Explore los Comentarios Oficiales del Diálogo

The Dialogue was centered around using organic practices to boost Nature-positive food production, emphasizing the linkages where organic agriculture is the vehicle to address; building resilience, advancing equitable livelihoods, shifting to sustainable consumption patterns, and ensuring that everybody has access to safe and nutritious food. We were not discussing only certified organic agriculture but organic agriculture based on the Principles of Health, Ecology, Fairness and Care. Shared regional values of love, kinship, relationships were a driver with the aim to go beyond sustainability ... Leer más– but to regenerate and find balance and harmony with our environment. In particular, the role of organic producers, their organizations and the communities they are part of as the drivers of these changes and who frequently do not have a voice in food system policy discussions was a major focus. Farmers tend to be ‘acted upon’ by Governments and agencies rather than recognized as primary actors and agents of change and custodians of the land and ecosystems they work within. It also focused on the ‘Oceania Pasifika’ region consisting of Australia, New Zealand and the 22 Pacific Island countries and territories. A diverse region both culturally and geographically but with strong commonalities, shared history including connections between the indigenous communities of the region, and shared values on which the Oceania Pasifika Organic Food Systems Dialogue was focused. Our Dialogue strayed somewhat from the three UN defined aspirational outcomes of Protect, Manage and Restore to three aspirational outcomes inherent to Organics in the Oceania Pasifika region: Culture and Tradition, Health and Innovation. Culture and Tradition: The region has strongly held and maintained traditional cultural systems that provide not only valuable traditional agriculture and food perseveration techniques but also governance and leadership. This is a great strength of the region. Health: The region has amongst the worst health statistics in the world with soaring rates of NCDs. We also have extremely vulnerable eco systems, the health of which is being severely impacted by practices of the current food systems and climate change. This is one of our most significant challenges. Innovation: the remoteness of the region and the large distances between us has contributed to a strong culture of innovation and invention and a hunger for learning and creating new ways to meet our challenges. This is where opportunity lies for us. These 3 areas also have applicability across all action tracks and will facilitate synergies. The outcomes were fleshed out in the pre-dialogue Discussion Starter document along with open-ended questions to start people thinking of how to contribute to the dialogues. This decision proved to work well as the participants, especially the Organic Farmers, who are familiar with the principles, needed little prompting to begin the Talanoa discussions. The modern, industrialized, input dependent, export focused, agricultural Food System is failing, and the detrimental effects on Health, Equitable opportunities, Lifestyle, Environment, Climate Change and Local Economies is perhaps nowhere more apparent than in Pacific Island Countries and Territories [PICTs] as well as Australia and New Zealand. At the same time, Organically Managed Food Systems, including Pacific Organics, which includes Culture and Tradition, coupled with Science and Innovation, and the broad definition of Health to include Soil, Forest, Livestock, Fisheries Health, and including Social and Gender equity, are proving to be the solution to these challenges. New and emerging approaches, when adopted alongside the use of traditional knowledge, and organic, regenerative and inclusive practices (such as agroecology, sustainable fishing and democratic food governance), give the potential to transition to nature-positive food production systems – ones that deliver a larger diversity of plants and animals to a growing population, without degrading the functional integrity of ecosystems, whilst meeting the nutritional needs of all current and future generations. Leer menos

