The new urban food agenda: addressing global challenges, developing place-based solutions

This event has ended.

In a context of increasing urbanization, cities have become key sites to transform our current food system in order to deliver good food for all. More broadly, the urban has been signalled as the key site for revolution where transformation of nature becomes most visible, both in its physical form and its socio-ecological consequences; and, therefore, a key space to reshape food system dynamics.

This event brings together international experts to reflect on a decade of urban food policy, and identify key levers to deepen and broaden a transformative urban food agenda.

The first panel will collectively discuss the role of cities in reproducing but also transforming the food system. Through examples of pioneering cities, the speakers will reflect on how cities have become key actors in the food policy arena. Specifically, they will analyse the impact of specific policies in improving or hindering sustainability and food security outcomes, highlighting good practices, enabling mechanisms but also failures.

The second panel will reflect on how cities are actively shaping, and being shaped by, global food system dynamics. This will include analysing the increasing interconnectedness of urban food policies through the emergence and expansion of national and international city networks such as the Milan Food Policy Pact, global and national networks. Key questions addressed by panellists will include how cities can contribute to transform national, European and international food governance dynamics and who are the key agents and process that can support those transformations.

The day will finish with an open debate to identify what’s next in the development of a global and transformative urban food agenda.

This event is funded by the Ser Cymru II Fellowship Programme.

Agenda: 
14.30: Introduction and welcome to Cardiff University
14.40: Introduction of the first panel – Chaired by Professor Kevin Morgan
14.45: Dr. Nevin Cohen (City University of New York) Food Policy in New York City Since 2008: Lessons for the Next Decade
15.15: Dr. Jane Battersby (University of Cape Town, African Center for Cities) Food insecurity in African cities: The necessity and challenge of food sensitive planning in Cape Town
15.45: Professor Tim Lang (City University of London) The London Food Policy Journey: opportunities and challenges to refashion food systems in the Brexit era
16.15: Debate
16.35: Coffee break
16.55: Introduction to the second panel – Chair Professor Terry Marsden
17.00: Dr. Ana Moragues-Faus (Cardiff University) The emergence of food city networks: trans-local governance for sustainable food security
17.30: Professor Harriet Friedmann (University of Toronto) Metabolisms of global cities: A food regimes perspective on food systems’ transformations
18.00: Dr. Tara Garnett (Oxford University) Sustainable food systems and the link with cities
18.30: Debate
19.00: End