Poverty, food insecurity and malnutrition have become critical urban problems. Meeting this challenge, in many cities around the world, women play a crucial role in household food production, growing vegetables in gardens and vacant urban spaces, raising animals, and trading in fresh and cooked foods .They boost household nutrition as well as generating income and building social inclusion among the urban poor. Women's vital contribution, however, has largely been neglected by city officials, economic planners and development practitioners, who have tended to concentrate on the industrialization of food production. 'Women Feeding Cities' analyses the roles of women and men in urban food production, and through case studies from three developing regions suggests how women's contribution might be maximized. In the second part, detailed guidelines and tools show how to bring women into the mainstream of urban agriculture research and development. Providing evidence from around the world as well as field-tested guidelines, Women Feeding Cities is essential reading for policy makers, planners, researchers and practitioners working on urban agriculture programmes.This book arises from the Urban Harvest Initiative (CGIAR) and the Cities Farming for the Future programme (RUAF Foundation) and was made possible thanks to a grant from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada.

As people increasingly migrate to urban settings and more than half of the world's population now lives in cities, it is vital to plan and provide for sustainable and resilient food systems which reflect this challenge. This volume presents experience and evidence-based "state of the art" chapters on the key dimensions of urban food challenges and types of intra- and peri-urban agriculture. The book provides urban planners, local policy makers and urban development practitioners with an overview of crucial aspects of urban food systems based on an up to date review of research results and practical experiences in both developed and developing countries. By doing so, the international team of authors provides a balanced textbook for students of the growing number of courses on sustainable agriculture, food and urban studies, as well as a solid basis for well-informed policy making, planning and implementation regarding the development of sustainable, resilient and just urban food systems.

As people increasingly migrate to urban settings and more than half of the world's population now lives in cities, it is vital to plan and provide for sustainable and resilient food systems which reflect this challenge. This volume presents experience and evidence-based "state of the art" chapters on the key dimensions of urban food challenges and types of intra- and peri-urban agriculture. The book provides urban planners, local policy makers and urban development practitioners with an overview of crucial aspects of urban food systems based on an up to date review of research results and practical experiences in both developed and developing countries. By doing so, the international team of authors provides a balanced textbook for students of the growing number of courses on sustainable agriculture, food and urban studies, as well as a solid basis for well-informed policy making, planning and implementation regarding the development of sustainable, resilient and just urban food systems.