By 2050 the world’s population is expected to reach 9.7 billion, 70 percent of which will be living in urban areas, mainly in low and middle-income countries in Africa and Asia. At the same time the current COVID-19 pandemic and the increasing climate emergency is forcing us to rethink how we produce, process and distribute food. Since history has recorded cities, urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) has played an important role in food production, and the impacts of UPA have multiplied as cities have expanded. In the last few decades, the importance of UPA has grown and been progressively recognized as a key player in feeding growing urban populations, supplying safe and nutritious food from different types of crops and animals, and contributing to all urban food systems. It also generates various benefits, from social to educational aspects, and from economic to environmental functions, ensuring urban and peri-urban dwellers are able to engage in prosperous livelihoods. This publication was designed by FAO in partnership with the RUAF Global Partnership on Sustainable Urban Agriculture and Food Systems (RUAF) and Rikolto to collect, analyse and systematize existing experiences and case studies on global UPA. The purpose of this work is to set out the key lessons learned and to provide recommendations and guidance based on existing cases and examples for a wide range of actors involved in urban food systems. It can be used as a sourcebook for local decision-makers, policy advisors, urban planners, specialists, practitioners and others involved in UPA. The sourcebook is also for those involved in the design and implementation of production schemes, planning of urban food strategies, and policies concerning agriculture in urban and peri-urban areas.