Food in the City Connecting Livelihoods, Culture, and Sense of Home for Newcomers

As the world heads towards climate disaster, people all over the world will lose their homes and their communities. In 2022, disasters triggered a record 32.6 million internal displacements of which 98% were caused by weather-related hazards. In addition, rising numbers of conflict are resulting in forced migration with UNHCR projecting that there will be more than 130 million forcibly displaced persons in 2024. With this loss of “home”, displacement and migration often result in separation from social support networks and disrupt the familiarity, attachment and identity of those impacted. The decrease in perceived social support lasts many months following the extreme event. A key challenge for cities will be to identify ways to support displaced people and create a new sense of home even during times of disaster.
Food is an essential part of every culture and does more than just provide us with nutrition. It’s a way of expressing ourselves, connecting with others, and passing on rich cultural heritage. Food is an important part of our cultural identity and serves as a representation of our heritage, history, and values. Food is a way of life that is passed down from generation to generation. Traditional foods, recipes, and cooking techniques, can reflect the values and beliefs of different communities and are all vital parts of cultural heritage.
The purpose of this networking session is to examine ways food can be used to support and connect people who become internally or externally displaced, which will ultimately lead to a resource for NGOs and cities. The session will begin with presentations that will discuss the food system’s relationship to livelihoods, culture, and sense of home as well as the challenges migrants face upon arriving in the city. Presenters will then provide examples of projects and interventions from around the world that have used food as a way of creating a sense of home for migrants and displaced people, while also enriching the existing community, including:
• Farmers’ markets and local public markets that play an important role in creating a cultural identity and home for recent migrants to meet, network, and earn a living while also increasing their access to their traditional foods.
• Markets and informal vendors that provided fresh food during a disaster and helped bring a city back to normalcy post-disaster.
• Urban agriculture programs that provide important employment and social support for newly arrived migrants.
• Pop-up kitchen and restaurant projects that “bring people together for dinner” resulting in financial independence for refugee women and their families while also creating greater cultural cohesion.
The session will end with a discussion among the participants about the lessons learned from the projects in addressing loss of home. The presentations and discussions will then form the basis of a resource for civil society and cities to create food-based programs for migrants and for disasters.