The FAO/ETC conference was opened to those interested in urban and peri-urban agriculture, including urban planners and municipal officials, researchers and practitioners. They were invited to participate by sharing needs, research results, questions, and project ideas. The conference started with a series of questions on three central themes posed by the moderators. The themes were discussed by conference participants in three separate workshops related to urban and peri-urban agriculture:

1. Food security and nutrition
2. Health and the urban environment
3. Urban planning