@article{Bai:152401,
      recid = {152401},
      author = {Bai, Xuemei},
      title = {Landscape urbanisation and food security},
      address = {2012-10},
      number = {658-2016-44644},
      pages = {10},
      year = {2012},
      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.},
      url = {http://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/152401},
      doi = {https://doi.org/10.22004/ag.econ.152401},
}