The Global Programme Food Security of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) has recently opened two Calls for Proposals. The first one is about innovations in urban food systems. The second one focuses on finding solutions for the promotion of the ecologically sustainable water management for food security.
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In the first call, SDC is looking for innovations in city-region food systems that can reach millions of people living in poverty. It is expected that, by 2050, two thirds of the world’s population will be living in urban areas. Food systems are one way in which rural spaces and people are linked with urban areas and residents. Improved city-region food systems will help achieve better economic, social and environmental conditions in both urban and nearby rural areas. Against this background, future-oriented, innovative and sustainable solutions for new city region food system are needed to redesign the relationships between rural and urban spaces for more inclusion, sustainability, efficiency. The goal is to increase availability of nutritious, healthy and affordable food for millions of poor and disadvantaged people.
Meanwhile, the second call is guided by the goal of promoting ecologically sustainable water management for food security and nutrition in agriculture and food systems. Water of appropriate quality and quantity is essential for food production, processing and preparation.
Global water demand is projected to increase by more than 50% by 2050. Industry, energy and domestic use are mostly responsible for the projected demand growth. By 2050 demand for food is expected to increase by 50% and food preferences are changing towards high-value products. Climate change will have significant impacts by increasing water demand. Increasing scarcities and growing and competing demands by a multiplicity of users and sectors with different economic and political power make water governance for food security and nutrition (FSN) particularly challenging.
In this context, the challenge is to ensure that allocation systems give adequate priority to water for food production, especially smallholder food production, as well as for the basic needs of poor and marginalized populations. Thus, SDC is looking for project proposals that correspond to the overarching goal – to promote ecologically sustainable water management for food security and nutrition in agriculture and food systems – through increased water productivity or water efficiency – and improve the economic and social situation of smallholders, in particular women and youth, thus leading to increased resilience of their livelihoods.
All relevant information, including detailed descriptions of both calls, contractual details, deadlines, questions and answers, can be found in the link.
