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• Privatization of Government investments in the Agricultural sector for Management and sustainability • Need for review of Agric policy and framework for a sustainable food system as policies are obsolete • Need for integration and coordination into the Policy • Integration of women in the agricultural sector • Empowerment with interest free loans and inputs to farmers • Timely distribution of inputs to farmers in terms of crop and animal farming • Engagement with traditional rulers and Local Government Chairpersons to provide lands to women • Leasing of demonstration farms to... Leer más women to encourage more women to farm • Need for the South-South zone to diversify to onions farming and goat herding. • Research on land productivity should be carried out • Research and education on Agric Extension should be encouraged • Research results and findings should be made public and Government should be engaged for effective dissemination • Bio fortification of foods and nutrition research should be encouraged by Government • Nutrition education and awareness should be strengthened at Antenatal levels • Need for integrated farming (crops, fishery, animal, livestock farming) for profiting at irrigation outlets • Agro logistics is key • Proper farmers’ data/records to be maintained by relevant bodies • Need for central farmers’ data that is accessible to all Agric sector stakeholders • Value chain and development financing by Central Bank of Nigeria should be encouraged • All stakeholders should be carried along from programme conceptualization, inception and research instead of imposing research findings • Road map development for the sector • Business plan development training • Idea sharing by Chief Executives in the sector is key • Need to capture information on all informal/private sector players in the Agric sector Leer menos

Discussion Topic Access to Safe and Nutritious Food What actions in next 3 years will have greatest impact on the Discussion Topic? • Contextualize the concepts of Access, Safe and Nutritious Food in the specific milieu and needs of communities and households. These will aid policy/decision making. • Equitable access to factors of production especially for women in both urban and rural communities will enable and enhance the availability and affordability of nutritious food. • Innovative knowledge in the production and processing of food will improve household nutrition • Development v... Leer másalue chains will improve access and food safety • Advocacy and sensitization on the need to have nutritious food using local and readily available ingredients • Promotion of community and school feeding programme Strand 1: Reducing hunger and inequality The conclusions are;  More families and households are becoming increasingly hungry with widening inequality. The reasons include; i.) Shift in family system, means and mode of production ii.) Constraining land tenure system iii.) Collapse of extension services • Education of households on income and livelihoods • Equity in access to land and means of production • Support private sector extension services • Use of data and empirical evidence Strand 2: Increasing availability and affordability of nutritious food Involves the following;  Value addition  Improvement of household incomes and alternatives  Fortification of food  Encourage all year production  Improvement on infrastructure  Adoption and adaptation of technology and science Strand 3: Ensuring Safe food Food safety will entail;  Availability of Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) services  Attainment of Open defecation free status  Accreditation and certification of farms and value chain operators for competitiveness  Regulations/Guidelines  Legislations What contributions will our organizations make? • Dam and irrigation services available to farmers for sustained food production • Agro-logistic support • Finance and risk mitigation • Technology and technical assistance • Knowledge Management • Reporting systems • Monitoring and Evaluation systems • Data and Information Management platform • Coordination, facilitation • Capacity building for stakeholders • Advocacy and sensitization How will it be possible to tell if these actions are being successful? 1. Supervision, Monitoring, tracking and evaluation 2. Comprehensive regional roadmap and implementation strategies peculiar to the states. 3. Outputs, Outcomes, Results and Impact Leer menos

Discussion Topic Shift to healthy and sustainable consumption pattern What actions in next 3 years will have greatest impact on the Discussion Topic? • Regulation of advertisement and marketing of unhealthy food (sugary beverages, ultra-processed food) through increasing tax/tariffs. • Nutrition education highlighting the dangers of unhealthy diet targeted at communities and schools, empowering community members and school children to demand for healthy food. • Mainstreaming of nutrition into all agricultural programme and education system. • Provision of enabling environments for civi... Leer másl society organizations involved in community mobilization and sensitization on healthy nutrition, to access free or subsidized airtime for nutrition education. • School feeding programmes should be implemented more effectively and monitored to ensure meals are provided with adequate quality and in the right quantities. • Encouraging local farmers to prepare and package locally made complementary food to strengthen complementary feeding for children under the age of five. • Provision of good storage facility to address waste recorded by small scale farmers who are cannot afford proper facilities to preserve their produce. • Encouraging appropriate technology for food preservation at household, retail and service levels to minimize wastage. • Building relevant infrastructures to aid food logistics management e’g. good road network to shorten supply distance and duration to avoid spoilage and wastage. • Establishing food collection centers within LGAs to enable fast and easy access will minimize need for storage and reduce wastage. • Building infrastructure for food processing and developing sustainable systems for food recycling and conversion of waste for productive use. • Institution of proactive measures to increase consumption of nutritionally adequate food e.g. increase farmers’ (especially women) access to land for farming and animal rearing to improve animal-sourced intakes for children. • Food safety policy should be developed to ensure producers/ food processors are properly guided on food standard and also to protect the consumers from unhealthy food • Robust public-private partnerships that support quality input and effective distribution of farm produce under the regulation and oversight of relevant government organs. • Multi-stakeholder engagement for an all-inclusive policy formulation • Investing in, and scaling up evidence-based and proven interventions for reducing malnutrition (under and overnutrition) among children under five, e.g. management of severe acute malnutrition at community level, conditional cash transfer for healthy food consumption etc. How can donor agancies and private sector organisations help? • Robust and mutually beneficial partnerships between private sector organizations and local small scale farmers with a focus on healthy food consumption should be developed with government’s oversight and regulation. • Local and international NGOs can support the design and implementation evidenced-based interventions targeting the most vulnerable, especially children and women, to improve nutrition. • Support innovative ideas and proof of concepts that will result in the shift from unhealthy to healthy and sustainable consumption. Leer menos

