Large urban trees are excellent filters for urban pollutants and fine particulates. One tree can absorb up to 150 kg of CO2 per year, sequester carbon and consequently mitigate climate change. Trees provide habitat, food and protection to plants and animals, increasing urban biodiversity.

More than 80 percent Canadians live in cities with almost one-quarter of country’s total population living in the Greater Golden Horseshoe (GGH) area. The GGH stretches in a curve around the western side of Lake Ontario with the City of Toronto occupying the northern side of the horseshoe.

Rural-based economic activity can be just as effective for poverty reduction as that of urban sectors. Since the 1990s, rural transformation has lifted nearly as many people out of poverty as urban development.

This report is the result of the implementation of an assessment methodology for Colombo and its city region food system (CRFS).