Deadline: 16-Mar-21
The Wageningen Centre for Development Innovation (WCDI), part of Wageningen University & Research, is seeking applications for the “Feeding Cities: Improving Food Systems in Urban Areas 2021” under Orange Knowledge Programme. The programme starts from 27 September 2021 until 18 November 2021.
The world becomes increasingly urban. In 2050 two thirds of the world’s population lives in cities, particularly in Africa and Asia. Natural resource scarcity, climate change and population growth pose challenges. Developing sustainable and resilient food systems in urbanising areas, using an integral perspective and facilitating rural-urban integration, is essential to ensure urban food and nutrition security.
Providing food and nutrition security for the rapidly expanding populations in the world’s cities is a pressing challenge. The urban population heavily relies on a multitude of food systems for their daily food needs, varying from industrial agro-logistical networks to local engagement of consumers with producers.
The projected population growth adds a layer of complexity to the current food systems. Strengthening the access to nutritious, affordable and acceptable food for communities in the cities requires resilient agri-food systems. Therefore, a better understanding of urban, peri-urban and rural food systems from an integral perspective is vital for contributing to the resilience of these food systems against other pressing trends of our era, such as globalisation and climate change.
Course Programme
- This two-week course focuses on how to facilitate rural-urban integration and enhancing food value chains; not only guaranteeing access to healthy food in adequate quantities for urban dwellers, but also assuring environmental, social and economic sustainability within the food systems.
- Four key dimensions will serve as guidance to explore the potential pathways for sustainable urban development: the societal, environmental, economic, and spatial aspects, in order to bring together multi-disciplinary innovative ideas to improve food and nutrition security for the cities of tomorrow.
- They use the city region food systems approach to address the critical aspects in: i) enhancing food value chains for access to healthy food in adequate quantities for urban dwellers, ii) ensuring the environmental, social and economic sustainability of the production areas. At the end of the course, participants will be able to analyse and design interventions addressing food and nutrition insecurity in urbanizing societies.
What will you learn?
Upon completion of the course you will:
- Get well acquainted with the concept of city region food systems in relation to food and nutrition security in densely populated areas;
- Be able to use the concepts of city region food systems to analyse urban food and nutrition security issues;
- Be able to use different designs, methods and approaches, and their interrelationships, in planning for food and nutrition security in urbanizing societies.
Course Date
- Date: Mon 27 September 2021 until Thu 18 November 2021;
- Duration: Part-time, 14hrs per week (6 weeks);
- Venue: Facilitated online sessions.
Eligibility Criteria
- The course is open to international participants and MSc students of Wageningen University, preferably active in one of the following fields: rural/urban/spatial planning, agribusiness development, rural/urban livelihood governance, food and nutrition security and sustainable development.
- Several years of professional work experience and at least a BSc level are additional assets.
- Proficiency in English is a must.
For more information, visit https://www.wur.nl/en/Research-Results/Research-Institutes/centre-for-development-innovation/online-learning/show/Feeding-Cities-Improving-Food-Systems-in-Urban-Areas.htm