Appreciate the fact that the enhancement of urban food security
requires an adequate understanding of urban food marketing. An intervention in
one market may upset the working of markets linked to it and cancel out any forecast
advantages.
Develop a strategic view of how cities are expected to evolve in
the medium (4-6 years) and long term (10-15 years) with respect to spatial, demographic
and economic developments, as well as food requirements.
Improve their own understanding
of local situations, through an interdisciplinary approach and with a perspective
extending beyond the myopic view of politicians, in order to formulate local policies
and programmes, with clearly-defined institutional roles and responsibilities,
aimed at:
- reducing food marketing and access costs;
- promoting
productive employment in food marketing;
- promoting urban and peri-urban
agriculture.
Stimulate specific food distribution arrangements which
decrease food access costs (itinerant markets, weekly markets, Latin-American
Ferias Libres, shops and supermarkets buying directly from organised producers,
etc.) with specific regulations, permits, logistical support and incentives.
Promote
appropriate legislative and regulatory changes and encourage private investments
in food marketing and the establishment of more modern forms of food distribution.
Analyse
medium and long-term food needs vis-à-vis their production sources, to
identify required investments in rural and urban road construction and maintenance,
parking and other transport facilities, and to plan the reorganization of traffic
flows within urban areas.
Relocate specific market functions (e.g. food redistribution)
to secondary cities to decrease pressure on already congested urban markets.
Increase
collaboration among Local Authorities in the same city and country in preparing
municipal plans, reviewing local taxation, exchanging information, etc.
Strengthen
collaboration with Central Government for the purpose of:
- influencing
national policies with regard to urban food security, urban food marketing and
rural-urban linkages;
- improving the effectiveness of policy and programme
design and implementation.
Promote the emergence of consumer, trader
and transporter associations. Strengthen them, maintain a constructive dialogue
with them and involve them in planning decisions.
Increase the technical competence
of their staff, at all levels, through information and training activities.
Provide
required market infrastructure in line with expected urban development.
Improve
the management and maintenance of urban markets in collaboration with market users.
Develop
information and training programmes to raise the awareness and skills of shopkeepers,
market traders, transporters and market managers.
Establish partnerships among
City and Local Authorities in developed countries (North-South) and in the same
region (South-South) for technical assistance and exchange of experience.
Establish
co-operation with International Development Agencies and Donors.
Some
Consequences of Urban Growth on Food Availability
- Urban food demand
increases and gradually outstrips the capacity of the surrounding areas to meet
urban needs. Consequently food supply sources are increasingly distant from the
urban and peri-urban areas.
- Existing market and transport infrastructure
and facilities in both rural and urban areas become increasingly inadequate to
handle the growing food quantities. Food supply flows become more complex while
transport and marketing costs increase.
- Urban life-styles, both spouses
working, traffic conditions, longer distances between residential areas and central
markets, increase the need for convenience foods for mid-day meals, more retail
outlets nearer residential areas and more convenient shopping hours.
Some
Specific Needs of Urban Market Users
Traders and shopkeepers
-
Adequate space for stores and parking facilities.
- Easy flow of produce
into and out of market.
- Clean and dry trading surroundings.
-
Garbage disposal facilities.
- Clean toilets.
- Adequate water points.
-
In-market storage and sorting facilities.
- Easy access to banks for deposits.
-
Market and technical information and credit.
- Protection from the elements.
-
Well-managed markets.
- Appropriate market regulations.
- Services
in exchange for market fees.
- Fences and security for persons and property.
-
Day care facilities for children.
- First-aid facilities.
- No police
harassment.
- Adequate lighting and electrical systems.
- Telephones,
faxes and loudspeakers.
- Cold stores for butchers and fishmongers.
Transporters
-
Adequate parking facilities.
- Easy flow of produce into and out of market.
-
No police harassment in markets and at road-check points.
- Loading and
unloading facilities.
- Proper sleeping and eating facilities.
-
Clean and dry trading surroundings.
- Clean toilets.
- Adequate
water points.
- Well-managed markets.
- Appropriate market regulations.
-
First-aid facilities.
- Garbage disposal facilities.
- Adequate
lighting.
- Market information and credit facilities.
- Simplified
documentary requirements and procedures.
- Security for vehicles and goods.
-
Telephones, faxes and loudspeakers.
Consumers
- A variety
of good quality food at reasonable prices.
- Clean, dry and healthy market
environment.
- Well-managed markets.
- Personal security when visiting
markets.
- Concrete action against fraud.
- Garbage disposal facilities.
-
Choice of food products.
- Telephone facilities.
- Parking facilities.
-
Clean toilets.
Market Managers
- Clear objectives and
stable mandate.
- Adequate understanding of market realities.
-
Effective dialogue with all market users.
- Adequate information and skills.
-
Authority to enforce market regulations.
- Adequate funds to maintain market
facilities and services.
- Simplified documentary requirements and procedures.
-
Qualified staff, equipment and resources.
