Insight into the Metabolism of Urban Food System Flows for Sustainable Development: The Case of Cairo, Egypt

Abstract

Food and nutrition security remain one of Egypt’s fundamental challenges for development and human welfare. Cities need food; they are bound to nature by their appetite. Yet, as urban dwellers, we take feeding our cities and what it takes for our urban food system to function for granted. The paper is to analyze the food system in terms of its functioning actors, inputs and flows, the broader super systems that direct its behavior and the generated outcomes. Taking Cairo as a case study, an insight into the metabolism of Cairo’s urban food system and the functioning and relationships among its different flows can help contribute to its sustainable development through planning and managing its complexity. Six vital food system flows were identified: land, water, energy, goods, capital and employment. The paper is to examine the flows using flow maps and Sankey diagrams to visualize the system's transfers accompanied by spatial maps, with an in depth focus on the land flow and how it relates to the city’s spatial development; giving insight in terms of the system needs, losses and gains and actors partnership; to target inefficiencies and potential synergies and illustrate planning proceedings that place food higher in the urban agenda.

Keywords: Food Insecurity, Urban Food Systems, Sustainable Development, Urban Metabolism, City Flows