Food systems in Mediterranean cities: opportunities for collaboration
Under the framework of the Urban Food Agenda and the SFS-MED Platform, FAO is organizing this webinar to present the outcomes of a study on urban food systems initiatives in the Mediterranean carried out by Let's Food and hold a roundtable discussion bringing together municipalities, food systems stakeholders from across the Mediterranean, and international city networks.
The webinar will aim to address a key question: how to foster collaboration and knowledge exchange among Mediterranean cities to advance sustainable food systems in the region?
Participants will have the opportunity to:
- share their experiences in promoting sustainable food systems in Mediterranean cities;
- identify the added value of facilitating and/or participating in city-to-city cooperation initiatives, as well as needs and expectations for successful peer-to-peer learning;
- discuss ways forward to strengthen the collaboration among Mediterranean cities and key partners.
Interpretation will be available in English, French and Arabic.
The concept note and agenda of the event are available online in English, French and Arabic.
Livestream on FAO website at this link.
The UN Food Systems Summit process emphasized the crucial role of cities in food systems transformation. As a result, the Urban Food Systems Coalition was established to support local governments in participating in global policy debates and positioning themselves as key players in agrifood systems transformation.
The Mediterranean region is experiencing a rapid increase in urbanization, with over 70 percent of the population currently living in cities. This ongoing trend has significant implications for the production, processing, marketing, and consumption of food, while also posing severe challenges to urban populations in their access to healthy diets and social protection mechanisms.
While cities worldwide are increasingly recognizing the importance of food issues and participating in city networks, there is still a lack of information on public policies and local initiatives promoting sustainable food systems in Mediterranean cities.
For this reason, FAO, in partnership with the NGO Let's Food, has developed a study with the aim to identify urban food systems initiatives in the Mediterranean, to determine their contribution to cities’ shift towards more sustainable and inclusive food systems, to identify the need for technical support to scale-up existing successful initiatives, and to promote city-to-city exchanges in the Mediterranean region.
SDG 12 Targets
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