Box 3.4: Strengthening regional food production and supply

Box 3.4: Strengthening regional food production and supply

At present, countries and cities have often relied on agriculture produced in neighbouring farmlands or specialized imports to meet their nutritional requirements. These networks are potentially exposed to disruptions in the face of shocks to the wider national or global economies. Disruptions in the movement of products along supply chains were observed across the world, particularly in the transfer of food and perishable goods from processing facilities to markets in urban centres by road: by mid-April 2020, around a month after lockdowns began, the total distance driven by trucks in Europe had fallen 24 per cent below normal levels. Some countries were especially affected, such as Spain, where truck traffic initially halved in the wake of the pandemic.57 Strengthening local markets for food and agricultural products can therefore help make food logistics more resilient.

In rural areas, self-employed and wage workers’ livelihoods are particularly at risk because agri-food supply chains and markets have been disrupted due to lockdowns and restrictions on movement. In India, the closure of rail and road transport routes had dire repercussions, particularly in rural areas, as farmers were unable to sell their winter produce because many were unable to travel to markets. They also struggled to harvest crops due to a lack of seasonal workers, who rely on public transportation or have to cross borders.58 Germany and Italy, who rely heavily on migrant workers for seasonal agricultural work, had to amend their lockdown provisions to ensure labour availability.

While localized means of production in certain sectors could shorten supply chains, suppliers and distributors should consider different modes of transport and distribution to increase the resilience of their sales models. This was particularly relevant for smallscale producers and suppliers who relied heavily on markets that had to close due to restrictions on business operations or travel bans. Many farmers were able to shorten food supply chains by selling directly to consumers. In Norway, Germany and Poland, farmers have embraced digital technologies, resorting to online platforms and e-commerce shops to connect directly with clients.59

Given the potential opportunities for urban carbon financing, cities may be able to use the mechanisms to secure funding for climate adaptation and mitigation investments — for example, the rollout of non-motorized transport infrastructure and the use of smart technologies to manage issues like pollution — that will also support their postpandemic recovery. At the same time, while the positive trend is observed regarding renewable

Solar panels and wind generators © Shutterstock energy and digitalization, a recent study by University of Oxford Global Recovery Observatory and UNEP revealed that only a few countries have significantly increased investments more broadly on measures to tackle greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution and nature loss since the start of the pandemic. During 2020, just 2.5 per cent of the total spending of these countries benefited green initiatives, while just 18 per cent of the total spent on long-term COVID recovery measures went towards green recovery measures.

Through such a shift, COVID-19 may well imply significant changes for the built urban environment, as discussed in Chapter 1. If e-commerce becomes the leading place of consumption, city centres will go through physical and spatial changes. In the short term this is likely to have negative effects on local GDP and tax revenue, but in the longer term, it may free up space that can be used for residential housing, communal offices, restaurants and new types of economic activities.