Discussion Topic Boost nature-positive food production at scale What actions in next 3 years will have greatest impact on the Discussion Topic? 1) Increase budgetary allocation: A policy stipulating the minimum budgetary allocation to agriculture. 2) Policy harmonization within the land use sectors to maximize use of available land 3) Encourage Climate-Smart Agricultural (CSA) practices, e.g.:  encourage crop rotation, intercropping and homestead gardening; as well as Agroforestry system, which has multiple uses, including protecting the soil;  integrated farming to incorporate animal hu... Leer mássbandry/livestock farming; this is the success behind the Songhai farms;  Use of improved varieties of input, e.g., stress- tolerant, high-yielding varieties, etc.  Discourage the use of chemical fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides and encourage organic farming  Using the ash obtained from palm tree wastes to enrich nutrient depleted soils;  Use of cover crops like legumes to control weed.  Introduction of local/traditional irrigation system 4) Introduction of out-grower’s scheme, for youth participation in Agriculture 5) Availability if data was conceived to be key for evidenced-based policies and programmes 6) Bio-security to maintain hygiene and health in livestock production What contributions will our organizations make? Many of the organizations participating in the discussion have one or two things to contribute. 1) Veterinary section: prevention and control of Zoonosis; 2) Boarder Commission: Advocacy and advice against conflict, crisis and wars before onset of farming 3) Department of Forestry: Building capacity of local communities to engage in agroforestry in nature-based production, raising seedlings and maintaining plantations; forming forest management committees 4) Economic Planning: Development of medium-term plan for agriculture. 5) Private sector: eliminate affluent/waste to environment by use of filters; treatment of waste water; backward integration for economic sustainability; incorporation of cassava flour into wheat flour; encourage local grain plantations and harvest; Ensure that animal feeds are produced under controlled hygienic condition; 6) Ministry of International Cooperation; Source for fund for sustainable agricultural practices; 7) ureau of Statistics: Conduct meta-evaluation and evidence-based monitoring and evaluation. 8) Ministry of Climate Change & Forestry: deforestation initiatives, especially tree planting: helping soil fertility; reducing heat & desertification; advocate against harmful practices such as bush burning and poaching. How will it be possible to tell if these actions are being successful?  Through periodic monitoring and evaluation. The following indicators will show success  Improved yield, access to credits/inputs  Improved nutritional status and health  Inclusive participation and community ownership of programmes  Economic enhancement  Reclamation of degraded land  Reduced carbon dioxide emission Leer menos

Discussion Topic Advancing Equitable Livelihoods What actions in next 3 years will have greatest impact on the Discussion topic? Considering the peculiarities of the three focused States (Cross River, Akwa Ibom and Rivers), suggestions to uplift the livelihoods of farmers and other value chain actors in the region were discussed. Actions proposed to have impact in the next three years include: 1. Tackling Insecurities: The group proposed regional security, particularly amongst the focused states who share almost similar security challenges and implored stakeholders (Government, Private sector,... Leer más local/community leadership, etc.) to collaborate in tackling insecurity in the regions. 2. Setting up Off-taking infrastructures: To address the problem of bonded contracting faced by local farmers, government in collaboration with private investors would set up accessible central centers to off-take produce directly from farmers at best market prices and to end post-harvest losses experienced by farmers so as to improve their income level. 3. Pricing Policy: Team members called on stakeholders to initiate policies that would stabilize macro-economic variables like taxation, inflation, exchange rates. -They identified the need to cap a Guaranteed Minimum Pricing policy as a requisite to tackling the problems of bonded contracts on small holder farmers. 4. Enhancing Social Capital Formation: it was noted that most farmers and value chain players lack stable financial support perhaps due to low knowledge of finance so they need financial leverages including zero interest facility and targeted agricultural loans (with low interest rates). -Capacity building on financial management was also identified for enhancing social capital. 5. Youth Involvement in Agriculture: the introduction of Smart-Agric as part of entrepreneurship course in curriculums or as skill development initiative would entice young people to engage in agriculture. 6. Climate Action: optimization of the meteorological agency by establishing sub-national hubs where timely weather condition and forecast would be disseminated in local languages to farmers to support their planning was identified as well as training of value chain actors on climate change adaptation and mitigation. How will it be possible to tell if these actions are being successful? The following indicators were highlighted:  Improved income level  Increase in yield  Reduction of farmers per area What contributions will our organisations make?  Representative of Educational and financial institutions sought for collaborations to train farmers Leer menos

