Urban Agriculture. Providing highquality. urban communities

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1 Urban Agriculture Providing highquality food to urban communities

2 Catalyzing business development and fostering local self - reliance

3 Strengthening Skills and the Resource Base

4 Building awareness and action

5 Building Local Food Systems

6 establishing new markets for small scale livestock With increasing consumer interest in local production, processing, and animal welfare.

7 Supporting crosssectoral networks maximizing diversity and resilience

8 Know Your Farmer - Know Your Food: USDA Campaign Launch On local and regional Food systems

9 Connecting farmers to markets Local direct marketing Market promotion programs Value-added programs for small, medium scale farmers Child nutrition and general nutrition programs Food safety programs Risk management Producer organization building

10 Why food systems are important to urban, peri-urban and rural areas Food systems can integrate rural and urban communities through vibrant markets Improved food system integrity can address hunger, obesity, and other dietary and nutritional challenges facing cities Social benefits of access to affordable, healthy food in low income areas (gardens, schools, grocery stores...) Food systems help stablize and grow local and regional economies

11 Why urban rural links? Rural-urban relationships are key for: Economic interdependence National economic resilience Environmental sustainability Governance and citizen participation Poverty alleviation and economic opportunity -- UNDP Report on Urban Rural Linkages, 2000

12 Closing the Gap The historic divide between urban and rural is artificial and counter-productive It is increasingly recognized that the two sectors are intimately connected in a larger system Fundamental issues of biodiversity, land use, climate change and food security are all inter-connected

13 Research question What is the role of different actors, governance levels, spatial scales and pro-poor planning strategies in reconnecting cities physically, economically, and socially with their surrounding countryside?

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15 Tapping the Knowledge Reservoir Research Community Policy Makers

16 Eco-Agriculture Partners and Landscape Measures efforts

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18 Ecological and socio-economic exchanges between rural, peri-urban and urban areas: rural-urban linkages Organic wastes for pigs and vegetables Migrants, commuters, casual laborers Rural Urban Source: Gordon Prain, Urban Harvest

19 Areas for future URL research, under conditions of climate change Livelihoods Regional food security: connecting production, marketing and processing systems in metropolitan regions, diversifying markets for producers and food choices/micro-nutrient access for consumers Food security and food safety: smallholder organic production enterprises and marketing groups in urban and peri-urban areas Food safety: closer linkages and trust between urban consumers and food producers along the urban to rural transect

20 Urban-ecosystem health Multi-functional city greening Productive, for local food supply Environmental, to reduce flooding, heat island effects Healthy, to reduce dust and exposure to contaminants, increase mental health Regional solid and liquid waste recycling through agriculture and alternative energy production Massive regional composting Systematic reuse of food wastes for animal feed Waste-based briquette use for cooking fuel and heating Systematic linkages of animal wastes with agriculture and biogas production

21 Policy and institutional dialogue and change Getting regional thinking into urban planning Integration of agriculture and food security into city and regional thinking and planning Involvement of producer organizations in food safety monitoring and regulation

22 Further engagement Local level work, developing learning networks and practical designs for food system Local authorities representation in Committee on Food Security Rio+20, research network launch in Belo Horizonte