About this collection

World population and its urbanization is increasing worldwide. Combined with climate change, this urbanization threatens our food security as cities rely on regional and international food production to feed their inhabitants. To face this global challenge, we have to become aware of how we produce and consume our food. We need to identify innovative solutions to help our food systems become more sustainable.

The food system includes everything from the production of food, its processing and consumption to waste management. Improving City/Region Food systems allows for a better sustainability of our cities, also in terms of safeguarding human rights or adapting to climate change. As every city and region is a unique context, challenges faced and solutions to answer cannot be homogeneous. However, we can learn from others by sharing ideas and innovations to create a virtuous learning loop where every experience may help in shaping sustainable future cities. This also means learning from each other and making everyone aware of the stakes and the ways each citizen can act to improve things and bring a transition to a more sustainable food system to ensure a healthy future for our planet.

This collection contains both core concept and new discovery articles about:
• Sustainable food network initiative
• Innovative solutions in food systems (be they technical, logistical, social…)
• Increasing citizen participation in the food system
• How existing innovations can be adapted and adopted elsewhere.
• Obstacles and incentives to transition to a more sustainable food system

In addition to the Editors hosting, we would acknowledge the coordination and organization efforts of Anca Gheorghică .
Furthermore, we would like to share with you a complementary learning tool that will help you understand what factors play a role in the sustainability of food systems in cities and urban settings. This freely downloadable interactive eBook uses quizzes, true/false, definitions, and more to share big and small steps we can all take to make our food chain sustainable, while also encouraging you to share that knowledge with others. It is available both in English and inFrench.