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Water, Land and Ecosystems
RUAF Foundation.

Urbanization

More than two-thirds of the world's population is expected to live in cities by 2050, with urbanization accelerating especially in developing countries. WLE offers municipalities and entrepreneurs new approaches and business models for managing some of the many emerging challenges, including waste management and growing urban food demand.

Credit to RUAF Foundation.

Urban food supply

When cities grow, they start consuming large amounts of resources, especially food. WLE is studying how to best meet urban food demands, including by strengthening linkages with the rural hinterland, improving conditions for urban and peri-urban farming, and diversifying food supply chains to ensure a high level of resilience.

City region food systems

A city region food system is a concept that considers the entirety of processes related to getting food onto city dwellers' plates. WLE is working with partners to find ways to increase the resilience of city region food systems, including by identifying ways for businesses to contribute through new enterprises and public-private partnerships in production, processing, logistics, recycling and more.

  • The Bridge Collaborative
    Partner News

    City Region Food System Indicator Framework read original article on external website

    RUAF and FAO have developed a City Region Food System (CRFS) indicator framework as part of their joint program on CRFS assessment and planning. This framework is designed to assess the current status and performance of a CRFS; identify priority areas for action and ways of measuring change; plan strategy and action to achieve desired outcomes; and establish baselines and monitor changes resulting from (future) policy and program implementation. WLE is supporting the further development of the framework applying a critical gender lens.

Resource recovery from waste

An area about the size of the European Union is under cultivation in and around the world’s cities, and soils are deteriorating fast. WLE is developing and piloting new businesses models to recover and reuse nutrients from waste, for example by turning it into compost, so that urban and peri-urban farmers can replenish their starving soils.

More on Urbanization

In addition to the highlights above, WLE also works on a range of other sustainable agriculture solutions related to this topic. Here is the most recent content related to this topic.