As expected, each Talanoa had their own discussion with unique ideas and solutions, and also as expected, many of the same levers for change were identified in multiple groups. This overlap shows a strong precedence to prioritize the areas of agreement, while also recognizing the value of stand-alone solutions. Although the Presenters and Facilitators worked hard to drive the conversations towards future statements and systematic solutions, all groups reported discussing the root causes, many of which are familiar themes. It seems that this was not altogether bad though as defining the problem... Leer más is the first step to brainstorming solutions. As detailed in the section below, the main findings or Game Changing Solutions identified include: 1. Leveraging culture and tradition, community knowledge and governance. Pacific Islanders and aboriginals are proud of their heritage. Culture and tradition must then be incorporated throughout our food systems, all the way up to policy and including indigenous governance training. Leadership buy in is essential, including National Governments as well as local, traditional and religious leaders. A successful revised food system will require a tremendous amount of policy, infrastructure and support. Our region is rich in Culture and Traditional Governance which can act as a lever for change and a framework for action. 2. Education, training and empowerment. Education, capacity building and knowledge products are critical and will look very different in an Organic Food System than they do in the present industrial model. Education will need to start in the early grades and continue through University and Extension outreach training. Education should include traditional knowledge. For this to happen we need to Capture and archive oral traditional knowledge and practices around sustainable living and food systems components. It also includes capacity building and awareness at community level. As some traditional knowledge is already being lost farmers and communities need awareness about the biodiversity they hold and the value of traditional practices for resilience – other parts of the world can learn from these. 3. Organic Farming must be recognised as a valued profession. They are the experts that lead the change. Organic farmers, are trusted experts with real-life experience which is respected and trusted. They are the ones who need to train not only other farmers but Extension staff, academics etc. Their involvement will never end but will need to be supported ongoing in order to keep the system practical, understandable and therefore successful. Farmers must be fully engaged in research and research funding needs to be realigned to organic. Farmers must also be properly compensated and full cost accounting implemented so they are also compensated for provision of ecosystem services. 4. Localisation. Supporting a local market economy is very important with food sovereignty and environmental sustainability as a goal. A comprehensive and wholistic approach to value chain development is required from production to markets. This includes using locally developed approaches for extension and training, for example the family focus works well in many places in the region, and research for local solutions. Also diversifying products to reach out to a wider market segment developing transformed products made from local raw materials. Leer menos

Within our major discussion topics, we present what was discussed in terms of action areas to support impact. All groups acknowledged the interconnection between the action tracks. Talanoa 1: Culture and Tradition Pacific farmers are smallholders and indigenous by nature, resilient, sustainable, independent, rich in tradition and culture. In the Pacific region, organic production is both traditional and new. It is traditional in the sense that most producers to this day use tried and tested practices handed down through the generations that are generally in harmony with the environment and wit... Leer másh modern organic principles. And it is new in that Pacific countries and territories are realizing the benefits of organics for obtaining access to markets, and the need for research and training to develop the sector. Game-changing solutions captured in this Dialogue include 1. Leveraging community knowledge and governance. Pacific Islanders and aboriginals are proud of their heritage. Cultural preservation is a high priority. Most cultures are oral however, making the first priority to capture and archive them in order to preserve and pass them to future generations. Culture and tradition must then be incorporated throughout our Organic systems, all the way up to policy and including indigenous governance training. The Pacific Organic Standards already capture culture and tradition as a key guiding principle. The principle needs to be applied to Organic in an integrated and holistic approach to ensure the sustainability of our interventions. This includes applying a GESI perspective to untap potential of individuals (regardless their gender, age, socio-economic status…) and overall sector. 2. Tapping into academia and reaching out to youth must be prioritized. 3. Crosscutting with Health and Innovation, instilling indigenous knowledge into appropriate technology development, research and development, and implementation at scale is critical. Leer menos

Talanoa 2: Health Working on the premise of Health from a systems-wide perspective comprised of soil, plants, animals (including people), ecosystems, community/society and economy, etc., discussions revolved around the concept of food systems with the potential to improve health from many directions. Game-Changing Solutions can be grouped under three broad concepts. 1) Create top-down, whole country support for organics at the national level. Country-wide bans on GMOs and synthetic and other inputs modelled on examples of islands like Cicia (Fiji), and countries including Bahrain, Sri Lanka an... Leer másd parts of India. In order to successfully ban chemicals, Governments must also scale up infrastructure for nutrient capture and recycling, as well as retrain Extension toward the elimination of chemicals. Cuba serves as an example of a country that has successfully changed their food system from one dependent on inputs, to a self-sustaining, nutrient cycling organic system where 80% of fresh produce consumed is grown within five kilometres of where it is consumed. In addition to Political buy-in, significant investment in education will be necessary. University and related educators will also have to change from chemical use to teaching traditional methods, natural plant protection, vermiculture, seed saving, animal production etc. 2) Exemplify Best Farmers and Best Practices. Farmers want to be taught by farmers not “from the desk”. Success will need support per #1 above to establish Learning Farms and curriculum based on real-life experiences. There is a strong crossover here with Innovation. 3) Applying a comprehensive approach to value chain development with the focus on Local. Generally speaking, Pacific Countries including Australia and New Zealand are fully capable of meeting the nutritional needs of their populations and need to shift from importing food and inputs to self-reliance, food security and soil sovereignty. This solution links very strongly to the other four Action Tracks. Exports are important for economic health but must remain secondary to developing local markets and taking care of the local communities/society. Market development, including to the hospitality sector, and value addition will need to be prioritized. Leer menos

