RUAF

Global Partnership on Sustainable Urban Agriculture and Food Systems RUAF synthesises knowledge from its exchange, advocacy and learning activities.

The RUAF Global Partnership on Sustainable Urban Agriculture and Food Systems is a partnership of strategically selected expert institutions. The partnership brings together cities, research institutes and civil society organisations with a recognised track record in urban and peri-urban agriculture and urban food systems. This enables us to combine technical and policy expertise, scientific resea

rch and practical knowledge. RUAF is a powerful collaboration for action and advocacy to advance transformation of food systems in cities around the world. The partnership is a platform for learning and knowledge brokering between science, policy & practice. RUAF strongly believes in the benefits of interdisciplinary work and multi-stakeholder learning. We disseminate this knowledge online through the Urban Agriculture Magazine, RUAF papers and newsletters and through partner publications, and at international meetings and events.

30/04/2026

📢🏙️ Is your city applying the MUFPP Monitoring Framework in its food systems work? Do you need support and guidance in developing actions and indicators suited to your context?

Help is at hand. There are a number of dedicated tools and resources available – and RUAF consultants can also be hired to provide tailored support – including on integrating climate action into food policies.

The Milan Urban Food Policy Pact (MUFPP) Monitoring Framework Handbook and Resource Pack, developed by RUAF and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and launched with the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact Secretariat, helps any city in the world measure progress against its own priorities using clear baselines.

It has recently been updated to include a new set of actions and indicators linking food systems and climate – covering both mitigation and adaptation. Flexible, voluntary and designed to work across different regulatory and economic contexts.

Whether your city is just starting out or looking to strengthen existing food policy commitments, these resources are available on our website: https://ruaf.org/resource/milan-urban-food-policy-pact-mufpp-monitoring-framework-handbook-and-resource-pack/

📩 Get in touch if you would like to discuss RUAF’s consultancy offer.

19/03/2026

through nutrition and health? 🥗🌱

A study from São Paulo, Brazil points to urban gardens as powerful food environments that promote health in multiple ways:
✔️ Encouraging healthier eating habits
✔️ Reconnecting people with nature
✔️ Raising awareness of food cycles and seasonality
✔️ Creating welcoming, inclusive spaces

What’s particularly striking is that health promotion occurs with similar intensity across neighbourhoods, regardless of location or user demographics – reinforcing the case for stronger public policy support for urban gardens.

👉 From a nutrition and health perspective, goes beyond production – it’s about shaping food environments that enable people to eat and live well.

📖 Learn more: https://ruaf.org/document/urban-agriculture-magazine-no-41-linking-future-policies-and-next-practices/

‘Urban gardens promote health in metropolitan areas’ by Letícia Machado and Cláudia Maria Bógus – Urban Agriculture Magazine 41, ‘Linking future policies and next practices’

12/03/2026

💡 🚜 How can we spark Gen Y and Gen Z’s interest in farming?

Agriculture faces a generational renewal challenge: many farmers are nearing retirement, while too few young people are stepping in. In both the EU and the US, the low percentage of young farmers threatens resilience and long-term food security.

📱 Digital media and social movements can play a crucial role in shaping career aspirations – for both urban and rural youth.

If we want to inspire the next generation of farmers, we need to better understand this digital dimension.

📖 Learn more in ‘How to raise career aspirations in farming via digital media’ by İlkay Unay-Gailhard, Robert J. Chaskin and Mark A. Brennan in Urban Agriculture Magazine 41, ‘Linking future policies and next practices’ ➡️ https://ruaf.org/document/urban-agriculture-magazine-no-41-linking-future-policies-and-next-practices/

09/03/2026

📢🌾🌍 New report out now – “Shaping food security narratives: A strategic tool for climate action”!

Who gets to define ? And how can we shape narratives to support climate mitigation and adaptation, in ways that give agency to farmers and local communities?

At a time when food security is headline news due to the impacts of war in the Middle East, how we talk about food security – and the values, assumptions and interests implicit in our discourse – has significant implications for food systems transformation.

In this new report commissioned by ClimateWorks Foundation, we explore the different narratives shaping , revealing key debates, tensions and global trends that currently dominate policy and funding decisions around the world.

We show which narratives have the greatest potential to drive real – and offer practical guidance for funders, NGOs, researchers and policymakers on how to strategically shape them.

Because transforming food systems isn’t just about new solutions – it’s about using the right stories to drive change.

Download the report ➡️ https://ruaf.org/document/shaping-food-security-narratives-a-strategic-tool-for-climate-action/

🙏 A big thank you to the ClimateWorks team, and to our co-investigators: Instituto Comida do Amanhã, Instituto Fome Zero, Instituto Regenera, the African Food Systems Transformation Collective (initiative of African Climate Foundation) and the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), as well as independent consultants who contributed to the research - including Jess Halliday, Brian Cook, Joy Carey, Barbara Emanuel, Annie Trevenen-Jones, Madeline Greenwood, Prisca Delima, Sahidul Islam, Anandita Pattnaik, Duleesha Sanduni Nisansala, Pay Drechsel, Juliana Tângari, Roberta Moraes Curan, Maurício Alcântara, Jader José de Oliveira, Semíramis Martins Álvares Domene, Martin Oulu, Elujulo Opeyemi.

