Advocating for Albuquerque to Sign the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact

We will work to develop sustainable food systems that are inclusive, resilient, safe and diverse. -The Milan Urban Food Policy Pact (signed by 159 mayors around the world)

Local actions are critical to achieving the goal of eradicating hunger and malnutrition, guaranteeing more sustainable food systems which are also more resilient to the effects of climate change, and ensuring a healthy and nutritious diet for all. -Graziano da Silva, director-general of the Food and Agriculture Organization at Valencia meeting

Photo: Milan Urban Food Policy Pact website

On October 20, representatives from 159 cities gathered in Valencia, Spain, for the third mayor's meeting of the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact, an international protocol created on World Food Day 2015 to offer cities around the world an opportunity to work together on developing that are based on the principles of sustainability and social justice. (The concept was actually conceived in 2014, when the city of Milan in Italy joined with 40 other cities to consul and exchange views on how the pact would be constructed). The annual gatherings, which occur around World Food Day, provide the mayors and other city officials  an opportunity for signatory cities to exchange ideas and share their progress in meeting the goals of the pact.

A commitment from 159 Cities
Many of the cities that have signed the agreement are in Europe, but a few others are located in Latin America, Asia and Africa. The world's largest cities have subscribed to the agreement, including Rio de Janeiro, Paris, New York, Toronto, São Paulo, Moscow, Beijing, Brussels, Berlin, London, Rome, Mexico City, Seoul, Barcelona, Dubai and Chicago. Other large cities in the U.S. that have signed the pact include Baltimore, Miami, Pittsburgh and San Francisco.

In Latin America these cities have signed the agreement: Guatemala City, Tegucigalpa (Honduras), Quito (Ecuador), Córdoba (Argentina), Mar del Plata (Argentina), Mendoza (Argentina), La Paz (Bolivia), Belo Horizonte (Brazil), Garulhos (Brazil), and Bogotá (Colombia).

Albuquerque should consider subscribing to the agreement, especially with a coming change in administration.  A couple of US cities below 1 million population--Austin, Texas (population 947,000) and West Sacramento (population 53,000) are part of this family of 159 cities. In fact, a large number of smaller  cities around the world have made a commitment to address hunger and promote sustainability ahd fair trade through the pact. Some of these cities have a population smaller than our population of 560,00 in Albuquerque.They include, among others, Lyon in France (484,000), Utrecht in the Netherlands (334,000),Yeosu in South Korea (295,000), Sacile in Italy (19,000), Haapslau in Estonia (10,000) and  Navàs in Spain  6,000.

An Opportunity to Network
So what's in it for Albuquerque? The most obvious advantage would be the opportunity to network with other cities that have implemented food strategies and sustainable practices focused on food security, the fight against hunger and obesity, waste reduction, youth education and fair trade purchases.

The Milan Pact has also developed a Food Network Alliance, an effort to promote collaboration with different regional, national and international cities networks in order to foster the peer-to-peer exchanges. If Albuquerque were to join the agreement, our city could be connected with Austin and West Sacramento. The experiences of other U.S. cities like Pittsburgh, Baltimore and San Francisco might be useful.

And here's a thought. Albuquerque could join along with its sister cities of Guadalajara (Mexico), Chihuahua (Mexico), Alburquerque (Spain), Ashgabat (Turkmenistan), Helmstedt (Germany), Hualien (Taiwan), Lanzhou (China) and Rehovot (Israel).

Joining the Urban Food Policy Pact would represent a major step for Albuquerque to address hunger and sustainability issues in our community. How about it, Mayor Tim Keller or Mayor Dan Lewis? Of course, joining the pact would have to gain the support of the City Councilors Brad Winter, Don Harris, Pat Davis, Diane Gibson, Trudy Jones, Ken Sanchez, Isaac Benton and the winner of the runoff between Cynthia Borrego and Robert Aragon. (Citizens of Albuquerque, don't forget to vote in the Runoff Election on November 14. Here are the poll locations for both early voting and the actual election dayfor the runoffs for mayor and City Council District 5).