9. SEMINAR CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Conclusions

Seminar participants acknowledged that rapid urban growth in most Asian cities is being accompanied by an increase in both the number and the proportion of poor households living close to or below the poverty line. Participants recognised that food insecurity is increasingly becoming an urban problem and that specific policies and programmes should be undertaken to improve the food security and nutritional well-being of urban populations, and particularly the poor. The establishment of an efficient food supply and distribution system (FSDS) that provides an adequate supply of good quality and safe foods, is affordable and accessible to all urban consumers and reduces or eliminates food-related health and environmental problems was considered key to improving food security in Asian cities. An adequate FSDS requires sound policies and strategies and development programmes spanning urban, periurban and rural sectors. These policies and programmes should be formulated in close collaboration with all concerned public and private stakeholders.

An adequate supply of good quality, safe foods must be made available and affordable to all urban consumers, including the poor and disadvantaged. The food supply to urban populations must be adequate in quantity, quality and variety to meet nutritional needs.

Work toward building awareness of the importance of FSD issues was considered essential among all levels of government and stakeholders. Information, sensitization and training play a significant role in furthering the ability to feed Asian cities.

Specific, relevant information on all aspects of providing an adequate food supply to urban populations is seriously lacking. Such information is fundamental for sound policy and planning development and for effective programme design and implementation. In addition, there is insufficient dissemination and exchange of existing information and knowledge among key players in the food supply system and the broad public. Wide access to complete and consistent information will greatly enhance and facilitate efforts to improve urban food security.

Information is particularly lacking in the following areas:

• food security and nutritional status of the urban poor;
• contribution of urban and periurban areas in meeting urban food needs;
• social, economic and environmental implications of current trends in agriculture, livestock production and aquaculture;
• differentiated water management systems, integrated land and water management methods and tools for urban areas;
• fish wholesaling in selected cities and fish marketing in general;
• street food; and
• scientifically sound and understandable information for the public on food quality and safety as well as health and nutritional.

Effective coordination for timely action and effective planning is significantly hampered by the involvement of many departments and various levels of government in many issues related to production, transport, processing, storage and distribution.

Environment and food safety issues throughout the food production to consumption chain require adequate attention so as to ensure an appropriate level of consumer health and environmental protection. Emphasis should be placed on preventative food safety management and the provision of training on issues relevant to food safety. Appropriate food quality and safety standards, codes of practice and other guidelines should be established to assist industry to achieve food safety goals. The required technical and administrative food control infrastructure should be developed to enable authorities to ensure compliance with regulations by industry.

Waste management and related environmental impacts are key issues for food production, processing and distribution. Negative effects of the rapid expansion of cities can include contamination of soil and water leading to food safety problems. It can also lead to deterioration of the surroundings of processing facilities and market places as well as degradation of living circumstances from noise and air pollution. Any attempt to improve the efficiency of the food supply should be made simultaneously with plans for waste management.

Improvement of infrastructure is needed for transportation, water supply, storage, processing and marketing facilities to enhance the efficiency of FSD activities and to address ongoing environmental degradation.

Recommendations

1. Stakeholder participation and coordination

• Transparency must be emphasised in the process of elaborating policies and programmes related to various aspects of the FSDS;
• mechanisms should be established to facilitate interactive communication among all stakeholders; and
• efforts should be strengthened to ensure effective collaboration and coordination among concerned departments and various levels of government to assure more timely and coordinated action and more effective planning. Where appropriate, focal points may be established to deal with complex issues.

2. Information and awareness

Given the lack of sufficient information on all aspects of ensuring a safe and adequate food supply to urban populations, it was recommended that:

• all existing, relevant data be compiled, analysed and made widely available;
• where critical gaps have been identified, the necessary information be collected in a timely manner and made available;
• every effort be made to encourage and enhance information dissemination and exchange within and among cities at national and regional levels;
• a Knowledge Centre/Unit for Urban Food Supply and Distribution be established, preferably within the municipality, to provide relevant information for planning and research;
• an information campaign be developed for the broad public, including consumers, food producers and decision makers.