Talanoa 3: Innovation Organic farmers are innovative, successfully blending traditional methods with modern scientific knowledge. We know that the use of pesticides and inorganic fertilizers in these fragile Pacific ecosystems is problematic, yet farmers have become significantly dependent on them logistically and financially. We also know that natural nutrient cycling and Pest Protection Materials are possible for most agricultural needs. Due to the relatively recent appearance of Organics as a player in the agricultural arena, leading to the fact that organic farmers are significantly unders... Leer máserved in R&D and product development, the area of innovation is especially important for reinventing our Food System. Game-changing Innovation ideas include 1. Investing in labour and time saving technologies, methods and techniques to make the profession of Organic farming more attractive to a wider number of people. Without mimicking conventional practices that are not regenerative, farmers switching to Organic need to know they can do so as a commercially viable alternative. Much of the innovation depends on sharing of current knowledge and technologies, which need to be collected, curated and in some cases scientifically tested. 2. As mentioned above under Culture and Tradition, this group also proposed exploring innovation into indigenous and traditional knowledge and practices. The Pacific Oceania community does not let go of their roots and highly values indigenous and traditional socio-ecologic farming and cropping systems. The region is more than ready to be proactive and pioneering on all levels. Based on their unique island and community structures, a multi-level approach with system transformation are likely to be successful in the Pacific. 3. Public and private funds and efforts to support research and innovation are critical and will need to shift focus from chemical/industrial research to sustainable practices. On the farming side this would include research on composting at scale, natural plant protectants and natural based livestock feed. On the production side, value added production without food additives and Organic compliant phytosanitary alternatives are among the top priorities. 4. To overcome barriers, lack of understanding and fear of change, the group identified the need for education at the community level an important and basic Organic and regenerative way of farming through a collaborative National and Organic Partnership incorporating already on the ground Organic certified farmers. Leer menos

The UNDFF has recognized the key role of family farmers towards ensuring global and local food security, strengthening sustainable food systems, eradicating poverty, protecting the environment and promoting sustainable development. The global independent dialogue explored the different (game-changing) opportunities created by the UNDFF to enable family farmers to contribute to, and benefit from, sustainable, inclusive, viable and resilient food systems. The event brought together different stakeholders in order to explore debate and shape pathways to sustainable food systems centered on family... Leer más farming. The dialogue took a participatory approach combining two panels of keynote speakers, discussions in plenaries and in working groups, in order to ensure knowledge sharing between the different participants. Simultaneous English, French and Spanish interpretation was provided to ensure effective participation of all participants from different countries. Leer menos

During the Independent Dialogue, the importance of highlighting NCFFs’ experiences of exploring farmers' needs and placing them on the political agenda was clearly shown. The NCFFs are diverse and their richness and specificity should be preserved. They should participate in the debate on food systems as key actors. The UNDFF proposes a set of coherent, inter-connected policies and actions to address the environmental, economic and social dimensions of rural development and provide a bridge between emergency relief, recovery, and development contexts while placing family farmers at the cente... Leer másr. Furthermore, the NCFFs are involved in the process of drafting and implementing the National Action Plans of the UNDFF (NAP), which are coordinated plans to outline tangible measures and specific actions with regard to family farming, especially in terms of public policies, programs and regulations, and which act as a roadmap for countries and regions in their efforts to support the sustainable development of family farming. In other words, the NAPs transform the needs and priorities identified by various stakeholders into measures, policies and processes in favour of family farming, considering the programs and mechanisms already in place and trying to align and coordinate efforts in order to overcome the challenges of the current food systems. By stimulating the development of public policies and investment to support family farming from a holistic perspective, the UNDFF is, indeed, a key game-changing solution for local food systems. The implementation of the UNDFF 2019-2028 will unleash the unique potential of family farming in shifting towards more sustainable, inclusive and resilient food systems and addressing the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Leer menos

