Hyper-urbanization and its implications for food security and nutrition in urban and rural areas is an urgent concern that has gained increasing attention over the years. The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), SNV Netherlands Development Organization, and Welthungerhilfe are jointly organizing a one-day event in Brussels on the eve of the European Development Days to explore the challenges and opportunities of urbanization from a variety of perspectives. Discussions will focus on disentangling myths about urban food security, rethinking informal markets, innovations and investments in rural-urban linkages, and sharing lessons learned from cases studies in Cambodia, Kenya, and Nepal. 

                                                                                          AGENDA

9.00-9.30 — Coffee and Registration

9.30-9.45 — Opening Session (Video)

Speakers:

• Roberto Ridolfi, Director, Sustainable Growth and Development, DG DEVCO, European Commission (EC)

9.45-10.25 — Keynote Interview on International Responses to Urbanization (Video)

Speakers:

• Morgane Danielou, Vice President of Operations, Emerging Ag
• Brave Ndisale, Strategic Programme Leader, Food Security and Nutrition, Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (Presentation)
• Gerda Verburg, United Nations Assistant Secretary General and Coordinator of the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement

10.25-10.55 — Launching the Global Food Policy Report (Video)

Speaker: Shenggen Fan, Director General, IFPRI (Presentation)

Commentator: Regina Birner, Chair of Social and Institutional Change in Agricultural Development, University of Hohenheim

10.55-11.15 — Coffee Break

11.15-12.15 — Disentangling Selected Myths on Urban Food Security (Video)

Session Chair: Till Wahnbaeck, Chief Executive Officer, Welthungerhilfe

“Urban-rural linkages and multi-locational household livelihoods”

• Speaker: Einhard Schmidt-Kallert, Regional Planner (Presentation)

“The urbanization experience in Zimbabwe: A closer look at challenges and opportunities”

• Speaker: Rodney Mushongachiware, Market Linkage Advisor, Agricultural Partnership Trust (Presentation)

12.15-13.15 — Lunch

13.15-14.15 —  Meeting the Challenges of Urbanization: Case studies of scalable approaches (Video)

Session Chair: Andre de Jager, Managing Director Agriculture, SNV

“Investing in rural-urban linkages: examples from Cambodia, Kenya, and Nepal”

• Speaker: Eelco Baan, Senior Advocacy Officer Agriculture, SNV (Presentation)

“Creating an enabling environment in Kenya for food safety and postharvest losses”

Speakers:

• Rikki Agudah, acting CEO, Society of Crop Agribusiness Advisors of Kenya (SOCAA)
• Clement Onyango, Director, CUTS ARC (Presentation)

14.15-15.15 — Agricultural Value Chains and Informal Markets (Video)

Chair: Stineke Oenema, United Nations System Standing Committee on Nutrition (UNSCN) Coordinator

“How cities reshape food systems”

Speakers:

• Bart Minten, Senior Research Fellow, IFPRI (Presentation)

“Why informal markets should no longer be neglected” 

• Speaker: Delia Grace, Program Leader, Food Safety and Zoonoses, International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) (Presentation)

15.15-15.30 — Coffee Break

15.30-16.45 — Panel Discussion: Enhancing food systems for improved urban food security and nutrition (Video)

Moderator: Ann Tutwiler, Director General, Bioversity International

Panelists:

• Corinne Abbas, Senior Policy Officer, Food and Nutrition Security, Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Joachim De Weerdt, Senior Lecturer at IOB, University of Antwerp, and Senior Research Fellow at LICOS, KU Leuven
• Nazia Mintz Habib, Research Director, Resilience and Sustainable Development, Centre for Rising Powers, University of Cambridge
• Leonard Mizzi, Head of Unit, Rural Development, Food Security, Nutrition, DG DEVCO, EC

16.45-17.00 Closing Reflections (Video)

Speakers:

• Andre de Jager, Managing Director Agriculture, SNV
• Shenggen Fan, Director General, IFPRI
• Till Wahnbaeck, Chief Executive Officer, Welthungerhilfe