What do we know about the future of urbanization in relation to food systems?

The world is urbanizing rapidly. The global urban population increased from 2.87 billion in 2000 to 4.38 billion in 2020, a 53 percent rise, and is projected to reach 6.57 billion by 2050, representing 68 percent of the world’s population (World Bank 2024a). Urbanization is often associated with st...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Dorosh, Paul A., Thurlow, James
Formato: Capítulo de libro
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: International Food Policy Research Institute 2025
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/175407
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author Dorosh, Paul A.
Thurlow, James
author_browse Dorosh, Paul A.
Thurlow, James
author_facet Dorosh, Paul A.
Thurlow, James
author_sort Dorosh, Paul A.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description The world is urbanizing rapidly. The global urban population increased from 2.87 billion in 2000 to 4.38 billion in 2020, a 53 percent rise, and is projected to reach 6.57 billion by 2050, representing 68 percent of the world’s population (World Bank 2024a). Urbanization is often associated with structural economic transformation, marked by a growing share of nonagriculture sectors (that is, industry and services) in gross domestic product (GDP) and employment, as well as increased productivity and incomes — ideally driven by high-productivity industries. Rapid urbanization typically leads to significant growth in market volumes (Reardon and Timmer 2014; Minten et al. 2020). However, this growth can result in declining diet quality due to reduced availability of fruits and vegetables. Additionally, improving sanitation and food safety becomes a major challenge. Excessively rapid urbanization can lead to the development of urban slums and increased poverty, and it often coincides with underinvestment in agriculture and the rural economy, exacerbating rural poverty. More research is needed, using detailed spatial data to link biophysical and socioeconomic outcomes, to better understand the ongoing urbanization-driven transformation of food systems.
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spelling CGSpace1754072025-11-06T03:52:32Z What do we know about the future of urbanization in relation to food systems? Dorosh, Paul A. Thurlow, James urbanization food systems economic sectors food safety diet quality urban population rural urban migration slums The world is urbanizing rapidly. The global urban population increased from 2.87 billion in 2000 to 4.38 billion in 2020, a 53 percent rise, and is projected to reach 6.57 billion by 2050, representing 68 percent of the world’s population (World Bank 2024a). Urbanization is often associated with structural economic transformation, marked by a growing share of nonagriculture sectors (that is, industry and services) in gross domestic product (GDP) and employment, as well as increased productivity and incomes — ideally driven by high-productivity industries. Rapid urbanization typically leads to significant growth in market volumes (Reardon and Timmer 2014; Minten et al. 2020). However, this growth can result in declining diet quality due to reduced availability of fruits and vegetables. Additionally, improving sanitation and food safety becomes a major challenge. Excessively rapid urbanization can lead to the development of urban slums and increased poverty, and it often coincides with underinvestment in agriculture and the rural economy, exacerbating rural poverty. More research is needed, using detailed spatial data to link biophysical and socioeconomic outcomes, to better understand the ongoing urbanization-driven transformation of food systems. 2025-07-21 2025-06-30T20:01:52Z 2025-06-30T20:01:52Z Book Chapter https://hdl.handle.net/10568/175407 en https://hdl.handle.net/10568/175019 Open Access application/pdf International Food Policy Research Institute Dorosh, Paul A.; and Thurlow, James. 2025. What do we know about the future of urbanization in relation to food systems? In What do we know about the future of food systems? eds. Keith Wiebe and Elisabetta Gotor. Part One: What Do We Know About the Future of Food Systems Drivers and Impacts? Chapter 14, Pp. 81-84. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/175407
spellingShingle urbanization
food systems
economic sectors
food safety
diet quality
urban population
rural urban migration
slums
Dorosh, Paul A.
Thurlow, James
What do we know about the future of urbanization in relation to food systems?
title What do we know about the future of urbanization in relation to food systems?
title_full What do we know about the future of urbanization in relation to food systems?
title_fullStr What do we know about the future of urbanization in relation to food systems?
title_full_unstemmed What do we know about the future of urbanization in relation to food systems?
title_short What do we know about the future of urbanization in relation to food systems?
title_sort what do we know about the future of urbanization in relation to food systems
topic urbanization
food systems
economic sectors
food safety
diet quality
urban population
rural urban migration
slums
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/175407
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