- Telephones, faxes and loudspeakers.
| FAO’s
Initiative for
Food Supply and Distribution to Cities
|
|
|
FAO provides assistance to city and local authorities in developing countries
and countries in transition to alleviate urban food insecurity. This is achieved
through institutional strengthening to enable city and local authorities to formulate
urban policies and programmes for the development of food supply and distribution
systems at urban, metropolitan and regional levels. This happens in partnership
with concerned public and private institutions and organizations. The objective
is to improve access to food by low-income urban households. FAO has developed
an interdisciplinary, intersectoral and participatory methodology for the analysis
of food supply and distribution systems constraints and policy formulation. Further
information can be obtained from the Web site, the local FAO Representation Office
or the focal point in FAO. Subject to external funding, FAO: - conducts
information and sensitization activities for decision-makers;
- undertakes
and promotes research on selected themes;
- diffuses technical documentation
through its Food into Cities Collection;
- conducts information and training
activities for technical staff of city and local authorities and assists in similar
activities for market managers, food traders, transporters, etc.;
- promotes
dialogue and collaboration between city and local authorities and the private
sector;
- provides direct technical assistance:
- in the analysis
of local food supply and distribution systems;
- in the formulation of
policies, strategies and programmes;
- promotes North-South and
South-South technical assistance partnerships between city and local authorities
to address specific food supply and distribution problems.
|
www.fao.org/ag/sada.htm- Food into Cities Collection:
more than 5000 pages of technical documentation freely available
- Sensitisation
workshops in selected cities
- Call for papers
- Technical assistance
projects
- Opportunities for sponsorships
- Opportunities for collaboration
and consultancies
Examples of Research, Sensitisation and Training
Topics1
1 Alternative themes may be identified
as per local requirements.
|
Research Sensitisation -
Role of FSDSs in urban food security and rural development.
- City and
Local Authorities, urban food marketing and food security.
- Urban food
security: rural- urban linkages.
- Food distribution, urban management
and the environment.
- Technology and food marketing.
- FSDSs, employment
and income generation.
- Small and medium food enterprise development.
-
Role of the private sector in FSDS development.
- Legislative and regulatory
constraints to FSDSs.
- Urban food marketing development policies, strategies
and action plans.
Training - Understanding urban food
marketing systems.
- FSDS constraint analysis.
- Formulation of
urban food supply and distribution development policies, strategies and action
plans.
- Integration of food distribution into urban management and planning.
-
Making investment decisions in market infrastructure.
- Planning, design
and management of public markets.
- Managing the environmental impact of
food marketing activities.
- Analysing legislation and regulations affecting
food marketing activities.
- Training market traders.
|
|
Without an adequate understanding of food supply and distribution systems no
meaningful impact can be achieved on urban food security.
|
| “In November 1997,
I moved a large number of market traders into two newly built markets in the city
of Accra. This move was accompanied by a great deal of political turmoil.”
|
(The Mayor of Accra, Ghana, March 1998)
The
FAO Partnership Programmes of Technical Co-operation among Developing Countries
(TCDC) and Countries in Transition (TCCT)
These programmes facilitate the
exchange of experience and technical assistance between institutions in developing
countries and countries in transition, which have officially entered these programmes.
The
conditions for the engagement of Experts under these Programmes are:
- the
releasing institution continues to pay salary and other home-based entitlements;
-
FAO provides approved international and internal travel, medical insurance and
a per diem.
Examples of TCDC/TCCT partnerships:
- an Urban Planner
from country “A” assists the Municipality of a city in country “B”
by providing on-the-job training and advice to its technical staff on aspects
related to the design of a wholesale market development programme;
- the
Manager of the largest urban market in city “R” advises his colleagues
from the various cities in country “S” on cost-effective ways to clean
urban markets and dispose of market waste;
- Experts in food distribution
provide technical assistance to the Association of Municipalities in country “Y”
in designing and implementing low-cost urban market rehabilitation programmes.
Food
into Cities Scheme for
North-South Partnerships and Technical Cooperation
between
City and Local Authorities
This scheme promotes collaboration between City
and Local Authorities (CLAs) in developed countries, CLAs in developing countries
and in countries in transition (PDTs) and FAO, for providing technical assistance
to institutions which are responsible for urban development in PDTs.
CLAs in
developed countries can collaborate with FAO under different arrangements:
PARTNERSHIP
PROJECTS - SHARING EXPERIENCES
RAISING AWARENESS - PROFESSIONAL ENHANCEMENT
Examples:
-
Information and sensitisation activities (information material, videos, technical
documents and events);
- Training activities (training material, videos,
CD-ROMs, training sessions, study tours, etc.);
- Transfer of technological
know-how relating to food commerce;
- Exchange of experience for wholesale
market management;
- Rehabilitation of public retail markets in low-income
urban districts:
- Direct technical assistance in formulating urban and
municipal policies and action plans.
For more information, please contact
the Focal Point or the Web site (document DIG/11-99E).
| Existing twinning arrangements between
cities an ideal framework under which specific technical assistance partnerships
can be established.
|
