As cities expand rapidly with growing urbanisation, it raises critical questions about food sustainability for an increasingly urban populace. It is becoming apparent that cities are growing in size at many times the rate of the actual growth in population, thus encroaching on the agricultural hinterland at a far greater rate than we imagine. China has already lost 123,000 sq.km of farmland to urbanisation in the last two decades. Of the arable land that remains, it is estimated that 1/6th suffers from soil pollution from intensive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. As the largest agricultural producer in the world, this has ramifications at a global scale.

Combine this with the fact that cities are massive sites of chronic over-consumption and excessive waste. Urban diets are richer and more diverse than their rural counterparts with access to foods from far-reaching corners of the earth, embedded with high carbon footprints and wrapped in unearthly amounts of plastic and styrofoam. Food production worldwide is becoming increasingly controlled by large business conglomerates turning it into a complex, globalised and financialised business, characterised by intensive commercial farming practices which are degenerating soils as well as the biodiversity and quality of produce. Making food sustainable for an increasingly urban population needs a drastic structural shift not just in how food is produced but also food consumption patterns of city-zens.

This month RAS Beyond City looks at how cities need to evolve to cater to the food needs of the future. Focusing on Shanghai, we discuss design and planning initiatives underway by the government, as well as bottom-up civic movements in the city geared to provide clean and fair food, affect change in urban consumption and waste patterns, temper our expectations regarding produce, as well as bridge the gap between the city and its rural hinterland.

Julian Wei, Senior Associate Director at Sasaki Architects, will present the City of Shanghai's ambitious plans for an urban agricultural district located midway between the international airport and the city-centre. This award winning scheme not only aims to place Shanghai as a leader in urban food production, but also promotes a new paradigm of urban life, integrating agricultural production and research facilities at the centre of civic life.

Fred Young is founder of Rainbow of Hope, a startup with the mission to provide safe, clean, chemical free food, promoting sustainable agricutural practices and enriching both urban and rural lifestyles. Fred is passionate about his dream, giving up a corporate career in real estate to return to his hometown in West Hunan to empower the local farmers there via a farmers cooperative, educating them about regenerative practices, and ensuring competitive incomes for them by connecting farmer households to city families, to directly supply them fresh produce via an innovative information exchange platform.

Valtero Canepa represents Slow Food Greater China in Shanghai, seeking to infuse the global city with the ideals of the Slow Food movement. Slow Food supports local agriculture and biodiversity through the direct connection between farmers and consumers, to establish a community and build trust. It aims to sensitize the consumers about problems affecting the food system, pursuing the vision of Good, Clean and Fair Food for All.

Convenor:Parul Rewal, architect & urbanist