Urban food security, urban resilience and climate change - weADAPT

FieldworkBut food policy is rarely connected with other policy fields and if it is to becomemore influential it must become more integrated with other elements of urbanpolicy and planning.While the urban poor clearly experience all too intensely the effects of foodinsecurity and have limited means to overcome these effects, food insecurityaffects all urban residents to some extent. While relatively wealthy urbanresidents may be better able than their poorer neighbours to afford to buyhealthy and nutritious food they will nevertheless be similarly affected by majordisruptions to urban food supplies.Urban agriculture has the potential, therefore, to contribute to the adaptationsthat most cities are engaged as they strive to be more resilient in the face ofvarious existential threats, including climate change. As it represents a form oflocalised food production and consumption that requires fewer energy inputsthan more spatially extensive and energy intensive forms, urban agriculture alsohas the potential to help mitigate the factors causing climate change.While there are few studies to date that have attempted to quantify the potentialof urban agriculture to make cities more food secure, there are many whichcatalogue its social and community benefits. These include the development ofstronger social connections in urban communities, increased awareness of thebenefits of fresh fruit and vegetables and locally produced food in a healthy diet,greater appreciation of the sources of food and of the connections betweenprocesses of food preparation and food quality.Urban agriculture also has the potential to re-establish connections betweenfood and place that were once common in Australian cities, but which have to agreat extent withered over the last four decades. All of these social impacts maybe as significant as the nutritional benefits of urban agriculture.The increasingly complex systems of regulation that operate within Australiancities, especially those relating to land use planning, health and safety and theoperation of small businesses, often serve to thwart attempts to grow new formsof urban agriculture. While this may not be the intention of such regulatoryregimes, they can nevertheless inhibit unnecessarily these new enterprises.Urban agriculture represents, therefore, an important opportunity for cities toadapt in the face of climate change. It is unlikely that the major cities ofAustralia will ever become completely self-sufficient in food, but through greatersupport for urban agriculture they can become more food secure. This in turnwill contribute to the overall resilience of Australian cities and to theirsustainable growth in the future.\A prevailing view within government is that Australia is a food secure country inwhich climate change is significant mainly in relation to aggregate levels of foodproduction and to the changing viability of some major food production areas inAustralia. There is little or no concern with the resilience of food supply chainsto our growing urban populations.In 2005, VicHealth made a strategic commitment to promote food securityacross the state and supported a number of local councils in doing so throughUrban food security, urban resilience and climate change v