Urban Food Actions Platform

Food systems should ensure that enough nutritious food is available for everyone, whether they live in urban or rural areas, and they are poor households. The challenge is to do so while minimizing any harmful impact on the environment. 

This thematic area focuses on efficient and resilient food supply and distribution systems. For instance strengthening the rural-urban food supply chain in order to face and adapt to disruptive events; developing sustainable food transportation and logistics planning in order to reduce carbon emissions by improving alternative fuels or means of transport and thus improve connections with peri-urban and rural nearby areas; strengthening or developing energy efficient municipal public markets including farmers markets, retail and wholesale markets; creating an enabling environment for the informal food system sector and their stakeholders.

Related Resources

Social and economic equity, Food production and ecosystem management, Food supply and distribution - Directories
The Food for Cities Network is a forum of urban food practitioners facilitated by FAO. Since end of march contributors have been sharing information linked to the COVID-19 pandemic. To support the visibility of these exchanges, a database of all the Food for Cities Network exchanges related to COVID-19 is...
(Global coverage)
2020 - Fei Shulang, Keller Léo, Ni Jia (Plant Production and Protection (AGP) Division)
Governance and planning, Social and economic equity, Food production and ecosystem management, Food supply and distribution - Policy Briefs
The COVID-19 pandemic is disrupting urban food systems worldwide, with cities and local governments obliged to deal with changes in food availability, accessibility and affordability. This policy paper addresses the role of cities and local governments in responding to the emergency and mitigating the effects of COVID-19 on urban food...
(Global coverage)
2020 - Cecilia Marocchino; Kostas Stamoulis; Maria Magdalena Heinrich; Jamie Morrison; Makiko Taguchi; Guido Santini; Kayo Takenoshita; Gilles Martin; Joao Intini; Sara Granados; Lucas Tavares
Food supply and distribution - Guidelines
How to help isolated citizens or people unable to order things online? A real case in Wuhan helps us to understand how food was collectively purchased and safely delivered under the condition of quarantine.
China (Asia and the Pacific)
2020 - YANG Jin
Social and economic equity, Food production and ecosystem management, Food supply and distribution - Directories
ONLY IN FRENCH This webpages lists various resources related to the management of food systems at the time of Coronavirus. Its vocation is to present sources of inspiration and sharing mainly on 2 themes: for agricultural producers (frequently asked questions, advice on how to set up barrier gestures, information on possible financial...
France (Europe)
2020 - Coll.
Food supply and distribution - Guidelines
ONLY IN FRENCH This one-page fact sheet presents the good practices encouraged by the government of Quebec to protect customers in food businesses.
Canada (North America)
2020 - Official document