Urbanisation

Urbanisation

In the years to 2050, the global urban population is expected to grow to 6.3 billion with almost 60% of this growth expected to occur in tropical countries. The world’s urbanisation rate has grown rapidly since 1980, increase from 39% to 55% in 2018. In the Tropics, although more people live in rural areas than in urban centres, tropical cities are growing at a faster rate than non-tropical cities. In 2018, 47% of the tropical population lived in an urban setting. Of that population, roughly 37% lived in slum conditions.

As the tropics becomes increasingly urbanised, there will need to be a renewed focus on the urbanised poor and the food systems supporting them. Urbanisation can be a force for poverty eradication and bring greater opportunities; however, land poor households often suffer the most in their poverty, due to not being able to grow their own food. Developing countries in the Tropics are likely to struggle to adapt their food production systems to meet the demand and needs of people living in urban areas, while adverse climate conditions and natural disasters exacerbate the problems of the production and availability of food.

Sustainable urbanisation will be essential in the eradication of poverty and undernourishment in the Tropics. Done correctly there are many opportunities for nations and cities in the Tropics to develop thriving, prosperous and healthy populations.