Many factors contribute to the availability of adequate, affordable, and nutritious food for urban residents. Among them are inefficient food distribution and transportation systems and drought caused by changes in climatic conditions. Although hunger and malnutrition are often considered to be predominantly rural problems, there is strong evidence that food insecurity rates can be at least as high in urban areas. And the urban poor are particularly vulnerable to spikes in food prices, as they need to purchase food instead of producing it themselves.

The CityLinks program advances USAID’s “Feed the Future” initiative by sharing and promoting successful practices to increase food security in urban areas.