Discussion Topic Building the Resilience of Food Systems in Nigeria to withstand Vulnerabilities, Shocks and Stresses What actions in next 3 years will have greatest impact on the Discussion Topic? * Long-term solution is to raise agricultural productivity * Review the land use act to allow both gender equal access to agricultural lands. * The vast mangrove swamps of the Niger Delta should be sustainably managed for agricultural and artisanal production. * Cluster farming should be encouraged to allow for agricultural mechanization * The Forest Reserves in the South-South Region such as the Cr... Leer másoss River National Park should be managed in such a way that host communities are not denied access to agricultural lands. * Enrolment in farmer cooperatives in the region is unacceptably low. Farmers should be encouraged to join cooperative societies to enable them benefit from CBN and World Bank assisted projects such as Anchor Borrowers’ Programme, APPEALS Project and NIRSAL. The politicization of these schemes should be discouraged. * Developing mechanisms for establishing weather index insurance schemes for farmers. Current programmes to improve the density of operational weather stations in the zone, thereby improving weather forecasting to farmers. * Provision of irrigation facilities for dry season farming * The agricultural extension services departments in the various state ADPs should be revived and enhanced to facilitate dissemination of improved agricultural practices. Value chain heads should be trained and re-trained to enlighten farmers on best agricultural practices * States in the region should establish agricultural produce processing hubs for value addition and curbing of post-harvest wastage. * Social safety net policies to reduce vulnerability especially for children and women should be encouraged. * Reintroduction of commodity boards and agricultural buy-back policy. * Taming the insecurity problems in the region: militancy, kidnapping and communal conflicts * Improved access to finance for small-holder farmers, especially women, to enhance productivity * Create a robust marketing network that directly and seamlessly link farmers to the market and private sector. * Social Consumer protection: Social insurance/support for producers to de-risk production. Leer menos

GROUP 1 The Food Systems in the South-South region is inherent with divergences in; a.) Production, processing, storage, packaging and distribution approaches • There is need to develop standards to enable competiveness • Improve shelf life of foods • Provide data and empirical information on the value chain b.) Consumption patterns • Data and scientific explanation c.) Ecological integrity • Embark on ecological restoration, build resilience, frameworks and mechanisms for climate change mitigation • Balance conservation with livelihood d.) Cultural and traditional orientations •... Leer más Taboos • Mythologies and belief systems • Gender inequality GROUP 3 There were disagreements on whether to include some cross-cutting issues that were not directly related to CSA; however, after extensive discussions, it was agreed that the issues were directly or indirectly related to the topic under discussion GROUP 4  Farmers loans: it was argued whether or not commercial banks in Nigeria have packages (like loans) for famers. A banker informed that banks have such facility while other group members (largely value chain actors) emphasized that agricultural loans should have lower interest rates and different moratorium considering that farmers engage in different crop production and yield period varies. GROUP 5 * The south-south region has comparative advantage in the production of fish, crayfish, prawns, etc. * Contrary to FAO claims, women are equally involved in crop farming as well as processing, marketing and distribution of agricultural produce Leer menos

Discussion Topic Ensure access to safe and nutritious food for all What actions in next 3 years will have greatest impact on the Discussion Topic? Strand 1: Reducing hunger and inequality 1. Support Small Holder Farmers to increase productivity with modern techniques. 2. Establish commodities and cooperative societies for marketing and financing. 3. Revive Public Agriculture Extension Services and encourage development and operationalization of Private Extension Service. 4. Rehabilitate/construct rural roads to improve food distribution. 5. Facilitate easy access to appropriate irrigation faci... Leer máslities. 6. Invest in land clearing to improve access to farmlands. 7. Create awareness on the various aspects/elements of the Food System and critical actions that are required to improve them. 8. Provide/improve access to credit and insurance for Food System stakeholders. 9. Invest in post-harvest storage systems including appropriate transportation. 10. Equip and deploy trained agro rangers to protect farms from vandalization. 11. Fund research on various components of the Food System to inform programmes and actions. 12. Engage young people to determine/enlist their interests in various aspects of the Food System and facilitate their entry. 13. Develop mentoring programmes across different domains of the Food System to support new entrants. 14. Review school curricula to include nutrition education and making the food systems work for everyone. 15. Revise agriculture education at the tertiary level to include a focus on the Food System. 16. Revive Commodity Marketing Boards to regulate/stabilize prices of farm products and facilitate off taker arrangements for small holder farmers. Strand 2: Increasing availability and affordability of nutritious foods 1. Create awareness on diet diversity and consumption of nutritious foods. 2. Encourage diversification in crop production. 3. Promote urban and peri-urban farming for diet diversity. 4. Discourage pre-mature harvesting of crops through awareness creation and enforcement of standards. 5. Promote use of organic soil amendments. 6. Facilitate access to credit and insurance for all Food Systems actors. Strand 3: Ensuring safe food 1. Create awareness and build capacity of stakeholders on food safety. 2. Prevent abuse of agro-chemicals. Cross-Cutting 1. Develop capacities for all food system domains. 2. Mainstream gender in different aspects of the food system. 3. Use ICT in Food System process management What contributions will our organisations make? MINISTRY OF FINANCE BUDGET & PLANING 1. Revise annual Budgets to include actions to improve the Food System. 2. Revise States’ Agricultural Policy and its implementation plan to respond to Food systems’ challenges identified. 3. Engage development partners for partnerships to develop the Food System. MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE 1. Purchase farming equipment and distribute to cooperative societies as well as farmers’ associations. 2. Enhance the capacity of Extension Service Providers. MINISTRY OF WOMEN AFFAIRS 1. Engage development partners for women empowerment. 2. Focus on women groups for capacity building How will it be possible to tell if these actions are being successful? 1. Periodic and annual review of Food System improvement actions across MDAs. 2. Monitoring the food system to ensure that suggested actions are implemented. 3. Deploying ICT tools to monitor performances of actors along the Food System. Leer menos

