As urbanization rates across the globe are rising and there is a continued push to decentralise decision-making power to levels that are closer to the people served, cities are gaining an increasingly important role in the global malnutrition crisis (the coexistence of undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies and over-nutrition) and offer entry points for food system transformation.

By 2050, two-thirds of the global population is expected to reside in urban areas, consuming 80% of the world’s food and producing 85% of global economic output. By 2035, halve of individuals in extreme poverty will live in urban areas, thereby increasing the number of people who cannot afford a healthy diet.

Poor diets among city inhabitants are the consequence of a combination of forces:

• the convenience and the demand for ready-to-eat meals and for (ultra) processed foods;
• food-environment factors such as the insistent marketing and availability of nutrient-poor and energy-dense foods;
• the globalization of the food sector and dependence on imported foods;
• the affordability of healthy diets to the urban poor.

Secondary cities as game changers for sustainable food systems

In 2018, close to half of the world’s urban residents lived in settlements or towns with less than 500,000 inhabitants. These settlements are classified as secondary cities and are, in terms of population, the fastest growing urban areas.

When compared to primary cities, the city region food systems in secondary cities are largely characterized by the strong urban-rural linkages and the opportunity for localized food production and consumption. In low-and middle-income countries (LMIC), linking urban areas with agricultural hinterlands increases food security resilience and creates the possibility to shorten the food supply chains. Short supply chains could provide ecological, health and socio-economic benefits and have been linked to reduced food loss and are generally associated with decreased carbon emissions.

The initiatives described below are practical examples which, when applied to the secondary cities context, can be leveraged to transform urban food systems and combat malnutrition and poverty:

• Nutrient profiling with OBAASIMA in Ghana

Nutrient profiling (NP) is a scientific method for assessing the nutritional quality of (processed) foods and beverages based on their energy content and nutrient composition. In Ghana, the OBAASIMA project aims to stimulate the sustainable supply and the demand for high-quality, safe and affordable micronutrient-rich foods designed for women of reproductive age. It uses a front-of-package seal for foods that adhere to the minimum fortification content and nutrition criteria (eighteen vitamins and minerals) in combination with a social marketing campaign that provides information on nutrition and nutritious foods to women.

• Participative Urban Agriculture with the AGRUPAR project in Quito, Ecuador

In Quito, Ecuador, the Participative Urban Agriculture Program AGRUPAR targets the most vulnerable population of the city through the production of organic food and by promoting urban agriculture as a livelihood and a powerful strategy for improved food security and nutrition. The project stimulates subsistence farming and facilitates selling surplus products through organic produce markets. The project also facilitates the provision of technical assistance, microcredit and capacity building to the urban growers and uses applied research to stimulate the use of agroecology.

• KUMWE HARVEST –a new post-harvest model to combat aflatoxin contamination in Rwanda

In collaboration with the Government of Rwanda, Africa Improved Foods (AIF) objective is to address malnutrition and stunting by manufacturing high-quality nutritious supplementary foods. One of the main challenges AIF has faced is the quality of the local maize supply (a main component of the supplementary foods), particularly with respect to aflatoxin contamination. Kumwe Harvest, a local start-up, developed a logistics model to address the high quantities of rejected maize. The model in question limits the vulnerability of maize to contamination by enabling AIF to purchase maize from cooperatives, farmer groups, and individual farmers in cob form as opposed to already shelled grains. Improved harvest and post-harvest practices reduce the predominant aflatoxin production on the crops.