04/03/2026

Looking for inspiring examples and governance recommendations from cities that have built thriving urban agriculture initiatives? 🌱

From Thessaloniki to Bordeaux, Groningen and Birmingham, several cities involved in the EU-funded Food Trails project have successfully strengthened urban agriculture by embedding it within broader food policy processes.

📖 Learn more in ‘Food Trails: Enhancing urban agriculture through food policies’ by Andrea Patrucco and Emanuela Plebani in Urban Agriculture Magazine 41, ‘Linking future policies and next practices’ ➡️ https://ruaf.org/document/urban-agriculture-magazine-no-41-linking-future-policies-and-next-practices/

18/02/2026

🤝🧑‍🌾 How can support services really help farmers in cities and nearby areas?

As food growing in urban and peri-urban areas expands, many farmers still struggle to access the right information, innovations and networks they need to succeed. That’s where effective advisory and support services become essential, ensuring urban farming is sustainable and resilient.

NGOs, startups, community groups and private actors are stepping in with Integrated Services for Innovation (ISI)–an approach that combines diverse skills and knowledge with collaboration and co-creation to tackle urban agrifood systems challenges.

📖 Learn more in ‘Making urban agriculture thrive through integrated services for innovation’ by Nevena Alexandrova-Stefanova, Zofia Krystyna Mroczek, Cristiano Consolini, Joe Nasr and James Kuhns in Urban Agriculture Magazine 41, ‘Linking future policies and next practices’ ➡️ https://ruaf.org/document/urban-agriculture-magazine-no-41-linking-future-policies-and-next-practices/

12/02/2026

🧑‍🎓🌱 What if 600 million high-school students helped grow the future of our cities?

A global urban agriculture programme, supported by educators, volunteers and practitioners, could bring young people together around something real, local and meaningful–a powerful alternative to the virtual world of social media.

By growing food, youth can build community, agency and hope, countering the alienation, individualism and discouragement that increasingly tend to shape our societies.

📖 Learn more in ‘Organizing youth to cultivate their own future’ by Joaquim Moura in Urban Agriculture Magazine 41, ‘Linking future policies and next practices’ ➡️ https://ruaf.org/document/urban-agriculture-magazine-no-41-linking-future-policies-and-next-practices/

04/02/2026

How can urban and peri-urban agriculture be scaled up effectively?

📊 🌾 Findings from the EFUA H2020 project highlight several key barriers — from limited land access and availability, to weak integration of urban and peri-urban agriculture into planning systems, to the constraints of existing planning tools.

To move forward, policy makers, public planning departments and urban planners need practical, actionable recommendations that help turn this potential into reality.

📖 Read the full article: ‘New spaces and plans for urban and peri-urban agriculture’ by Claudia Cassatella and Enrico Gottero in Urban Agriculture Magazine 41, ‘Linking future policies and next practices’ ➡️ https://ruaf.org/document/urban-agriculture-magazine-no-41-linking-future-policies-and-next-practices/

02/02/2026

🌆🌍 How can global organizations work with young people in cities to create climate solutions that truly fit local realities?

This question was at the heart of last Thursday’s Y.E.A.H. Community webinar, where RUAF’s Jess Halliday and Diego Orellana (Urban Futures Global Program Manager at Hivos ) chatted with Alice Casiraghi (Comune di Milano) about experiences from the Urban Futures programme.

Here are 5 key takeaways:

✔️ Build on what already exists: where possible, work with credible local partners and existing youth networks rather than starting from scratch.

✔️ Engage youth around shared values and incentives: respect, inclusion and legitimacy matter. Youth engagement differs by context but works best when young people are treated as co-creators with real power.

✔️ Make participation meaningful: create safe spaces, foster belonging, tailor capacity-building to needs and ensure co-design goes beyond consultation with tangible benefits for youth.

✔️ Embed youth in systems that deliver change: ensure continuous feedback loops, link participation to formal governance, livelihoods and opportunities to contribute even beyond policy spaces.

✔️ Respond to youth priorities: mentorship, incubators and support schemes, digital tools and guided access to finance are recurring needs.

🔜 There is much more to unpack on what effective youth engagement really looks like. Stay tuned for RUAF’s upcoming white paper on youth engagement in urban food systems!

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About Urban Futures: a joint programme led by Hivos , in partnership with RUAF and Humanis Foundation that supports young people in five countries, through local partners, to build more inclusive, climate-resilient cities and urban food systems.

29/01/2026

🌍🌱 Lombardy is rich in urban gardening initiatives and attracts foreign gardeners who engage in local projects across different municipalities.

Understanding the motivations of these foreign gardeners can help municipalities implement initiatives that better align with their needs.

📖 Read the full article: ‘Exploring the motivations of foreign-born urban gardeners in Lombardy’ by Valentina Cattivelli in Urban Agriculture Magazine 41, ‘Linking future policies and next practices’ ➡️ https://ruaf.org/document/urban-agriculture-magazine-no-41-linking-future-policies-and-next-practices/

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