Urbanisation as driver of food system transformation and opportunities for rural livelihoods

Abstract

Urbanisation is changing food systems globally, and in particular in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. This transformation can affect rural livelihoods in multiple ways. Evidence on what enabling conditions are needed to materialise the opportunities and limit risks is scattered. Here we review scientific literature to elaborate on how urbanisation affects food systems, and on the enabling conditions that subsequently shape opportunities for rural livelihoods. We find that urbanisation leads to a rising and changing food demand, both direct and indirect land use changes, and often to more complex market linkages. Evidence shows that a wide range of enabling conditions can contribute to the materialisation of opportunities for rural livelihoods in this context. Reviewed evidence suggests that the connectivity to urban centres is pivotal, as it provides access to finance, inputs, information, services, and off-farm employment. As a result, physical and communication infrastructure, the spatial pattern of urbanisation, and social networks connecting farmers to markets are identified as important enabling factors for the improvement of rural livelihood outcomes. Our findings suggest that coordinated and inclusive efforts are needed at different scales to make sure rural livelihoods benefit from urbanisation and food system transformation.

Agricultural Management Practices and Decision-Making in View of Soil Organic Matter in the Urbanizing Region of Bangalore

“…We found that all but 0.8% of the farmers who used fertilizer used mineral fertilizer on their farms, which corresponded to findings by Bon et al [78]. This widespread adoption of fertilizers might be facilitated by several 'enabling conditions' associated with urbanization that spill over to the more rural hinterlands of cities [83]. In our sample, the average SSI takes a value of 0.71 (Table 3), which implies that the majority of farmers lived in the more rural hinterlands of the study area rather than in the urban neighborhoods at the fringe of the city.…”

“…This could be facilitated by the relative proximity to Bangalore and related access to road, transportation, and market infrastructures. Information and knowledge exchanges (e.g., extension services and mobile phones), as well as other institutional conditions might also enable adoption [83]. Besides proximity to the city of Bangalore, several secondary towns along the two study transects (see the map in Figure A1) might provide access to farm inputs and agricultural markets where farmers could also sell their crops [83].…”

“…Information and knowledge exchanges (e.g., extension services and mobile phones), as well as other institutional conditions might also enable adoption [83]. Besides proximity to the city of Bangalore, several secondary towns along the two study transects (see the map in Figure A1) might provide access to farm inputs and agricultural markets where farmers could also sell their crops [83]. Our results thus differ from studies focusing on tropical low-input small-holder farmers that had less access to mineral fertilizer [46,47,53].…”

Global, regional, and national consumption of animal-source foods between 1990 and 2018: findings from the Global Dietary Database

“…These findings suggest differential drivers—and potential levers for action—for unprocessed versus processed meats, with urbanisation having less influence on processed meat consumption compared with socioeconomic factors. 44 , 45 This factor is an important consideration for influencing total meat consumption globally, given the generally stronger links with NCDs of processed meats.…”

Re-Imagining Resilient Food Systems in the Post-COVID-19 Era in Africa

“…Food demand is likely to increase, and changes in what food is in demand can be expected. Furthermore, market linkages and changes in land-use dynamics will also be influenced [38]. The extent to which these changes contribute to or undermine sustainability and resilience is neither predetermined nor fixed.…”