Family Farming at the center of sustainable food systems Enabling and supporting family farmers can increase the availability of nutritious, sustainably produced and culturally appropriate food. Viable family farming-centered food systems can offer new economic and attractive employment opportunities, social inclusion and equity, while at the same time increasing rural-urban linkages and synergies through short food supply chains, which can offer promising solutions towards reducing food loss and waste. Apart from producing food and crops, family farmers develop multiple and crucial roles with... Leer másin their communities. Among others, they ensure the sustainable livelihood of territories and they preserve the environment, reinforcing the efficient and sustainable use and management of natural resources, the conservation of biodiversity, as well as the prevention of soil depletion, water pollution and environmental degradation. It is essential to recognize and enhance the role of young and women farmers. Agro-ecological practices were highlighted as a contribution to the resilience of family farming. The inclusiveness of the food system should take into consideration a human rights approach, including appropriate access to land and water and access to appropriate technology. There is a need to strengthen the awareness of the key role that family farmers play in overcoming poverty and malnutrition, in environmental protection, as a source of employment, and their enormous contribution to sustainable food systems. Fostering the direct link between producers and consumers was highlighted as fundamental to guarantee the demand for quality and local products is aligned with family farming production. However, this enormous potential should be stimulated, with holistic and appropriate public policies. Among the different measures that were underlined during the dialogue were: access to rural credit, access and control over land and natural resources, technical assistance, appropriate technologies, digital marketing, and transformation processes. To design these policies, quality statistical data is needed which clearly measures the different contributions of family farmers. The promotion of family farmers’ articulation and association with other actors was also highlighted during the meeting. Leer menos

Multistakeholders’ processes to contribute to sustainable and resilient food systems. The UNDFF is an on-going process, characterized by the involvement of a wide range of stakeholders - including governments (both national and local), parliamentarians, specialized agencies and other relevant bodies of the United Nations, international financial institutions and other international mechanisms, farmers and producer organizations, academic and research institutes, civil society organizations and the private sector – in the design of specific measures to enhance family farming. It makes a ver... Leer másy clear connection of the global, regional, national and local levels, from the Global UN Declaration –that places the issue among the top priorities in the international agenda-, to the local level -promoting concrete and contextualized actions, legal and institutional frameworks to address the different challenges and promoting the effective participation of organizations and local governments at the municipal level. It also contributes to ensuring the rights and the creation of opportunities for women farmers and rural succession for young farmers, who will indeed be responsible for food production and the sustainable management of natural resources in the future. The collaboration between the different family farmers’ organizations, the UN agencies, FAO, FAO, governments, cooperation agencies, and other relevant stakeholders is of huge value in the UNDFF process and needs to be reinforced. In this sense, the role of the National Committees of Family Farming (NCFF) and other platforms for dialogue was highlighted and recognized. The NCFFs provide broad and inclusive platforms to the different stakeholders in the country for interaction, reflection, debate and negotiation on the current state of the agricultural sector, the strategies, programs and plans to unleash family farmers’ potential, while, at the same time, contributing to the strengthening of the role of civil society, and especially of farmers´ organizations, in the policy decision making process. Leer menos