Shift to health and sustainable consumption patterns (Action Track 2) What actions in next 3 years will have greatest impact on the Discussion Topic? • Awareness creation and communication with policy makers about food system • Strengthening of nutrition units/divisions of MDAs to perform their functions • Awareness creation on health dietary habits, home food fortification and supplementation • Promote efficient storage facilities, expand use of exiting silos. • Encourage year-round farming • Promote backyard farming • Revisit neglected food crops for potential to improve diet d... Leer másiversity and nutrition • Develop nutrition guidelines for consumers, and food industries • Promote dietary diversity through backyard farming, and address problem of poverty • Policy redirection to promote consumption of safe and nutritious foods. • Translate data to formats for effective engagement with communities, media, and policy makers • Improve storage system • Promote appropriate timing of harvest • Create platforms for linking farmers to processors, marketers, and other up takers. • Improve rural infrastructure • Reactivate commodity Boards • Develop policies and implementation plans to address post-harvest losses • Implement the multi-sectoral Food and Nutrition Plan of Action. • Increase investments in Health sector • Scaling up behavior change interventions that will increase consumption of healthy and sustainable diets What contributions will our organisations make? Health Sector: • Create awareness on healthy dietary habits • Enforce food safety standards • Promote age-appropriate breastfeeding practices • Promote consumption of fresh and nutrient dense foods • Carry out food demonstration • Promote Home food fortification through use of Micronutrients Powders Agricultural Sector • Ensure that farmers have timely access to improved high yielding, pest resistant, climate smart seeds and seedlings. • Facilitate establishment and maintenance of strategic food reserves • Encourage year-round farming • Promote School agriculture programs and home stead gardens • Promote income generating activities women. • Advocate for engagement of more extension agents How will it be possible to tell if these actions are being successful? • Reduction in the prevalence of undernutrition and micro-nutrient deficiencies • Increase in number of people reached with nutrition education • Increased consumption of micronutrient rich foods, • Decreased consumption of sugar sweetened beverages, fried snacks, and carbonated drinks • Reduction in prevalence of NCDs • Availability of Agricultural and nutrition data • Increased number of households with backyard farms. • Availability of dietary guidelines • Reduction in food waste and post-harvest losses, especially for fruits and vegetables • Increased number of schools establishing school gardens • Increased investments in rural infrastructural Leer menos

Boost Nature-Positive Food Production at Scale What actions in next 3 years will have greatest impact on the Discussion Topic? 1. PROTECT natural ecosystems against new conversions for food and feed production a) Breeding high yielding crop varieties/ Bio- fortification b) Crop Intensification c) Use of cover crops to reduce soil degradation d) Evidence based Soil amendment e) Farmers to plan and organize farm operation ahead of planting season f) Control use of Agro chemicals g) Complementary use of organic fertilizers 2. SUSTAINABLY MANAGE existing food production systems to the benefit of b... Leer másoth nature and people a) Good Agriculture Practice (GAP) b) Crop rotation and intercropping c) Promote use of Bio pesticides 3. RESTORE degraded ecosystems and rehabilitate soil function for sustainable food production a) Afforestation b) Practice Agro-forestry c) Use of organic soil amendments and gradually scale down use of inorganic fertilizers d) Use of cover crops. What contributions will our organisations make? Ministry of Finance • Budget provision for farmer education on the need for reclamation of ecosystem. AFAN • Educate members on the need to practice Good Agricultural Practices to protect the ecosystem States’ Ministry of Agriculture • Intensify extension service delivery and increase number of extension agents. • Create awareness around bad practices that destroy the ecosystem. • Re-stock natural water bodies with fishes • Approve and implement State Agricultural policy. • Advance development of regional/zonal Agricultural policy. Tertiary Institutions • Modify curriculum to promote Agripreneural Skills Acquisition • Research towards increasing agricultural productivity that are nature positive ASSAPIN: • Promote private sector extension services provision • Advocate for inclusive budget formulation. SMALL SCALE WOMEN: • Encourage women to plant economic trees • Advocate for establishment of community woodlot to reduce deforestation. How will it be possible to tell if these actions are being successful? 1. Improved budget provision for Agricultural sector 2. Improved water and environment quality 3. Increased productivity 4. Increased awareness on ways to restore degraded ecosystems 5. Reduction in food prices Leer menos

