Urban Agriculture Is Also A Global Concern

Problems of the current global food system have brought to attention urban food security concerns. Food and economic crises seriously affect urban households as their purchasing power decline. In Food (In)Security in Urban Populations, Prof. Paul Teng and Dr. Margarita Escaler, Dean and Research Fellow, respectively in the Office of Graduate Studies and Professional Learning, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore, analyze the factors that influence urban food security. They argue the case for why an urban focus as part of a "truly systems approach will be needed to study and deal with many interrelated factors and players in food security". The paper is part of the Asia Security Initiative Policy Series of NTU.

The authors conclude that policies and programs need to better reflect the urban context when addressing constraints to rural and agricultural issues. "Policies which were predominantly aimed at rural populations must now adapt to address urban situations", they said.

PK Hangzo of the S. Rajatnam School of International Studies (RSIS), NTU, shared the same sentiments in a commentary on Facing Food Shortages: Urban Food Security in an Age of Constraints. He said urban agriculture needs to be seriously considered, noting that "it is not just about feeding people but also about keeping countries stable." The Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies of RSIS organized a Food Security Expert Group Meeting in Singapore to discuss the issue of urban food security and Singapore's role in the global food system. There was a consensus among the participants that urban food security has become one of the key global challenges requiring urgent attention.

Download a copy of Drs. Teng and Escaler's paper at http://www.rsis.edu.sg/NTS/resources/research_papers/MacArthur%20Working%20Paper_Paul_Teng_and_Margarita_Escaler.pdf The link to Dr. Hangzo's  commentary is at http://www.rsis.edu.sg/publications/Perspective/RSIS0922010.pdf