Bellagio Communique: Harnessing urban food systems for sustainabledevelopmentandhumanwell-being1.ThismeetingwasconvenedattheRockefellerFoundationBellagioCenter(Italy)from14-16th March 2017 by the ESRC/DFID-funded research project Governing Food Systems toAlleviate Poverty in Secondary Cities in Africa Project (Consuming Urban Poverty) at theAfrican Centre for Cities, University of Cape Town. The purpose of the meeting was toconsider the potential impact of the research findings of this project on ongoingconsultation and implementation of Agenda 2063, Agenda 2030, and the New UrbanAgenda. Theyemphasise the fundamental role thaturban foodsystemsplay inachievingsustainable cities, along with health, income, jobs and inclusive growth. The meetingincluded experts from a number of organizations and agencies1 who concluded thefollowing:

1.1. Thattherearesevereproblemsofurbanfoodandnutritioninsecurityandinequalityacrosstheglobebutmostparticularlyindevelopingcountriesundergoingrapidurbantransitions;

1.2. ThatfoodisamajorsourceofexpenditureoftheurbanpoorinAfricaandthereforesignificantlyimpactsurbanpoverty;

1.3. Thatbecauseagrowingproportionoftheworld’sandAfrica’spopulationwillinthefuturebelivingincitiesandtownsweanticipatethatthescaleandseverityofurbanfoodandnutritioninsecuritywillescalateaccordingly.Africa’surbantransitionisstillunderway,withsecondarycitiesandtownsgrowingmostrapidly;

1.4. That food systems – comprising the production, processing, distribution, retail,consumption andmanagement of foodwaste and food losses - are shaped by andshape urbanization. The food system is a major contributer to greenhouse gasemissions and climate change. Interventions in the urban food system can havesignificantpositiveimpactsonurbansustainability;

1C40,Esta(EconomiaeSostenibilita),IIED(InternationalInstituteforEnvironmentandDevelopment),RUAF(Globalpartnershiponsustainableurbanagricultureandfoodsystems),SouthAfricanDepartmentofHumanSettlements,UNECA(UnitedNationsEconomicCommissionforAfrica),UN-Habitat,UniversityofSydney,WorldFoodProgramme,WorldHealthOrganization,UniversityofCapeTown,KisumuLocalInteractionPlatform,CopperbeltUniversity,UniversityofZimbabwe.

1.5. Thataccesstohealthyandnutritiousfoodisabasichumanrightandneedstobeacentralconcernofthepublicandgovernments,alsointheurbancontext;

1.6. Thaturbanfoodinsecurity,povertyanddysfunctionalurbanformandmanagementareinextricablylinkedandmutuallyreinforcing;

1.7. Thatfoodsystemsandfoodsecurityshould,giventheirinterdependentrelationshipwith urban form and urban management, therefore become a priority of localgovernment;

1.8. That inadequate access to safe and nutritious food (physically as well aseconomically), particularly by households in vulnerable situations, is a dominantreasonforfoodinsecurity;

1.9. Thatspatial/territorialplanningandlandmanagementhasacriticalroleinaffectingthefoodsystem;

1.10.Thaturbanfoodsecurityandnutritionareimportantdeterminantsofurbanhealthandwell-being, and strongly impactonboth communicable, including zoonotic, andnon-communicabledisease;

1.11. That current urban health transitions to non-communicable diseases dominance(obesity, diabetes) are associatedwith changing urban diets linked to food and thetriple burden of malnutrition (undernourishment, micronutrient deficiency andobesity;

1.12.Thatahealthierpopulationisalsoamoreproductivepopulation,henceaddressingthe issue of urban food security and nutrition can directly contribute to nationaleconomicdevelopment;

1.13.Thatthefoodsystemisamajorgeneratorofurbanemploymentandlivelihoodsinareas of food processing and food distribution (and potentially recycling andwastemanagement), and both large and small scale (in some regions termed ‘informal’)enterprises benefit from the food system; and it is often a key source of work forwomenandyouth;

1.14. That inadequate access to food, infrastructure, and exposure to environmentalhazards has a highly gendered impact, increasing the burden onwomen related tounpaidcareactivities;

1.15. That in low-income urban contexts small-scale food vendors (informal traders)providecriticalaccesstofoodforlow-incomehouseholds;

1.16. That local sourcing of food, secure access to land and agro-processing offer vitalpathwaysforlocaleconomicdevelopmentandjobcreation;

1.17.That theurban foodsystemcanplaya role in riskmanagementand resilience toshort-termurbanshocksandlong-termurbanstressors;

1.18.Thatbecausefoodsupplyanddistributionisasystemoperatingacrossglobalandlocalscales, itconcernsinternationalagencies,nationalgovernmentsandauthoritiesat regional and local urban level, as well as civil society and private sectororganizations,andrequiresactionsatarangeofscalesandacrossarangeofactors.