Setting the scene: The catalytic role of the United Nations Decade of Family Farming towards sustainable, inclusive, resilient and viable food systems. The United Nations Decade of Family Farming (UNDFF) 2019-2028 calls on family farming to lead substantial transformations in current food systems, promoting actions which encompass the economic, social and environmental dimensions of family farming. The UN Resolution on the UNDFF offers the international community an extraordinary framework in which to achieve a positive shift in food systems. The Covid-19 pandemic highlights the need to redesi... Leer másgn the way we produce, consume, trade and organize food supply chains in order to better prepare for future crises, ensuring more equitable sustainability in the food supply chains. Family Farming gained visibility during this pandemic, as the importance of local and sustainable food consumption has been highlighted during the crisis. Leer menos

Areas of divergence?  Some participants felt more emphasis should be placed on urban farming. While this is an important focus, the emphasis on rural areas is important for at least two key reasons: (i) incidence of poverty and malnutrition predominate in rural areas; (ii) strengthening rural economies offer opportunities for stemming the migration from rural to urban spaces. Population increase in urban cities is expected to explode within the upcoming decades. This scenario – without appropriate structural economic transformation - lends itself to compounded development challenges. Addi... Leer mástionally, while the emphasis is on rural spaces, the proposed activities and expected impact do not preclude urban farming.  Some participants felt that there should be a lowering of standards regulating food products/agricultural produce, particularly for those operating in the informal economy. Acknowledging challenges faced by small-scale producers with standards compliance, emphasis should be placed on facilitating these stakeholders to comply. The impact of lowering of standards on South African agribusinesses to competitively engage in regional, global value chains and to assure consumers of food safety (particularly after COVID-19) needs to be carefully considered  Activities proposed as business solutions by some of the participants focused on promoting plant-based diets, while others emphasized meat consumption. It was agreed that it is important to focus on sustainable livestock rearing and agricultural practices, education and awareness on food nutrition and benefits, and to allow consumers free choice. Leer menos

Major topics of focus? The themes of the dialogue related most to Action Track 2, although there are also strong linkages with Action Tracks 1,3 and 4. The overall goal of the Dialogue was to present a market-based approach to addressing broken food systems. In this case, the focus is on market opportunities in the agritourism sub-sector The objectives of the dialogue were to:  Increase awareness and generate discussion among stakeholders on key market opportunities in the agritourism sub-sector to support all dimensions of food systems sustainability including food security & nutrition... Leer más, sustainable job creation, and environmental conservation.  Identify key policy and program interventions to support maximizing agritourism market opportunities for transforming South Africa’s food system.  Generate interest in establishing an informal Agritourism food systems network for continued dialogue and action beyond the Summit. The theme of the dialogue was premised on the position that agritourism markets can provide strong incentives for transforming food systems. Functioning markets in which buyers and sellers exchange goods and services acts as a central organizing principle of successful economies. They can stimulate competition, place pressure on producers to improve products and services, and in turn offer better value for consumers . The topics were categorised around 4 areas 1. Case studies – the objectives were to increase awareness on (i) various business approaches to the agritourism-sustainable food system agenda; (ii) good practices; (iii) benefits; and (iv) challenges 2. The culinary industry – the objectives was to explore the role of chefs in facilitating productive linkages between agritourism activities and the food system agenda, with particular emphasis on how facilitating farmers’ inclusion in agritourism and food value chains 3. Challenges/Needs – the objective was to explore binding constraints to South African stakeholders to maximize agritourism market opportunities and learn what institutions are doing to help address them 4. Solution Brainstorming – the objective was to outline, within 4 working groups, agritourism market solutions to support the sustainable food system agenda Leer menos

