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At around the turn of the century, the majority of the world’s population became predominantly urban-based (Ritchie & Roser, 2018). Greater attention has since turned to the implications for food and farming of this unprecedented transition, and to whether the growing and changing demands for food from urban consumers can be met by the agricultural sector while addressing rural and urban poverty, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing resilience to the impacts of climate change (Satterthwaite et al., 2010). More recently, the coronavirus pandemic crisis has highlighted the extent of food insecurity and inequalities, intensifying calls for greater attention and investment in improving the sustainability of food systems, also in view of the anticipated climate-related disruptions (FSIN and Global Network Against Food Crises, 2021; World Bank, 2021).

The links between rural and urban areas, people and …