Montpellier
Learn more about Montpellier's food system below
Coming soon
City overview
The Montpellier metropole comprises 31 municipalities with 460,000 inhabitants. It has diverse agricultural landscapes, including vineyards and pastures. The agricultural area has experienced a decline but is recovering. The region faces a poverty rate of 30%, highlighting food vulnerability. The public sector plays a crucial role in providing 80,000 daily meals.
While 10% of Montpellier’s population faces food insecurity, the Occitania region exceeds food sovereignty requirements. Land speculation and fallow agricultural land limit food production potential. Agroecology is essential due to environmental sensitivity. Limited development of food processing companies is linked to a wine-focused history.
Efforts include sector relocation, local producer network development, and a food processing platform. The common food fund supports access to food from producers to consumers. Collaboration with rural areas and regional programs is prioritised. Working groups integrate food supply into urban planning and development projects.
City food system ambitions
• Establish food system and safety infrastructures such as; food safety and food system surveillance, monitoring, and data collection.
• Promotion and establishment of more standard market stalls and vendor support systems.
• Support the establishment of food-related ordinances and policies, on handling, transporting and storage of food.
• Sensitize communities on/ promote food recycling technologies.
Challenges
• Access to healthy and affordable food
• Food Waste
• School Feeding
• Programme Challenges,
• Urban agriculture and land use,
• Supply chains
Achievements
• Multi-stakeholder governance
• Access to healthy and affordable food
• Market management
• Food waste
• School feeding Programme challenges
• Urban agriculture and land use
• Supply chain management
What can AfriFOODlinks support with?
● Land action, from planning to setting up farmers
● 4 seasons of agro-ecology and food
● Fibani project (building a local supply chain for chickpeas and lentils)
● Experience of the communal food bank
"The vendors were involved in the design of the food stalls. They wanted supermarket-style stalls with vertical layouts so that more products could be displayed. Storage compartments underneath provided a place to keep produce and facilitated customer interaction" - Peter Businda (Rikolto Coordinator)
Status of food and nutrition security
- Access to healthy and nutritious food, especially for children
- Strong informal sector
- Multi-functional centres that improve food security and provide community resilience Improved circular economies