Advancing Equitable Livelihoods and Value Distribution What actions in next 3 years will have greatest impact on the Discussion Topic? • Strengthening existing cooperative societies. • Growing grasses for livestock through cooperative societies • Confronting social norms and practices that systematically give privilege to some groups over others • Eliminating market and institutional failures and social exclusion. • Promoting Village Savings associations to enable disadvantaged group access loans, inputs, and trainings. • Promoting cattle ranching • Implementing Social safety net... Leer más programs to protect vulnerable groups and mitigate livelihood shocks. • Fabricating agro-processing equipment locally • Empowering rural people in renewable energy • Building trust between Government, NGOs, and the vulnerable groups. • Sourcing of funding for interventions apart from other than government. What contributions will our organisations make? 1. Office of the Humanitarian Service/Focal Person FGN • Nasarawa State Cash Transfer Programme (NSCTP) - Distribution of funds - Encouraging beneficiaries to form cooperatives and savings 2. “Nasarawa Arise” Group: • improving education, science, technology, environment, and climate change • Skill acquisition programmes for youths, women and disabled • Establishment of food pyramids 3. Benue State Government • Adopting and implementing the template and food systems structure provided by BMGF and World Bank 4. Plateau State Government: • Implement State development plans for addressing inequalities in distribution of livelihoods. 5. Ministries of Agriculture and Water Resources: • Prioritising the vulnerable in selection of beneficiaries for interventions • Inclusiveness in distribution of inputs 6. YMCA (Nasarawa State), NAWEA (Benue State) CCDP (Plateau State): • Establishment of Savings and Loans Associations How will it be possible to tell if these actions are being successful? • Equal access to basic infrastructure, public goods, and ecosystem services. • Increased in decision-making power of vulnerable groups. • Significant reduction in inequality • Significant reduction in social norms and practices that privilege groups over others. Leer menos

BULDING RESILIENCE TO VULNERABILITIES, SHOCKS AND STRESSES What actions in next 3 years will have greatest impact on the Discussion Topic? Actions to strengthen resilience and livelihoods. - Support farmers with soft loans like trader loans - Provide improved breeds of livestock and seeds/seedlings to farmers - Timely release of farm inputs to farmers that meet the right agricultural cycle - Create awareness through the media about resilience Action for climate change adaptation - Provide farmers with mechanized tools - Encourage ranching so that organic fertilizer is generated to reduce use o... Leer másf inorganic fertilizers. Actions to guarantee regeneration of ecosystems and nature - Reduce deforestation - Encourage tree planting Action to maintain functioning food system in the wake of shocks - Increase the access to land ownership by women and other vulnerable groups - Develop a food security dashboard that tracks the implementation of programs such as safety nets, CCTs, etc. - Enact a food safety bill that supports inclusion of vulnerable groups - Govt should distribute facilities and Agric inputs through Agric Measures to put in place to absorb effects shocks to the food system - Encourage cooperative contribution (thrift collection) to save for rainy days - Prioritize spending, encourage personal savings (Social resilience) - Practice Mixed crop farming - Improved storage facilities - Urban farming Ensuring that credit facilities and Agric input reach the target respondent - Disbursement of facilities through cooperative groups - Monitoring and supervision of Cooperative groups by relevant Ministries - Evidence-based reportage by the media to ensure accountability for disbursements How to use monitoring and evaluation for decision making - Collection of data on all farmers - Conduct NEEDS assessment for farmers - Data collection on yields per geography for proper planning and decision making What contributions will our organisations make? - Research Institutes and Higher Institutions: Promote research findings that encourage farmers to adopt new technologies - Ministries of Agriculture: Subsidize farm inputs to farmers; encourage year-round farming; Encourage backyard farming; Subsidize price of tractors to farmers especially women; Set up storage facilities for farmers to store in-season and sell at good prices off-season to reduce Post Harvest losses; Train farmers in the area of seed preservation for optimum production; and release farm inputs to meet with the farming cycle. - State governments: Establish and equip Women Development Centres at all levels; promulgate policies that will address the issue of insecurity, and for resettlement of displaced persons; rent out govt-owned lands to farmers at subsidized rates; and Re-align activities within the proposed budget provision in case of budget cuts - Civil Society Organisations: Advocacy to relevant stakeholders for upward review of budgetary allocations and Increase in political will How will it be possible to tell if these actions are being successful? - A robust community-engagement - Institutionalization of M&E - Holding of field days and Agric shows where successes are showcased to encourage other farmers. - Organizing food demonstration sessions - Setting targets that will enable results measurement Leer menos

