Africa: FAO warns of food shortages in urban settings

James Tasamba in AllAfrica.com via the New Times: Africa's urban population is growing faster than that of any other region, but many of its cities are not keeping pace with the increasing demand for food that comes with that growth, says the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) report released on Thursday.

It says policymakers need to act now to ensure that African cities will be "green" enough to meet their nutrition and income needs in a sustainable manner. The Growing Greener Cities in Africa Report includes data from 31 countries across the African continent, and was released ahead of the sixth session of the World Urban Forum due on September 1 until 7 in Naples, Italy.

"The challenge of achieving a "zero hunger" world - in which everyone is adequately nourished and all food systems are resilient - is as urgent in African cities as it is in rural areas," Modibo Traoré, FAO Assistant Director-General for Agriculture and Consumer Protection, said in the report.

"African policymakers need to act now to steer urbanisation from its current, unsustainable path towards healthy, 'greener' cities that ensure food and nutrition security, decent work and income, and a clean environment for all their citizens".

It is the first status report on African urban and peri-urban horticulture - the home, school, community and market gardens that produce fruits and vegetables in and around the continent's cities….