Rapid Urbanization and the Challenges of Obtaining Food and Nutrition Security

Abstract

22.1 IntroductionOver the period 2000–2030, the urban population of the developing world is projected to double—from 1.97 billion to 3.93 billion—whereas the rural population is projected to increase from 2.90 billion to 2.96 billion [1]. Figure 22.1 shows that 48% of the population, some 3.04 billion people, now live in urban areas (estimates from 2003). About 77% of Latin Americans live in cities and close to 40% of Africans and Asians [1]. The urban population in developing countries is expected to grow more than three times faster (2.29% annually) than the rural population (0.06% annually) between now and 2030. Over the same period, the urban population of Africa is expected to increase from 329 million to 748 million (the rural population is projected to increase from 521 to 650 million); for Asia, the urban population will increase from 1.5 billion to 2.7 billion (the rural population is projected to decline from 2.3 to 2.2 billion); and for Latin America, the co