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

Governance and planning, Social and economic equity, Food production and ecosystem management, Food supply and distribution - Articles
ONLY IN FRENCH This survey, conducted by France Urbaine, in partnership with Résolis and Terres en Villes, presents how French cities have acted to mitigate the negative effects of lockdown on food systems: means and levers to ensure that everyone has access to food in sufficient quality and quantity
France (Europe)
2020 - Kader Makhlouf ; Henri Rouillé d'Orfeuil ; Marc Nielsen
Food supply and distribution - Guidelines
Questions and answers related to COVID-19 and food safety for the food industry and retail.
United States of America (North America)
2020 - Official document
Social and economic equity, Food supply and distribution - Local Policies
Initiatives set up by the Municipality of Milan to contain the effects of COVID-19 on the food system of the city. Specific actions concern access to food, and food delivery for vulnerable groups.
Italy (Europe)
2020 - Official document
Food supply and distribution - Articles
Suggestions to help informal food traders coping with COVID-19 restrictions in the African context.
(Africa)
2020 - Danielle Resnick
Food supply and distribution - Guidelines
Guidelines to address emergency food distribution in municipalities. During severe pandemics, national governments might be unable to provide prompt assistance to local governments, that is why local municipalities need to become food self-sufficient for a period of time.
(Global coverage)
2020 - Official document