GROUP 1 Reactivation of Commodity Marketing Boards: Opinion that Marketing Boards should be discarded because of corruption and inefficiency versus being critical for managing costs of food and ensuring good nutrition. 2. Youths’ involvement in the Food System: Opinion that youths are not interested in agriculture because it is dirty, versus opinion that youths do not know the benefits of involvement GROUP 2 What are the divergences that are revealed and how to manage them? 1. Development of guidelines on healthy diets should be the main focus now; versus sensitization on the emergence of NC... Leer másDs as a major public health challenge. 2. ‘Available data not generated locally or disaggregated to the LGA levels generating controversies among stakeholders’: versus ‘Data available but scattered - harvesting and translation of agricultural and nutrition data into formats that can be used by policy makers for decision making. GROUP 3 1. Extensification (Opening up of new Agricultural lands) vs intensification of agricultural production 2. zero tillage /mechanization/ slash & Bum 3. Land clearing campaign for commercial farming by Government / small scale production 4. Use of crop residues for mulch vs energy production (gas) vs animal feeds vs other domestic uses e.g., fencing and for building etc. 5. Shifting cultivation (fallowing) vs continuous cropping. 6. Use of inorganic fertilizer vs slow-release organic fertilizer. 7. Control fishing vs Fish farmers’ livelihood. GROUP 4 1. Discriminatory social norms: Are women and widows actually disadvantaged when it comes to access to land and resources? It was clear from different submissions that what is seen as discriminatory social norm against the vulnerable group in one community might be a normal way of life in other communities, depending on the values and level of social indoctrination on the people. But how this affects the working of the food system in the region is the main issue of concern. 2. The need for events like this: While some participants considered it a waste of resources and time to organise the events like this as nothing new will come out of discussion, majority feel it was important and necessary to have a round table discussions to know why and where we are failing to get it right. Leer menos

The major focus of the exploratory dialogues at the geopolitical level was to facilitate engagement and discussions among a broader set of stakeholders than was obtainable during the Inception dialogue. The dialogue explored the food systems from a wide variety of perspectives, identified promising options for their improvement and considered ways in which the different groups of stakeholders can advance these options as contributions to the national pathway towards sustainable food systems. The dialogue explored the five action tracks in five groups and examined the links between the action t... Leer másracks at plenary when the groups made their presentations. The discussions centred around the many challenges across the food systems – challenges chief of which is post-harvest losses and food wastage; declining productivity; gender inequality; lack of resilience in the food systems; and a poor mix of policies. The dialogue identified the roles of various stakeholders in ensuring that the broken food systems are fixed, and how the various stakeholders will be mobilised to deliver what is required from each of them in achieving sustainable food systems that work for everyone. Leer menos

Stakeholders believed that the exploratory dialogue was necessary in an effort to improve food and nutrition security, reduce hunger and malnutrition, and identify challenges with the food systems from multiple perspectives including voices seldom heard; and that it provided an opportunity to debate, collaborate, and take actions to address challenges identified. The main findings and conclusions are presented by action track. Action Track 1: Stakeholders recommended an increase in public investments in the agricultural sector to improve rural infrastructure such as roads, storage, and process... Leer másing facilities, as well as total overhaul of the agricultural extension system by encouraging private sector investments and recruiting and training more public sector extension staff. Other recommendations improving access of smallholder farmers to inputs, finance, and insurance; encouraging diet diversification through mixed home gardens and urban agriculture; promoting ‘good agriculture practices’ and discouraging unsafe practices to speed up ripening of fruits; and facilitating linkages of smallholder farmers to markets to prevent post-harvest losses. The government was called upon for consistent, coordinated, and appropriate policies, alongside appropriate philosophy for development of the agricultural sector; and mainstreaming of gender considerations in different aspects of the food system, including access to land. Action track 2:Stakeholders recommended awareness creation for policy makers on importance of food systems for food and nutrition security, job creation and economic development; and the challenges facing our food systems together with actions needed to fix them. Other recommendations include strengthening of nutrition divisions in various Ministries, Departments and agencies of government, and ensuring budgetary provision and release for nutrition program implementation; implementing an enlightenment campaign on diet diversity, healthy eating and home food fortification using micronutrient powders; identifying and promoting efficient storage and transportation facilities for agricultural produce and reactivating commodity boards for price regulation; rehabilitating and putting exiting silos into use; promoting and facilitating access of small holder farmers to appropriate scale of irrigation facilities for year-round farming; investing in identification and promotion of neglected and forgotten food crops; developing and disseminating food based dietary guidelines; and increasing investments in Primary Health Care sector to provide nutrition education/counselling, and monitor child growth. Government, and CSOs were called upon to work with traditional, religious, and community leaders to continuously engage with their subjects on the importance of consuming safe and nutritious foods to good health. Action track 3: Recommendations include protection of the ecosystem against new conversions of land for food and feed production by promoting crop intensification; use of cover crops to reduce soil degradation and erosion; investing in breeding of crops for high yields and improved attributes including biofortification; facilitating sustainable management of food production systems to benefit the environment and people through good agriculture practices (GAP); restoring degraded ecosystems and rehabilitating the soil for sustainable food production through renewed afforestation efforts, and scaling up the use of organic soil amendments, crop rotation and intercropping. Action track 4: The recommendations include encouraging and supporting the setting up and functioning of cooperative societies for women and other vulnerable groups; and promoting ‘Village Savings Association Model’ to facilitate access to credit, inputs, and trainings; providing access to land for cultivation by vulnerable groups, e.g., women, youth, persons living with disabilities, new settlers, and other marginalized groups at community level; addressing social norms and practices that systematically provide privileges to some groups over others; eliminating market access barriers, and social exclusion for vulnerable groups; ensuring that social protection schemes reach the intended beneficiaries; promoting the use of clean energy; and identifying alternate sources of funding for interventions apart from the government. Action track 5: Recommendation include facilitation of timely access to improved breeds of livestock and seeds/seedlings for small holder farmers; reduction of deforestation, increasing access to land for women and other vulnerable groups; developing a food security dashboard that tracks the implementation of programs such as safety nets, CCTs, etc.; encouraging participation of of vulnerable groups. Leer menos