3. Food security and nutritional well-being among the urban poor

Given that the urban poor are particularly vulnerable to food insecurity and malnutrition, it was recommended that:

• basic services such as safe housing, clean drinking water, drainage and sewage systems, health facilities as well as income-earning opportunities, all of which affect nutritional well-being, be provided and improved in the poor and slum areas;
• programmes to improve food security and nutrition specifically targeted to the poor and nutritionally vulnerable be implemented, monitored and evaluated;
• food and nutrition education activities be developed and implemented for all segments of the urban population, including activities specifically targeted to the poor and vulnerable;
• social safety nets be provided for the most vulnerable among the urban poor.

4. Information, sensitization, training and capacity building

The seminar recognised the needs of senior policy makers for information and sensitization and the needs of technical and managerial staff of city and local authorities (CLAs) for training and capacity building, particularly in the following areas:

Information and sensitization:

• define the role of CLAs in urban food security;
• formulation of urban FSD policies, strategies and development programmes;
• making decisions for public investments in FSD infrastructure and facilities;
• public health and environmental implications of FSD activities;
• promotion of private sector investment in FSD activities;
• municipal policies for the informal food sector.

Training and capacity building:

• the analysis of FSDS constraints and sustainable solutions;
• formulation of urban FSD policies, strategies and development programmes;
• urban planning and management for efficient FSD activities;
• planning and management of wholesale and retail food markets;
• design of development programmes for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) especially with reference to methodologies, spatial planning, hygiene, business skills and organizational development;
• design, implementation and management of information and sensitization programmes for food market traders, transporters, processors, consumers and producers;
• design, implementation and management of urban and periurban food production development programmes (including livestock rearing and aquaculture);
• use and re-use of waste from food markets and slaughterhouses;
• legislation and regulations for FSD activities.

CLAs and central government authorities should collaborate in ensuring capacity building in the following areas:

• the administration of food control activities, food inspection and food analysis in order to better enforce food safety policies;
• post harvest technologies and good food-hygiene practices;
• urban-based extension services.

5. Physical infrastructure

Road improvement should be conducted for enhancing production, processing and distribution of food commodities;

• physical facility improvement should be carried out for the provision of clean water for irrigation and municipal uses, based on responsive land-use plans;
• facilities for processing and marketing, such as wholesale and retail markets, should be enhanced;
• basic services such as water, sanitation, sewage systems, safe housing and health facilities must be provided to all urban areas, including the poor and slum neighbourhoods.

6. Waste management and environmental protection

CLAs are usually responsible for the proper management of liquid and solid waste from food market and slaughterhouses. Such waste can be used for agricultural production and livestock feeding provided adequate care is taken in avoiding health and environmental negative implications. Central governments are responsible for ensuring that appropriate regulations are adopted and adequate capacity developed to ensure their enforcement. Awareness of the issue is necessary for all the sectors.

7. Legal issues

CLAs and central governments should legally recognise the informal sector as a first step to addressing existing problems and opportunities presented by the sector;

• national food legislation should be reviewed and revised as appropriate to ensure that adequate provisions exist to assure the safety of street-vended foods;
• institutional and legal frameworks for land and water resource management should be reformed towards decentralization as appropriate;
• food quality and safety standards, guidelines and codes of practice should be established for the handling of foods throughout the production-consumption chain;
• regulatory measures pertaining to the production of food from plant and animal sources in urban and periurban areas should be adopted;
• legislation should be enacted and incentives provided to encourage the adoption of environmentally friendly practices and policies in food production, distribution and processing.

8. Enhancing private investment

• CLAs should adopt an enabling approach to promoting private investments in FSD infrastructure;
• CLAs should critically review and modify existing legislation and regulations with a view to stimulating private investment;
• CLAs should make basic information on city plans and projections for the medium and long terms to facilitate private investment in the FSD sector (infrastructure, services, businesses, etc.), making sure that investment opportunities are correctly identified and justified;
• information on investment modalities should be made available to the public;
• special approaches (group collateral, etc.) should be considered for financing small and medium enterprises in the food sector.

9. North-South and South-South partnerships

CLAs in different countries have expertise and experience in many aspects of FSDS that can prove valuable to other cities. These should be shared through effective partnerships based on a proper understanding of local conditions, attitudes and requirements in a spirit of exchange rather than dependence. Various programmes by international and regional organizations such as CityNet, FAO and the European Commission exist to promote technical assistance partnerships and projects.