After more than two decades of rapid urbanization, Chinese cities now face severe sustainability challenges in terms of balancing economic viability, social justice, and environmental protection goals. While various types of planning have long been adopted to cope with these challenges, food as a centerpiece of daily life and of social and economic activity in cities has rarely been considered as a focus of urban planning in China, despite a lot of recent attention to food waste and food safety concerns. In contrast, over the past decade or more, cities in the west have seen food system planning emerge as a holistic lens to promote multifaceted urban development strategies. Community gardens and neighbourhood farmers’ markets are two common examples. In these strategies, food has been recognized as a powerful element that links closely with multiple economic, social, health, and environmental issues. This paper thus calls for an integration of food issues into urban planning in Chinese cities. Our paper reviews some successful cases of food system assessments and planning in the west and provides a preliminary framework for food system planning in China. The framework brings together various priorities: connecting people to the food system, community economic development, access to healthy food, ecological health, and integrated food policy. By applying this framework to examine urban food systems in China, our paper identifies strengths and challenges for achieving sustainability goals. This analysis also sets the stage for future research in urban food system planning in China.

1. Approaching sustainable urban development in China
through a food system planning lens
(A message for Chinese planners about feeding cities)
Steffanie Scott
Dept. of Geography & Environmental Management, University of Waterloo
sdscott@uwaterloo.ca
Zhenzhong Si
zsi@uwaterloo.ca
& Jenelle Regnier-Davies

2. http://env-blogs.uwaterloo.ca/ecoagchina/
Our background: 4-year research project

3. • Jenelle Regnier-Davis
• Master's thesis, 2015Fake Meat and Cabbageworms:
Connecting Perceptions of Food Safety and Household Level
Food Security in Urban China

4. • My experience…
• A networking and policy-making group
…working on building a strong voice for a
healthy food system in Waterloo Region
• We are a group of representatives from key
sectors and interests of the local food system
…who share the goal of a healthier food
system in Waterloo Region.

5. Nearly300foodsystemroundtables/foodpolicycouncilsinNAmerica

6. A regional
food system

7. A spectrum of food system stakeholders
Producers
/harvester
s
processors distributors retailers consumers
Organic farmers
small and
large scale
CSAs
Food services,
restaurants
Low income
consumers
Public Health
(inspection,
education)
urban
agriculture
Retail shops
small & large
Neighbourhood
markets,
farm markets
Emergency food
distribution
Planners
(land use & zoning,
bylaws, regulation)
Institutional
purchasers
Community-based organizations,
marketing boards, economic
development organizations
small and
large scale
Farmers & farm
organizations
Researchers,
teachers
fisherfolk

8. • A healthy, just, and sustainable food system is
one in which all residents have access to, and
can afford to buy, safe, nutritious, and culturally
acceptable food that has been produced in an
environmentally sustainable way, and that
supports rural communities
• Such a food system promotes social justice,
population health, and profitable farms, reflects
and sustains local culture, and supports
ecological viability

9. • Food is not a traditional municipal
responsibility
• Most food systems issues are
usually seen as provincial and
national matters
• But cities are food players
• > 64 municipalities in Canada are
engaged in food policy and practice
• These municipalities are becoming
“food policy entrepreneurs” using
food to advance progress towards
health, social, environmental, and
economic objectives

10. Common areas
for food policy
initiatives

11. • Land property rights
• The urban water sector
• Urban labor market changes
and social protection for
urban informal workers
• Wealth redistribution
• Rebuilding residential space
• Large urban redevelopment
projects
• Retail capital and
production of new
consumption spaces

13. • Need for combined planning approaches
that address
food security within ecological constraints,
and the capacity to deal with food system shocks (e.g., price) and
global environmental change (e.g., climate change)
• China’s ‘Liveable City Standards’: only one of over 100 indicators
related to food: “sufficient and quality food supply” (Wang and Shao
2010: 145)
•  Urgent demand in China to develop ecologically sustainable rural &
urban planning models that also ensure food security & safety

14. Agri-food sector
transformations
in China
• Food safety scandals &
environmental health threats
• Loss of agricultural land (&
farmers) to urbanization
• Supermarketization
• Dietary transition (fast food,
meat-based diets)
 skyrocketing health care
costs (e.g., obesity, diabetes,
heart disease)

