Shenggen Fan "Healthy food environments and the urban context: Implementing the commitments to the UN Decade of Action on Nutrition" Rome, Italy October 17, 2018

1. Shenggen Fan, October 2018
Shenggen Fan | Director General
International Food Policy Research Institute
Rome, Italy | October 17, 2018
RESHAPING AGRI-
FOOD SYSTEMS IN
AN URBANIZED
WORLD
Healthy food environments and the urban
context: Implementing the commitments to
the UN Decade of Action on Nutrition

2. Shenggen Fan, October 2018
Source: FAO 2018
Prevalence and number of undernourished worldwide
Metabolic risk factors for diet-related NCDs globally (%)
Source: GNR 2017
Prevalence of adult obesity (BMI≥30), 2016(%)
Source: WHO 2018
Source: UNICEF/WHO/WB 2018
Children under 5 affected by malnutrition, 2000-2017 (millions)
Despite progress, multiple burdens of malnutrition persist

3. Shenggen Fan, October 2018
Projected urban share of global population
Urban
68%
20502015
Urban
54%
Source: Ruel et al. 2017
• Nearly 90% of projected urban population increase
is concentrated in Asia and Africa
‒ China, India, and Nigeria alone expected to add 900
million urban residents
• Burdens of malnutrition shifting from rural areas
to urban areas
Source: UN 2018
Rapid urbanization and changing diets are increasing
pressure on food systems
World East Asia Europe
Historical changes in diet composition
(kcal/capita/day)
North America South Asia Africa
Source: FAO 2018

4. Shenggen Fan, October 2018
Yet most data and evidence are outdated or incomplete
Source: Ruel, Garrett, and Yosef 2017
Updated, accurate, and disaggregated data needed to answer key questions, such as:
• What is the extent of poverty, food insecurity, and malnutrition in urban areas?
• Where and how do urban dwellers obtain food?
‒ What factors shape food choices and quality of diet?
‒ What are effects of the urban food environment?
• What is the quality of urban diets?
‒ What are the nutrient gaps?
‒ What dietary patterns increase health risks?
• How is household food security affected by patterns of employment for women, men,
and youth?
• How can programs and policies be better tailored to address special urban challenges?

5. Shenggen Fan, October 2018
Comprehensive, high-quality research is
critical for food security and nutrition in an
urbanized world

6. Shenggen Fan, October 2018
• Identify urban characteristics driving challenges and
opportunities for food security and improved nutrition
‒ Where urban dwellers, including women and youth, live and work
‒ What and where they eat, and where their food comes from
‒ What types of services and development programs they have
access to and use
• Generate knowledge on prevalence and distribution of the
multiple burdens of malnutrition
‒ Prevalence and risks of diet-related non-communicable diseases
‒ Disease burdens related to unsafe food and environmental hazards
• Review programs and services available in urban areas
‒ Assess accessibility, affordability, and use by the urban poor
Key research areas
Life in urban areas

7. Shenggen Fan, October 2018
• Identify main drivers of food choices among the urban poor
‒ Individual drivers: income, preferences, affordability, time,
convenience
‒ Food environment drivers: availability, price, food promotion,
marketing, labeling
• Analyze how the changing urban demand can create
opportunities for rural and peri-urban transformation
• Conduct demand and market analysis
‒ Study demand and affordability of nutrient-rich foods vs. processed
foods
‒ Assess impact of changes in policies and consumption patterns on
livelihoods and diets of the poor in cities, towns, and peri-urban
areas
Key research areas
Urban food systems, environments, and patterns

8. Shenggen Fan, October 2018
• Map and project food production in urban and peri-
urban areas
• Assess potential contribution of urban and peri-urban
agriculture to dietary needs of urban consumers
‒ How to foster rural-urban linkages
• Study constraints and challenges faced by urban
agricultural sectors
‒ Loss of highly productive agricultural land due to urban sprawl
‒ Potential environmental hazards and food safety issues
Key research areas
Urban agriculture

9. Shenggen Fan, October 2018
• Important role of informal food sector as source of
livelihoods for the urban poor, especially women
‒ Access to affordable foods and meals for the urban poor
‒ Consider both safety risks and nutritional value of foods sold
by street vendors and local fast-food shops
• Analyze governance of informal retail sector
‒ Identify appropriate national and local stakeholders for
infrastructure and regulatory oversight
‒ Consider policy options to reduce vulnerability of informal
traders and sellers
Key research areas
Governance

10. Shenggen Fan, October 2018
Urban-tailored policies and programs are critical
Source: Ruel, Garrett, and Yosef 2017
Policy actions to support better diets for the urban poor, such as:
• Increasing access of urban poor to healthy, nutritious, safe foods
• Supporting urban agriculture to increase food access and cope with price or income
shocks
• Regulating production of safe, affordable, nutritious street foods, including regular food
safety training
• Addressing inequalities in access of urban poor to healthcare, water, sanitation, waste
removal, electricity, etc.
• Regularize and support informal settlements or slums with context-specific policies

11. Shenggen Fan, October 2018
• Support South-South Learning
o Share key experiences on what has worked and what has not worked
o Promote technology transfer
o Improve infrastructure in developing countries
o Enhance implementation and capacity with data and evidence
(e.g. Compact2025)
• Build evidence base for other countries and institutions
o E.g. ReSAKSS (Regional Strategic Analysis and Knowledge Support System)
• Enhance global and regional cooperation and learning efforts
o Explore new modalities beyond traditional bilateral cooperation
Cooperation and mutual learning will be key