Themeetingnoted further that the issueofurban foodsecurity is recognized in theNewUrbanAgenda,andhenceneedstobeintegratedintopoliciesandplanstoimplementit.Italsorecognizedthatachievingall theSDGswilldepend largelyonthefutureofcities,andhence the urban food issue has importance beyond SDG 11 to the entire 2030 Agenda,particularlySDGs2,3and12.2. Achieving sustainable urbanization and addressing urban inequalities across the globerequiresfocusonthe issueofurbanfood insecurityaspartofawiderurbanagenda.Thisrequires:

2.1. Integrating urban food security within local, regional and national urban policyprocesses;

2.2. Recognizing the inter-sectoral and multi-level nature of food systems and foodsecurity, hence the need for cross-cutting food policy measures at all scales ofgovernance;

2.3. Recognitionthattheurbanfoodsystemisacentralcomponentofthefunctioningofurban centres – hence cities and towns which are sustainable, efficient and whichworkforpoorhouseholds,arealsomorelikelytohavegreaterfoodsecurity;

2.4. Aligning social protection, which plays a vital role in urban food security andnutrition,tothebroadersustainablefoodsystemagenda;

2.5. Recognitionoftheimportantroleofurbanmanagementandplanningin impactingonurbanfoodsecurityandnutrition-throughawiderangeofissuesincludingurbanform, land management and tenure security, infrastructure and housing, access toenergyandwater,theplanninganduseofpublicspacesforsmallproducers,vendorsandfoodretailers,thepublicprovisionoffoodretailmarketsetc,therelationshipofthesetopoorhouseholds,andtheprotectionofnearbyagriculturalareasandnaturalresourcesforecosystemservices;

2.6. Support for research and data production to improve understanding of thefunctioning of the urban food system and its links to sustainable development andhumanwell-being.

3.AtthecoreofAfrica’slongtermvisionassetoutintheAfricanUnion’sAgenda2063isatarget to eradicate poverty, hunger, andmalnutritionwithin a generation. The pursuit ofthiswillunfoldinacontextofrapidurbangrowth,andademographicandeconomicshifttowardscitiesandhumansettlements.Itisthuscriticaltorecognizeandintegratetheurbandimension in policy responses to eliminate hunger and food insecurity. Aware of thecontinental efforts and momentum in addressing urban, agricultural, and nutritiondevelopmentinAfrica2,weemphasize:

3.1. The need to align urban food policy with the long term continental agenda ofstructural transformationdrivenby investment in infrastructureand industrializationthatisinclusiveandjob-rich;

2CommonAfricanPositiononHabitatIII;ComprehensiveAfricaAgricultureDevelopmentProgramme;ContinentalFreeTradeArea;AfricanDevelopmentBankFeedAfricaStrategy2016-2025;AfricanRegionalNutritionStrategy(ARNS)for2016-2025;Africa'sRenewedInitiativeforStuntingElimination(ARISE)initiative

3.2. The importance of integrating an urban dimension, including food, into nationaldevelopment agendas through a concerted effort to embed it in broader plans andpolicies;

3.3. Thevital roleofurbangovernanceandplanning inaddressing food insecurity,andhencetheneedtolocatethisissueinnationalurbanplans;

3.4. The urban dimension of food insecurity in Africa, intertwined with poverty,inequality,periodicconflict,andpoliticalandeconomicinstabilitybecomescentraltonationalpoliciestoaddressfoodsecurityandnutrition;

3.5. The impact of urban food systems on urban-rural linkages, and thus policies andstrategiesforthetransformationofruraleconomiesandagriculturalmodernization;

3.6. Theimpactoffoodonhealthandwell-being,andhencepromotionofaproductiveurbanpopulationandworkforceformanufacturingandmodernservices;

3.7. The role of urban food systems in job creation and access to employmentopportunities,especiallyforyouthandwomen;

3.8. TheopportunitiespresentedbychangingandgrowingpatternsoffoodconsumptionandrelatedurbanfoodsystemsforAfrica’sagendaofacceleratingmanufacturingandagro-processing;

3.9. The impact of improved urban food systems as a basis for eradicating poverty inAfricaandbuildingsharedprosperity;

3.10. Thecritical roleof small scaleand informalurban fooddistributionnetworks fornutritionandwell-beingofpoorandvulnerablehouseholds;

3.11.Human settlements cannot be sustainable without food security and adequatenutrition.

Doneonthisday,16March2017,attheRockefellerFoundation’sBellagioCenter,Italy.