15. Our ‘pitch’:
how a food system approach
can be appliedto Chinese cities…
• Provides a lens for
recognizing opportunities
and challenges within the
food system in China
• Identifies ways to develop a
more sustainable food
system
• Call for further research & action

16. Assets & opportunities
for sustainable urban food systems in China
• China has agricultural policy, but not food policy
• Solutions must go beyond the technocratic
• state-led
• market-driven
• citizen-led

17. More than crop yields…
Social well-being
& health
Economic Environmental
Food production
Processing
Distribution &
exchange
Retail & food access
Consumption
Management of food
waste

18. Assets and opportunitiesfor sustainable
urbanfoodsystemsin China
Social well-being
& health
Economic Environmental
Food
production
• Integration of
small-scale
producers
• Need for
‘redignifying’
farming
• Need for more land
for recreational
gardening (urban
agriculture)…
• Local/peri-urban food
production…
• Integration of small-
scale producers
• Investment in
agriculture
• Promotion of multi-
functional agriculture—
for education, food
production and leisure
(agri-tourism)
• Agricultural land
protection policies
• Eco-agriculture
standards & support
for organic/green
food production…
• Need soil
rehabilitation for
urban & rural
agriculture
• Need to address
biodiversity threats
from urbanization

19. • Local/peri-urban food production
• E.g., in 2007 Nanjing supplied
44% of its own grain crops
40% of its vegetables
20% of its pork
10% of fisheries
30% of poultry
15% of eggs

20. Ecological food quality standards

22. Geographical indication labelling

23. Typesof (especiallylocal-level)
governmentsupportfor organic production
• Market governance & promotion
• Administering standards and testing
• Organizing expos & other promotion for ecologically grown food
• Facilitating (organic) farmers’ cooperatives
• Accessing land
• Land leasing (as a broker); providing land for CSAs (Little Donkey Farm,
Big Buffalo farm)
• Establishing eco-agricultural zones, agricultural parks, and demonstration bases
• Financial support
• “Dragon-head enterprises”
• Loans with low or no interest
• Subsidies for certification
• Training & education

25. “Weekendfarming”:Rentedplots(forurbangardeners)
nearChengdu,Sichuanprovince

26. Needfor more land for recreational gardening
(urbanagriculture)
• Expand opportunities for recreational garden plots
•  Affordable safe food, connecting with nature,
relaxation, physical exercise, education for children
• See community gardens（社区农园）experience in Korea,
Japan, North America
• Also promote balcony/
container gardening
(sometimes prohibited
in Chinese cities)

27. Assets and opportunities
Social well-being
& health
Economic Environmental
Processing Reduce production of
highly processed, non-
nutritional food products;
expand healthier options
Local food processing
infrastructure
Local food processing

28. Assets and recommendations
Social well-being
& health
Economic Environmental
Distribution
& exchange
Retail & food
access
Access to fresh
produce
• Short food supply
chains, provide
employment
• Diverse food
distribution channels:
local wet markets,
convenience stores,
supermarkets
• Informal food
sector/street food
vending (to be
strengthened, not
eliminated—a basis for
‘inclusive growth’)
• Opportunities for
sustainable
institutional food
procurement
• Emerging ‘alternative
food networks’:
ecological farmers
markets (need
stronger support),
CSAs, buying clubs

30. Uncertified(self-declared)organic food&
alternativefood networksin China
• Based on consumers negotiating trust with producers -
rather than trusting the quality assurance of certification
• CSAs (& recreational gardening/plot rental)
社区支持农业
• Organic farmers’ markets
有机农夫市集
• Buying clubs
消费者共同购买团体
• Organic food 有机餐馆
restaurants

31. The Beijing Country Fair
Beijing Youji Nongfu Shiji
The first and the most influential farmers’
market

32. Criteria for farms to participate
• No pesticides, synthetic chemical fertilizers, GM seeds used
• Animals not caged, no unnecessary antibiotics or hormones
• Independent small to medium size farms
• Be open and transparent with customers about production
methods (protect consumer rights)
• For prepared foods: use no chemical additives, prepared
in a traditional way

