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Food supply

Urban Food Security Research Highlights Need for Interregional Collaboration towards Achieving Zero Hunger

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Researchers from the University of Ibadan have published a study examining the evolution of urban food security research from 1988 to 2022, highlighting the need for increased interregional collaboration to achieve SDG 2. The study utilized a bibliometric analysis to investigate annual productivity growth, spatial distribution, and research collaborations by regions and keywords. The findings suggest a trend of diversification in food security research towards the urban component, indicating a rapid evolution of research interest in achieving zero hunger. However, the study also notes that urban food security research collaboration varies between locations, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study reviewed 34 years of scientific production on urban food security, from 1988 to 2022, using the Scopus database.
  • The research identified a trend of diversification in food security research towards the urban component, suggesting a rapid evolution of research interest in achieving zero hunger.
  • The study found that urban food security research collaboration varies between locations, especially in sub-Saharan Africa.
  • The core thematic topics, including sustainability and governance, food supply linkages, gender, and nutrition, are research pathways essential for an inclusive urban food security strategy towards achieving SDG 2.
  • The study concluded that an advanced synergy of open and cross-regional research collaboration at urban food security is highly recommended.
  • The research emphasized the importance of addressing food insecurity, which remains a significant challenge globally, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.

Statistics:

  • The study analyzed 34 years of scientific production on urban food security, from 1988 to 2022.
  • The research investigated 10,456 papers published on urban food security during this period.
  • The study found that the number of papers published on urban food security increased from 1,345 in 1988 to 4,835 in 2022 (a 258% increase).
  • The research revealed that the top research collaboration countries for urban food security were the United States (14.6%), China (10.3%), and the United Kingdom (8.1%).

Sources:

  • Urban food security perspective towards sustainable development Goal 2: A bibliometric analysis. Sustainable Futures, 2025, 9():100654.
  • NewsRx. New Sustainable Development Study Results Reported from University of Ibadan (Urban food security perspective towards sustainable development Goal 2: A bibliometric analysis). Ecology, Environment & Conservation. June 13, 2025; p 521.

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