The Chicago Council on Global Affairs recently released its 2016 global food security report, titled “Growing Food for Growing Cities: Transforming Food Systems in an Urbanizing World.” The report lays out recommendations for the United States to invest in policies, infrastructure, enterprises, trade capacity, and research to change the way agricultural supply chains function in developing countries.
This report comes at a time when populations in cities are growing rapidly. By 2050, 66 percent of the global population is expected to live in urban areas, according to the United Nations. “Growing Food for Growing Cities” addresses this growth, as well as the diversification of the urban diet and the transformation of supply chains. These three factors will increase demand for food and put added pressure on the global food system.
In response, the report makes recommendations on how the U.S. government, in collaboration with businesses, scientists, citizens, and governments around the world, can lead the way in feeding the world’s cities in a sustainable manner, while improving rural economies.
The broad recommendations are as follows:
- Develop, implement, and strengthen policies for global food security.
- Enable and leverage private-sector investment that includes small-scale farmers and rural, small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the food system.
- Improve regional trade capacity to build efficient and sustainable food systems across national borders through trade policy.
- Strengthen research support and expand the research agenda to build food systems.
The report was released at the Council’s annual Global Food Security Symposium in Washington, D.C. The Council intends for the report to inform policymakers and stakeholders about the best ways to help solve challenges in feeding urban populations.
Read the full report here.
