More than half of the world’s seven billion people live in urban areas – a proportion that is set to increase to 69% by 2050. Rapid urbanization will increase the demand for food security, nutritious diets and food safety for urban populations.

This policy brief titled “Urban animals – feeding the cities of the future” outlines policy actions for management of urban livestock production and identifies existing knowledge gaps. Co-written by Ulf Magnusson, SLU, Johanna Lindahl, SLU, ILRI and Katinka DeBalogh, FAO, the brief highlights the advantages and potential problems related to animal food production in cities and discusses the dilemma urban livestock food systems raise for public and environmental health in terms of sanitation and nutrition. As a starting point, the authors take the idea that livestock will be a part of urban environments in the future and it is necessary to find ways forward to practice it in a safe and sustainable manner.