Main Findings? 1. Case studies – All three case studies - !Khwa ttu (https://www.khwattu.org); Setšong African Tea Crafters (https://setsongtea.com), and V&A Waterfront (http://waterfrontfoodmarket.com) highlighted their operations’ positive impact on the agritourism agenda through many of the following dimensions, among others: a. Creating new, unique, nutritious, and tasty food and beverage products using indigenous and local produce, which market data show are of high interest by tourists (domestic & international) b. Displacing food and beverage products, traditionally supplie... Leer másd by large multinationals, with healthy options using local ingredients and services c. Using indigenous ingredients, other cultural assets, and environmental resources to create services that raise awareness of the country’s heritage while promoting the value of healthy eating/lifestyle and environmental conservation d. Facilitating market access to smallholder farmers e. Reducing food supply chains f. Creating related off-farm jobs, particularly for women and the youth 2. Chefs – They play several important roles, including as: a. Food activists to help raise awareness on food sovereignty, biodiversity, healthy diets, and food waste management b. Facilitators of value chain inclusivity. For example, they source directly from small-scale farmers. They also work with them to educate on ingredients that are in high demand and how to use competitive marketing tools c. Creators of nutritious, tasty foods using local ingredients to respond to consumer trends 3. Challenges/Needs – There was agreement that education, innovation, access to land and finance, marketing, infrastructure, and stakeholder coordination are priority issues. Available institutional support was also identified (see dialogue report) 4. Solution Brainstorming -See section "Outcome for each Discussion Topic" Leer menos

The aim of the working group discussions (solution brainstorming) was intended to identify some concrete business proposals to respond to the market opportunities and address related challenges highlighted in the other focus areas. These discussions resulted in  A proposal: Indigenous 2.0 – The Next Generation Project.(Found in the Dialogue Report attached)  A supporting Position Paper (Policy Brief) (Found in the Dialogue Report attached. Also attached as a separate document)

First, we examined the question of addressing racial discrimination. Participants identified multiple points of concern with respect to alleviating this discrimination. This included access to capital: for example, venture capital to expand farms, or government capital and investment to establish markets. It is noteworthy here to pause and briefly emphasize that this was, again, not merely a complaint about desiring more wealth. Farming is uniquely multi-generational in terms of both ownership and geographic location: as such, past inequities and injustices in a given location and upon a given... Leer más farm are inextricably linked to modern-day outcomes as previously stated. Inequitable access to capital in the past has left many Black farmers behind in terms of their success, to the point where their capacity to farm has not kept pace with overall societal trends. For example, participants commented on the increasing price of land, and the increasing acreage necessary to sustain a family farm: given that these communities have been systemically disadvantaged, the pace of their own economic development has not kept up with the pace of inflation in terms of prices or competitiveness. This results in a food system which, over time, will systematically exclude Black farmers from starting, maintaining, and/or expanding their farms. In this vein, a concerted and substantial transfer of capital--for instance, (recommendation 1) establishing a separate fund for Black farmers, run by Black farmers--seems to be a key solution for redressing their exclusion from the food systems. They also pointed to access to government resources. For example, Black farmers are often either rejected or dismissed at USDA offices, with some participants describing a "good ole boy" culture within these offices, where officers do not devote sufficient time and energy to communicate key information to these farmers. (Recommendation 2) Here, an affirmative attempt to institutionally include Black farmers (or allies) in government offices, especially in tandem with expanding government infrastructure into marginalized areas, may help begin to redress these cultural issues. This moves into the second discussion topic of resources. Here, we saw two primary themes. First, building off the previous section, participants emphasized the lack of infrastructure for accessing government resources. For example, the issue of storage units was raised multiple times: without equitable access to approved storage units and transportation mechanisms, these same farmers will not have enough access to meet stringent regulatory requirements, and thus will be systematically excluded from selling to certain markets. In other words, without the requisite infrastructure (both in terms of access and competitive pricing for using it), there is a direct line to systemic exclusion to markets--causing an unsustainable cycle for these farmers with the eventual risk of excluding them from markets entirely. Small family farms must have continued, strong access to infrastructure so as to keep the barriers to entry attainable for new generations of farmers to access, build, and enrich new links to the existing food system. (Recommendation 3) Black owned and operated related resource arm that provides loans, capital, etc., advocacy etc. that is a user-friendly gateway to correct previous mistreatment, access, etc.? Relatedly, participants discussed difficulties in accessing markets. Again, this had to do with both capital resources (for example, advanced transportation methods) and also systemic discrimination from markets. Some of these discriminatory practices are more subtle than others: for example, in the United States especially, the aesthetic demands of crops can favor larger-scale farmers who use industrial-scale methods to selectively breed marketable crops. This causes smaller family farms to be excluded from the market, and again can lead to destructive cycles of eroding the connection between food systems and small- to mid-sized farmers. Leer menos

