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Abstract
This talk will explore the crucial linkages between
urbanisation and food security, based on our recent and
ongoing research studies. Urbanisation is often cited as
one of the significant factors threatening food security.
First of all, urbanisation leads to land use conversion
from agricultural land to urban land use, such as for
infrastructure, industrial, residential or commercial uses.
Such land use conversion often reduces the most fertile
land, and therefore the impact on agricultural production
and food security is often larger than the absolute amount
of land involved. Our recent research shows that such
urban land use conversion is often driven by economic
factors, with positive feedback loops between urban land use expansion and
economic growth in the city, as well as in the region. In addition, urbanisation
also brings about changes in dietary structure, which in turn brings about
changes to peri-urban areas, where crop production is replaced by higher
economic-value products such as vegetables, flowers, fish ponds, and so on.
Furthermore, land use changes associated with urbanisation in developing
countries are found to increase social vulnerability in the traditional farming
communities in the peri-urban areas. On the other hand, some of our
initial research results show that urbanisation might have some positive
impacts on agricultural productivity. While all evidence seemingly points
to close urban–rural linkages, research and policy approaches often treat
cities and rural areas as separate sectors. Such dichotomised concepts and
approaches hamper the search for an effective system-wide solution. There
is a strong need to consider urban and rural areas as integral parts of a
system in the global food-security debate or in urbanisation policy. The
challenge then becomes to find how we can harness and maximise the
positive effects that urbanisation can bring, and avoid or compensate for
the negative impacts.