To ensure that the food production systems produce good quality and nutritionally adequate food commodities, stakeholders recommended the promotion and encouragement of the use of improved high yielding varieties of crops and livestock to increase productivity, and the provision of incentives to farmers in form of subsidy. An associated recommendation is the reduction of dependence on rainfed agriculture and the promotion of irrigation methods that will shift focus to dry season production to ensure all year-round availability and affordability of nutritious foods, and the adoption of climate ... Leer mássmart and nutrition responsive agricultural practices across the zone. To conserve the environment, stakeholders believe that a gradual shift from the use of inorganic fertilizers to the use of organic fertilizers, and the proper use of herbicides and pesticides will protect the environment and support efforts towards ensuring the safety of agricultural produce and prevent food borne illnesses related to food safety issues. . Stakeholders also called for the enforcement of existing laws and regulations that prevent environmental degradation, and for the protection of the ecosystem against new conversions for food and feed production. The efficient recycling of waste, and the use of solar smoking kiln for fish and as against the traditional smoking method that uses wood smoke was also suggested as a means to protecting the health of the environment and of the people. Stakeholders called for the promotion of urban agriculture particularly for the production of vegetables and fruits for household consumption and the sale of the excess production for income generation. The enhancement of access to land for female farmers was also suggested as a way to ensuring household food access. Stakeholders opined that the provision of basic rural infrastructure will facilitate access of farmers to the market so as to reduce wastage, and curb the rising rate of rural urban migration, which in itself is a major underlying cause for household food insecurity and the rising levels of malnutrition in the country. Stakeholders concluded that post-harvest losses can be drastically reduced through the encouragement of on-farm processing activities and the provision of gender appropriate processing equipment, and the associated linkages to off takers. The creation and revival of commodity boards was proposed as a means of addressing the issue of waste and linkages to off takers. The rehabilitation of, and the use of silos in each of the Local Government areas was also put forward as a means to reducing food post-harvest loses. To ensure the consumption of nutritious, safe, and diverse foods, stakeholders suggested a massive public enlightenment programme because they believe that a large proportion of the population do not have the information to be able to make informed decisions about what they should or should not eat. They also believe that there should be awareness creation on the benefits of consuming healthy, nutritious, and diverse foods. Stakeholders recommended the urgent implementation of the following actions to kick start the process of repairing the NC geopolitical zone food systems. 1) Promotion of private sector agricultural extension systems to complement the public sector system for providing extension service to farmers along with awareness creation on the consumption of healthy diets. 2) Promotion of efficient storage techniques for various commodities and facilitating access to such. 3) Provision of basic rural infrastructure by government or through PPP. 4) Positioning & strengthening of research institutes to engage in demand driven research, clarifying their mandates, and monitoring their performances. 5) Setting out regulations and sanctions for environmental degradation from Agro-processing waste. 6) Government to work in partnership with private extension service providers, CSOs/NGOs to build capacity and strengthen extension service delivery. 7) Ensure that farmers have access to early maturing & disease resistant varieties of crops and livestock. 8) Massive enlightenment and sensitization of the general public on the benefits of afforestation and the challenges associated with deforestation. 9) Conflict management and reforms aimed at moderating clashes between farmers and herders. 10) Creating and maintaining a database of farmers to ensure that productive inputs reach practising farmers. 11) Strengthening the agricultural insurance scheme and breaking the monopoly of NAIC in this area. 12) Put in place a monitoring framework to ensure implementation of all recommendations for the improvement of food systems by all actors. Leer menos