There were two areas of divergence among the participants of this dialogue. In both cases, the disagreement related to methods of expansion and sustainable farming. In the first case, there was a surprisingly lengthy discussion about whether or not access to export markets would be a viable strategy for sustainably growing a small farm. This has implications for developing future resources and infrastructure in the name of streamlining the experience for small farmers. For example, one participant raised the experience of facing difficulties navigating the regulations of importing and exportin... Leer másg his products; much like domestic regulations on crops, this points to the need for building deeper community roots for government regulatory agencies, where farmers can turn to for advisement. Another participant pointed out that given how competitive the developed-country market can be (such as the United States), small farmers may find their best opportunities by exporting to other countries. However, this assertion was countered by the equally valid concern that this strategy underestimates the massive capital requirements for exporting. Not only does it require accessing massive infrastructures that small farmers would not already have access to (placing an undue burden on them with respect to expansion), but it also downplays both the capital and the volume required to mitigate the risks associated with exporting to developing markets. For example, exporting to developing markets can bring with it failures to pay; this could be catastrophic for smaller farmers whose margins are already thin, and who already do not have sufficient access to resources to weather that loss of crop. Moreover, the amount of crop necessary to actually make exporting profitable--given the intricacies of transporting goods at scale--may be difficult or entirely unachievable to render exporting an insufficient strategy for smaller farmers. Overall, this discussion provided useful and important context to the discussion of where to prioritize educational and infrastructural resources for small to medium sized Black farmers. Relatedly, a second area of divergence came from whether or not achieving "large farm" status is, itself, a sustainable strategy for national or global food systems. This speaks to global issues of climate and resource sustainability: if the only path to success in agriculture is achieving large-farm status, then by definition all small to medium sized farms will scale themselves towards these industrial-scale strategies. These strategies may not be sustainable for the future, given the climate and resource implications of industrial-scale agriculture. Thus, there is a systemic question of whether the aspirations of farmer success should be restricted to the modern large-scale agriculture practices. This has major implications for how countries allocate resources to small, medium, and large farms: if this aspiration is in fact unsustainable (which many of our participants argued it was), it becomes the responsibility of governments to transfer substantial monetary and capital resources to small- and mid-sized farms, such that these farms can achieve large-farm levels of monetary success without the unsustainable practices that come with it. This area of discussion seems to have the most global implication, though it remains a difficult one to define more concretely. This discussion was furthered with the concern that local and state markets discriminate against Black Farmers and contractual relationships with schools etc. are not favored with Black Farmers. There was concern that small-scale farm should also include community farms (gardens) and therefore redefining and clarifying eligibility requirements for governmental and private support. Leer menos

Our dialogue focused on three primary areas: (1) Addressing racial discrimination against black farmers (2) Best practices that farmers currently use to address food access, food justice, or food sovereignty. (3) Resources needed to be in place to advance equitable livelihood. Our purpose with these questions were primarily information gathering and synthesis. Organizers of the dialogue put together these questions in an effort to allow participants to prioritize their answers organically. In the three breakout rooms, facilitators asked this question to the participants, allowing them to provi... Leer másde answers and to dialogue back and forth (where applicable) on each topic. Leer menos

