No.01: THE SDGs, FOOD SECURITY AND URBANIZATION IN THE GLOBAL SOUTH

■ Urban food insecurity is distinct from that experienced in rural areas and must be addressed through a different set of policies. ■ While supermarkets are increasingly prevalent in urban centres of the Global South, the informal economy and state food distribution programs continue to play an important role in meeting food security needs of the urban poor. ■ The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2, as part of a new in-ternational directive, recommends that governments aim to improve food security and nutrition over the next 15 years in response to the global challenge of fostering sustainability. ■ SDG 2 provides an avenue for governments to create and develop food security-related policies and regulations. This brief recommends governments support the role of the informal food economy, integrate non-food issues related to food secu-rity (such as spatial planning and infrastructure), collaborate with supermarkets to create policies catering to the poor and track food consumption patterns to develop strategies for improved food options