33. CSAs(Communitysupportedagriculturefarms)inChina

35. Fosterconnectionswithsmall-scaleecologicalfarmers
• Smallholders are denigrated as inefficient and backward, and
blamed for unsafe food
• Yet supporting ecological practices of small scale farmers can
• Improve rural livelihoods
• Support biodiversity & soil fertility
• Facilitates integration, rather than exclusion, within the emerging
organic market (social justice concerns)
• more easily build connections & trust with consumers & provide
safe food
• They should be supported to develop
markets & get certification

36. Socialenterpriseorganic/naturalfoodrestaurants–
e.g.,Tushengliangpin土生良品restaurant,Nanning,Guangxi

37. Assets and opportunities
Social well-being
& health
Economic Environmental
Consumption • Walkable access to
buy fresh produce
• Need to promote
healthy diets,
ethical consumption
• Promote school
gardens
• Address food safety
concerns by
rebuilding trust, esp
between consumers
and producers, &
reconnecting people
to their ecosystems
through food
High demand for
healthy/safe/clean
food, but need to
make (certified &
non-certified) organic
food more
affordable…
• Good public transit
infrastructure for food
shopping
• Political will 很强的政
府意志 e.g., eco-city,
low-carbon/planning
• Need to promote
sustainable diets (e.g.,
less meat/seafood)
• Much consumer
confusion about labels
& standards
•  need to build food
literacy (state, private
sector, and CBO roles)…

38. Buildfoodliteracy:public
awarenessaboutthefood
systemandorganicfood
• About the dysfunctional global
food system
• Understanding what organic
means and the challenges of
production
• Reasons why we should pay more
for it
• Realities of farmer livelihoods
• Could learn from Taiwan?
• Very few organizations are
doing this work (changing
value systems)

39. • Consumer
Education
• Advocacy
• Networking
• Farmer
Education

43. Demandforhealthy/safe/cleanfoodishigh…
adisplayoflocalwildvegetablesinarestaurantinChongqing

44. Need to make (certified and non-certified)
organic food more affordable
• Especially by supporting small-scale producers
to gain certification and/or identify markets for
their products
• E.g., through alternative food networks

45. Assets and opportunities
Social well-being
& health
Economic Environmental
Management
of food waste
Could redistribute
unsold food to
disadvantaged groups
Employment
opportunities in
recycling food waste
and packaging
• Starting to tackle food
waste (consumer-level)
• Need to reduce food
packaging
• Need for better waste
separation (recycling,
biodegradable), re-
directing ‘waste’ for
composting
• Could redistribute
unsold food to
disadvantaged groups

46. Abstract:
Green building codes normally consider self-sufficiency of energy and water.
Their highest aspiration is to build zero carbon buildings (ZCB) or zero energy
buildings (ZEB). However, a zero-energy building is not sustainable, as it does
not take into account the self-sufficiency of food and waste.
This paper puts forward a novel planning model to approach a zero-food waste
and zero-(organic) waste community (ZFW community), paving the way to
achieve a truly sustainable community with four-zeros on energy, water, food,
and waste. It considers a community of 40-ha land accommodating 10,000
persons.
If 8-ha farmland is additionally provided, then it can achieve 100% self-
sufficiency in fertilizer (organic waste) and 40% self-sufficiency in vegetables.
It does not only save carbon dioxide emission due to transportation of food and
waste, but it also helps reduce 40% of the landfill space.
A Novel Planning Model for Approaching
a Zero-Food Waste and Zero-Waste
Community
Chung Yim Edward Yiu, Chinese University of Hong Kong,
Department of Geography and Resource Management
& Bente Castro Campos, Institute of Future Cities
2014

47. Adopt a‘foodsystems’（食物系统）
approachtoplanning
&integratedpolicy
Cross-sector
dialogues for
regional food
planning…

48. • Signed (in Oct 2015) by over
100 city mayors world wide -
including Beijing, Shanghai,
Chongqing
Urban policy framework for
action
• Governance
• Diet & nutrition
• Social and economic equity
• Food production
• Food supply & distribution
• Food waste

49. OpportunitiesforIntegratingFood& Agriculture
intoSustainableCommunityPlanning

50. State, privatesector, and CBO roles…
Social well-being
& health
Economic Environmental
Food production
Processing
Distribution &
exchange
Retail & food access
Consumption
Management of food
waste

51. Conclusions
• There is much scope for food system planning
at the level of city regions in China
• There are some key assets that should be preserved and supported.
And there are key opportunities for further development.