With reference to BLACK farmers in the Southeastern United States, there are two evident conclusions that can be drawn with respect to sustainable food systems over the next decade and beyond. First, the very foundations of the food system--namely, the Black farmers who grow food--are at high-risk of failure. This is due, in great part, to historic structural inequities since the 250+ years of enslavement of People of Africa and the legacy of Jim Crow and racism upon their descendants including today. At the peak, Black farmers used to own 16-19 million acres (roughly 6.5 million hectares), no... Leer másw Black farmers own 3.6 million acres (roughly 1.5 million hectaces)--less than 1% of the farmland in the US. Especially among Black farmers, the majority of this population, on average, is aging. . Although there is evidence of younger generations expressing new interest, this needs nurturing and investment. At the same time, The intergenerational incentives for younger farmers to maintain the system seemed to be of great concern to all of our participants--particularly those who ran smaller farms. Though a variety of reasons were provided for this concern, one theme rose up above the rest: the up-front costs of breaking into farming are high for beginners, and the current crop of farmers are not being compensated enough to motivate the youth to pursue farming in the first place. Participants emphasized the low compensation as driving the youth away from farming, and they pointed to lack of start-up resources as driving away even youth who may already be somewhat interested. This is a key failure point in the food system and cannot be dismissed or overlooked as a mere gripe over wages. Without incentivizing younger people to choose farming over other, perhaps more lucrative industrial or white-collar career paths, the entire human foundation of the food system would be at risk of collapsing. This cannot be understated, and as a matter of policy, investing in the individual benefits accrued from farming--such as the awarding of government grants or funds--should be an immediate priority to preserve the future of sustainable food systems. A second theme arose around the question of equitable access. More specifically, this included access to economic markets as well as the need for streamlining the connection between the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and individual farmers. Farmers spoke extensively about the barriers to qualification that exist in order to compete for lucrative contracts. For example, the certifications and qualification standards often change rapidly, and without a robust infrastructure to connect regulatory bodies with individual farmers, these individual farmers cannot keep up with rapidly changing requirements. Additionally, the language and jargon involved with the complex legal bureaucracy is often inaccessible to smaller farmers: simply put, the increased bureaucratization of agriculture in the United States has weakened the links in the food system between political systems and the individual farmers. This, again, creates a highly concerning failure point within the food system: namely, the risk of alienating (and the potential to entirely lose) small farmers from the overall food system. Without building the requisite infrastructure to connect bureaucracy to individual farmers--including the simplification of language and streamlining the communication of updated regulations--small and mid-sized farmers are at risk of being left behind in the current food environment. Leer menos

We focused our dialogue on exploring the different sustainable approaches of foodtech entrepreneurs, the impact they want to create and the challenges they are facing along the way, as well as the evolution of both investor and consumer acceptance. We asked several entrepreneurs from the following Vertical Farming, Alternative Proteins and Waste Managements verticals within the foodtech world to share with us about their solutions to transform our industry into a more sustainable one. We made a journey through different technologies, from vertical farming to alternative proteins such as plant-... Leer másbased meat, algae ingredients, the transformation of food waste into protein through insects, and molecular dairy. Leer menos

The main conclusions reached on the challenges faced by entrepreneurs in undertaking sustainable solutions to combat the current fragility of the food system, are the following: One of the biggest obstacles is mainly in the minds of consumers, and their rejection of new products because of the lack of education. So educating people and making them understand what the new normal is, is key. And it is not only about educating the consumers but also about reaching out to the big corporations and making them understand the need to create a change in the supply chain. Regulation and policy must pla... Leer másy an important role in the future. Helping and working with the regulator to unlock certain packages to drive the industry forward, is a key priority. The importance of policy, if we are to introduce sustainable solutions on a large scale, is very significant. Many new technologies take time to become cost-effective, but if policy makers help entrepreneurs by offering carbon credits, emissions taxes or providing real incentives, it would be a big boost to overcome this initial moment of inertia and to have a wider choice available more quickly. The Covid pandemic highlighted the fragility of our supply chain and the importance of local production and safe food. To help change towards the creation of an alternative, sustainable and healthier food system, we need to embrace transparency, open thinking, to claim loudly and boldly what is wanted to be achieved and how it is to be achieved. Be more inclusive and also welcome feedback and ideas from peers, innovators and consumers. One of the keys is the willingness to invest in factories and hardware. Without infrastructure, foodtech companies cannot do research on their own. Fortunately, we are seeing more and more investors willing to invest in it. All concluded that the evolution on the food tech acceptance has been very positive in recent years. 50% of consumers on the next decade will be millennials and generation z, and they are already very much educated and informed and prefer local, healthy and diverse products. To make sure that this evolution continues to grow, it is necessary to make sure to make food very affordable and to create solutions that are accessible to most people on the planet. Leer menos