Cities and town, where people live and work in close proximity, are among the worst hit in light of how the disease spreads
Lockdowns, enforced as one of the ways to curb the spread of the disease, have resulted in an economic downturn, with large numbers of people losing their jobs.
The urban dwellers are now faced with a looming food crisis as authorities disconnect cities from rural areas to contain the virus, and to protect elderly populations residing in the rural areas.
That means there is triple problem here; the virus causing death and havoc, a larger number of people sitting at home without work and a potential food crises in towns because little is being brought from the rural areas.
CGIAR centres and their partners can also support application of advanced hyper-resolution earth observation systems to map, characterise and recommend suitability of pockets of areas for urban or peri-urban farming.
Time is ripe for an urban and peri-urban agricultural economy to be re-engineered to create multifunctional cities that provide multiple benefits.
