Ten ingredients to stir up urban agrifood systems transformation
Check out the long-awaited outcomes – the result of intense discussions, shared insights, and the burning question: What exactly have we been cooking up all this time?
From 9 to 11 September 2024, the Urban Agrifood Systems Global Workshop—co-organized by the Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and ICLEI—turned FAO headquarters in Rome into a vibrant marketplace of ideas. Around 100 stakeholders from five continents from local, regional and national governments, UN agencies, academia, development agencies, city networks, and NGOs joined forces to share insights and chart a collective path forward for sustainable, inclusive, and resilient urban agrifood systems. The goal? To kick-off the co-creation of a collective five-year roadmap in which concrete modalities, roles, and actions needed across different groups and regions are clearly defined and agreed upon. Here are the main takeaways that emerged from this unique and dynamic convergence of expertise:
#1. Build upon the renewed momentum
Participants highlighted the horizontal, multi-stakeholder approach that distinguished this workshop from previous efforts. The urban agrifood system community must prioritize regular meetings not only to sustain the energy brought by the Urban Agrifood Systems Global Workshop, but also to ensure continuous collaboration and collective ownership of the initiatives born out of this community.
#2. Strengthen and further develop what works rather than reinvent the wheel
Building on strong structures, and successful projects and initiatives, participants recognized the significant impact already achieved by the urban agrifood system community. By assessing these collective accomplishments—and understanding where gaps and failures have occurred—the community can build a more effective and cohesive approach moving forward. However, participants highlighted the need to clearly define how this new community will stand apart from previous initiatives. This involves building a clear and strong value proposition by mapping out the strengths and competencies of each organization, identifying synergies, and ensuring that efforts are complementary rather than duplicative.
#3. Craft and communicate a shared vision
The workshop underscored the necessity of developing and communicating a shared vision and ambition. Participants agreed that a common narrative is crucial—one that is simple, clear, and easily translatable into various languages. This storytelling approach should define common priorities and expected outcomes, balancing different perspectives and highlighting both trade-offs and co-benefits.
By aligning on objectives and translating them into a compelling narrative, the community can resonate with a broader audience, including funders. Demonstrating how local actions contribute to global goals will be pivotal in garnering support and driving widespread engagement.
#4. Enhance coordination and governance
Addressing the complexity and urgency of urban agrifood system challenges requires more structured and coherent coordination. Fragmented actions across sectors and stakeholders have historically led to inadequate responses. The workshop highlighted the importance of establishing a governance structure that can push for an international agenda, secure national government support, and facilitate local implementation.
Importantly, this coordination should not equate to centralized control. Decision-making power must be shared among a diverse group of stakeholders to ensure inclusivity and collective ownership. Drawing inspiration from successful coalitions like the School Meals Coalition, the community aims to create a model that balances effective coordination with participatory decision-making.
#5. Improve data sharing, monitoring and learning
Effective collaboration hinges on the ability to share data, monitor progress, and learn from one another. Participants highlighted the need for better collation of resources, tools, and experiences. An integrated system or collaborative space—more than just a repository—is envisioned to facilitate learning and make evidence-based information accessible to all stakeholder groups.
Academia and research play a crucial role in this ecosystem. Yet, the challenge lies in translating academic research into practical applications that urban practitioners can readily use. Bridging this gap requires regular, organized engagement with researchers to discuss the practical implications of their findings and support cities in applying these insights effectively.
#6. Ensure inclusive and equal representation
The workshop brought to light the importance of inclusive and equal representation in decision-making processes. Ensuring that voices from the Global South, civil society and youth are heard is critical for developing solutions that are equitable and effective. And in particular, designing participatory processes that acknowledge and address power dynamics is essential. It is also crucial that more stakeholder groups (e.g. private sector, donors and development banks) and representation from all regions actively participate and engage in decision-making processes.
Open calls for participation, translation of data and knowledge products into multiple languages, and collective agenda-setting were identified as key actions to broaden engagement and representation.
#7. Place cities at the forefront
Cities are the epicenters where challenges and solutions converge. The workshop emphasized the need to actively involve local governments to ensure that efforts are grounded in their realities and needs. Providing support to cities in defining objectives, selecting appropriate tools, and following key global trends, policies and processes to understand how they fit into the “bigger picture” is crucial. Better coordination among city networks can prevent overlapping requests, allowing cities to focus on implementing effective strategies. A paradigm shift was also suggested, where urban agrifood systems local projects are embedded into long-term planning and financing, and designed as scalable prototypes rather than isolated pilots.
# 8. Garner political support at all levels
Political will is a cornerstone of lasting change. Participants voiced concerns over the lack of political support at both local and national levels. Engaging national governments and securing their commitment emerged as a priority. Embedding the community’s work into global policy processes, with the support of UN agencies, can ensure longevity and institutional backing. Revamping existing platforms and partnerships can also maximize impact by uniting stakeholders under a common agenda.
#9. Mobilize resources
To drive transformative and lasting impacts, the workshop emphasized the need for stable, long-term financing mechanisms to enable the implementation of successful and scalable urban agrifood system initiatives. This involves developing a coordinated mechanism for joint fundraising and donor engagement to demonstrate the concrete added value of collaboration to stakeholders. By strengthening global advocacy, building trust and aligning efforts through a cohesive, synergistic front, the community can enhance its appeal to donors and increase its impact to attract funding.
#10. Develop a concrete action plan
The workshop concluded with a call to develop an actionable plan with clear responsibilities across sectors and regions. In the short-medium term, the community will identify at least three priority actions to start an action-oriented collaboration. This collective effort will include establishing working groups led by different organizations and defining a governance structure to guide the journey toward urban agrifood systems transformation.
Deep dive into the Urban Agrifood Systems Global Workshop’s outcomes here.
