URBAN FOOD POLICIES – SHARING FOOD SYSTEM INNOVATIONS THROUGH DECENTRALIZED COOPERATION IN AFRICA

Abstract

Food systems have undergone major transformations over the past decades which have proved to be unsustainable. The world's urban population now stands at 3.7 billion people, and is expected to double by 2050. These two trends represent an enormous challenge for food security and nutrition, which can only be addressed if food systems transition towards sustainability. This paper unpacks SSA’s specific challenges and highlights that many countries in Africa, alongside other countries in the South, have come up with their own solutions that can readily benefit others facing similar agro and socioeconomic contexts. Many of these initiatives are led by local governments, who are central to bringing about change at the level. As such, this paper puts forward the concept of decentralized cooperation (city to city cooperation) to foster cooperation for food and nutrition security for all, through cataloguing good practices and sparking innovation on the ground, reaping broad benefits for local economies (including job creation), societies and the environment.