual deterioration of food security was due to conflict, weather extremes, and economic slowdowns and downturns, often overlapping. A continued worsening of food security is expected also for 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to hunger, across all countries in Africa millions of people suffer from widespread micronutrient deficiencies, and overweight and obesity are emerging as significant health concerns in many countries. This report shows that the food system in Africa does not provide food at a cost that makes nutritious food affordable to a majority of the population, and this is reflected in the high disease burden associated with maternal and child malnutrition, high body-mass, micronutrient deficiencies, and dietary risk factors. The report also shows that current food consumption patterns impose high health and environmental costs, which are not reflected in food prices. The findings presented in this report highlight the importance of prioritizing the transformation of food systems to ensure access to affordable and healthy diets for all, produced in a sustainable manner.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Book (series)
    Analysis of food demand and supply across the rural–urban continuum for selected countries in Africa
    Background paper for The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2023
    2023
    Also available in:
    No results found.

    This background paper to The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2023 analyses a key element of agrifood systems transformation: the change of patterns in food supply and demand. Several studies have discussed this topic, but the current one takes an innovative perspective of analysis, considering these changes with a spatial perspective using the urban rural catchment areas (URCA) approach to analyse changes in food expenditure across the rural–urban continuum, using Living Standards Measurement Studies (LSMS) of 11 African countries. The analysis is preceded by a literature review of agrifood value chains transformation stages, drivers and current situation, focused in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), and is followed by a macro review of food supply around the world and a “macro-meso” review of the supply of wheat and rice in two African countries. The conclusions shows that most food is purchased in all households across the rural–urban continuum, even in rural areas, breaking with the “myth” of rural subsistence farming in Africa. In addition, the results show a diffusion of the consumption of processed foods, including in a lesser extent highly processed foods, all across the rural–urban continuum, and not only in rural areas. From a food supply perspective, the low global availability of foods that are part of a healthy diet, as fruits, vegetables and legumes, nuts and seeds calls for increasing efforts for producing more nutritious foods in all countries of the world.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Brochure, flyer, fact-sheet
    Agrifood system pathways to healthy diets: A stepwise approach 2023
    Also available in:
    No results found.

    This course uses a stepwise approach to identify critical entry points for actions within the agrifood systems to improve availability, accessibility, affordability, and consumption of nutritious food, as part of healthy diets.explains the need to regularly monitor and assess the outcomes of EAF implementation, then review and, if necessary, adapt the Fisheries Management Plan, and report on performance. It was designed to provide guidance on the key aspects related to the monitoring and review process of an EAF.

Users also downloaded

Showing related downloaded files

No results found.