Local and regional governments are increasingly taking action to strengthen food systems through interventions that improve food access, distribution, nutrition and waste management. Cities have developed innovative, community-driven approaches, from food recovery and redistribution programmes to community kitchens, city farming initiatives, participatory market management and integrated food policies. These experiences offer a valuable foundation for building more inclusive, resilient and sustainable food systems.
Within this framework, UNDP SDG Local Action is launching the working group “How local governments are improving food systems in cities”. Running from September to November 2026, the group brings together city representatives, international organizations and experts to explore the transformative role of local governments in food systems. The group will consolidate its findings into guidelines that will serve as practical resources for local and regional governments seeking to develop or strengthen their role within food systems frameworks.
Objectives
The working group will provide a dedicated platform for city-to-city learning, cross-regional dialogue and the co-creation of practical recommendations. Its main objectives are:
- To create a structured space for sharing experiences, good practices and city-led solutions in food systems across different contexts.
- To examine key dimensions of local food policy (food waste, food access for vulnerable populations, street food and market coordination, gender equity, and food sovereignty) through the lens of what local governments are already doing and what they need to go further.
- To identify common challenges and the enabling conditions that have helped cities overcome them, and to explore the governance models, financing instruments and partnership frameworks that have proven effective at the local level.
- To produce concise, practical guidelines that other local governments can adapt to strengthen their own role within the food systems agenda.
Download the working group concept note here.
Participant institutions
1. Cities and local governments
- Urban Agriculture Programme, Municipality of Rosario, Argentina
- Agrofood pact, Conquito, Quito Municipality, Ecuador
- Food Strategy team, City of Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Food Security Task Force, Quezon City Government, The Philippines
- Food systems programme, City of Cape Town, South Africa
- Municipality of Budapest, Hungary
- Municipality of Guadalajara, Mexico
- City of Toronto, Canada
- City of Turku, Finland
- City of Ghent, Belgium
- Cooperation and Investment Agency, ACI Medellín, Colombia
- Turn the Tables project, Environmental Department, City of Dortmund, Germany
- Office of Climate Action and Resilience, City of Austin, United States
- AfriFOODlinks Ouagadougou, Rikolto, Burkina Faso
- Shared Table, City of Vantaa, Finland
- Good Food Parliament, Mbale City, Uganda
2. Local and regional government networks
3. United Nations and international organizations
- Green Cities Initiative and HLPE secretariat, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
- Agrifood Systems and Food Safety Division, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
- Food Waste Index and Think Eat Save, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
4. Academia, experts and civil society
- University of Surrey, United Kingdom
- African Centre for Cities, University of Cape Town, South Africa
- Mani Tese, Italy
Guidelines
The guidelines will highlight:
- Key models and instruments for integrated local food policy.
- Good practices from cities across different income and regional contexts.
- Practical recommendations across the following thematic areas: food waste, food access, street food, and food sovereignty.
- An analytical framework to help local and regional governments map their current food-related mandates and identify strategic entry points.
- Recommendations for inter-institutional coordination, data collection and financing at the local level.