F3 Improving nutrition in urban areas: the role of good nutrition governance
By 2030, it is expected that 6 out of 10 people will live in cities, with 90% of this growth occurring in Africa and Asia. Currently, about 1 in 8 people live in slums. The nutrition problems in cities are increasingly complex and are characterized by a double burden: Whilst urbanization is linked to overweight and obesity, and therefore to the increase in non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and heart disease, undernutrition is still prevalent. Consequently, cities face increasingly complex challenges. Urban citizens depend more on markets than people in rural areas, and rely more on highly processed food, in many instances sold by street vendors. Other challenges, including water, sanitation and hygiene, gender norms, and social capital, also influence food and nutrition security.
The objective of the session is to highlight the nutrition challenges in urban areas, in the broader context of urban food systems, and make a case for a focus on urban nutrition governance, including a multi-stakeholder approach to developing policy and implementation.
Moderator
Dominic Schofield
Country Representative Canada, Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN)
Speakers
Rosario: From local urban agriculture to the challenge of creating a Regional Food System
Maria Cecilia Alvarez
Sub Secretary of Environment, Municipality of Rosario, Argentina
Food security and nutrition initiatives in Quelimane
Manuel De Araujo
Mayor, Quelimane, Mozambique
Improving nutrition governance: A food and nutrition action plan for Surabaya City Government
Arbind Singh
National Coordinator, National Association of Street Vendors India (NASVI)
Samina Raja
Professor, Food Systems Planning and Healthy Communities Lab, University of Buffalo, USA