From Fred Itua, Abuja
President of the Forum of Regions of Africa (FORAF), Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has called on governments at all levels to create urban agriculture-friendly policies in order to bridge the rising food gaps in the world.
The immediate-past governor of Ekiti state, explained that urban agriculture is a vital strategy for building the resilience of cities’ food supply, reducing poverty and increasing employment, as well as improving nutritional outcomes, and mitigating environmental degradation of urban spaces.
Urban agriculture is defined as the production, distribution, and marketing of food in cities and metropolitan areas.
Fayemi made this appeal at the 2022 Brazil-Africa Forum which was held in Sao Paulo, Brazil with the theme Sustainable Cities: Global challenges, local solutions.
He said: “Policies about urban agriculture must be improved for the enhancement of urban agriculture benefits as well as the reduction of the risks associated with public health and environmental hazards.
‘’Policy integration should pay attention to issues such as urban land use planning, health, waste management, social housing, slum upgrading, park, and nature management.”
He further added that African cities can draw useful lessons from the experience of Nairobi: “Once reluctant to formally support urban agriculture, Nairobi is now one of the most advanced cities in the sub-continent in its promotion of laws, policies, and programs to protect and support urban food production.
‘’Nairobi’s promotion and protection of the right to farm in the city has inspired other cities and the national government to promote and protect urban agriculture.
Fayemi also called on more cities to sign up for the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact (MUFPP) that was launched in October 2015, and which is the first international protocol through which city leaders commit to developing sustainable food systems.”
He drew attention to the threat of the current food crises, explaining that, ‘’according to the latest statistics presented by the 2022 Edition of The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World, as many as 828 million people go to bed hungry every night: an increase of about 46 million since 2020 and 150 million since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Women and girls are disproportionately impacted.
“Globally, an estimated 60% of undernourished people are women or girls, particularly in low-and middle-income countries,’’ he explained.