Challenges and possible solutions to providing quality, safe and nutritious foods for all along the food systems What actions in next 3 years will have greatest impact on the Discussion Topic? Strand 1: Reducing hunger and inequality • Preponderance of smallholder farmers in agricultural agriculture. • High cost of land preparation. • Low agricultural productivity. • Politics in the distribution of farm inputs. • Lack of awareness and capacity for farmers to uptake production technology. • Lack of nutritious food for human consumption. • Low level dry season farming. Strand 2: In... Leer máscreasing availability and affordability of nutritious foods • Increased postharvest loss. • Food price anomalies due to poor linkages between production and distribution. • Lack of adequate storage facilities. • Poor uptake of research outputs. • Lack of farmers education/capacity. • Poor linkages to markets. • Poor rural infrastructure. • Lack of modern farming and processing equipment. • Shocks and stresses to the agricultural production systems. • Widespread insecurity. Strand 3: Ensuring safe food • Lack of quality planting materials. • High import duties on materials for construction of food processing machines. • Sale of deteriorated perishable crops in the markets as a result of poor access to efficient storage and transportation. • Indiscriminate use of agrochemicals. • Poor awareness on the need to consume nutritious and safe food. • Lack modern processing machines. • Lack of proper vaccination of animals. • Use of woods consisting of carcinogenic compounds for the roasting of fish/meat. • Lack of sensitization on proper packaging of processed foods. Cross-Cutting • Problem of insecurity of farmers and their produce. • Problem of natural disaster. • Lack of farmers education/capacity development. • Lack of awareness and capacity development of the farmers in terms of technology demonstration and adoption. • Lack of community sensitization. What contributions will our organisations make? • Small-Scale Women Farmers Organization of Nigeria to produce more nutritious food • Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) to implement policies. • Ministry of Health to engage in sensitization and promotion of healthy living and consumption of safe foods. • Civil Society Organizations to advocate for increase in private extension systems and increase allocation to Agriculture. • MARD/ ADPs for awareness creation to strengthen extension services. • MARD to encourage use of improved crop varieties and good manufacturing practices (GAP). • MARD to encourage organic farming. • MARD to encourage production of organic fertilizer to reduce environmental pollution. • CBN to expand anchor borrower program to cover more value chains. How will it be possible to tell if these actions are being successful? • Higher crop productivity. • Biofortified crops available in the market. • Increased number of extension agents. • Production inputs are subsidized for small holder farmers. • Farmers have easy access to credit and insurance facilities. • Improved market linkages. • Increased youth engagement in the agricultural sector. • Improved access to land for cluster farming, credit, and insurance for women farmers. • Availability of affordable gender friendly farming and processing equipment/machines. • Easy access to irrigation and storage facilities. • Improved rural roads. • Reduced tariffs on materials for equipment fabrication. • Increased number of agro-processing zones. • Absence of deteriorated crops in markets Leer menos

Discussion Topic Shift to healthy and sustainable consumption patterns What actions in next 3 years will have greatest impact on the Discussion Topic? • Create awareness, advocate for, and educate on safe and healthy food consumption • Farmers to embrace market-driven production to enhance income and purchasing power • Dry season farming to ensure all year-round availability • Revisit neglected and underutilised foods • Scale up school feeding programme • Promote integrated farming and backyard farming and work into primary and secondary school curriculum • Promote high yielding ... Leer máscrop varieties • Strengthen linkages between research, policy, and practice • Improve rural infrastructure • Adaptation indigenous processing and storage methods, and explore modern technologies • Price control and regulation of activities of middlemen • Provide incentives for healthy consumption and production of healthy food by food and beverage companies • Use community-based extension volunteers for food demonstrations using locally sourced healthy foods • Identify other sources for agricultural financing • Strengthen farmer-groups and other rural associations for community development • Encourage contract farming with buy-back arrangements • Perfect recycling process for agricultural waste • Reposition and strengthen agricultural research institutes. • Create awareness and educate on dangers of unhealthy environment • Enforce existing regulation and sanction for environmental degradation • Regulate chemical use in all aspects of agricultural production • Intensify consumer protection activities What contributions will our organisations make? • Religious and traditional leaders, opinion moulders, local leaders and the media will contribute to awareness creation and education on need for healthy food consumption and environmental sustainability • Ministries of Health and Environment will enforce regulations on environmental degradation • Agriculture research institutes with mandates for processing and storage will develop technologies for processing and storage • Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN) will review and revise mandates of Research Institutes in line with current realities. • Regulatory agencies will enforce existing regulations to prevent the nefarious activities of some food and beverage companies • Federal and state Ministries of Agriculture, through the Agricultural Development Projects, will ensure prompt dissemination of information on safe and healthy food consumption, and on environmental sustainability. • The federal and states Ministries of Education will mainstream integrated and backyard farming into primary and secondary school curriculum. • Farmer groups, other rural associations and banking institutions will provide farm credit How will it be possible to tell if these actions are being successful? • Reduction in the current rates of malnutrition indices and related deaths • Reduction diet related illnesses such as type 2 diabetes, cancer, obesity etc. • Reduction in percentage annual food loss • Increase in demand for safe and healthy foods • Increase in production and utilisation of neglected and underutilised crops • Reduction in environmental degradation • Increased alternative uses of agricultural waste Leer menos

Discussion Topic Boost nature-positive food production at scale What actions in next 3 years will have greatest impact on the Discussion Topic? • Massive afforestation/reforestation. • Encouraging the production of cover crops, to control erosion. • Converting wastes to wealth through efficient waste recycling systems. • Revisiting the land tenure laws. • Promoting the use of organic fertilizers as against the use of inorganic ones. • The use of biological methods of pest control and food preservation. • Discouraging the use of chemical for fish farming. • Enacting and enforcin... Leer másg laws against the use of scoop nets for artisanal fish harvesting, to preserve fingerlings, especially of rare species. • Promoting the use of solar smoking kiln for fish processing. • Discouraging the use of firewood for cooking, through the use of gas cooking facilities. • Increasing the diversity of crops/fish by implementing laws for their conservation. What contributions will our organisations make? • Capacity building through strengthening our extension delivery (extension agents, civil society organizations, non-governmental organizations). • Provision of ecosystem-friendly fishing inputs (Ministry of Agriculture and research institutes) • Establishing hatcheries for fingerlings (Ministry of Agriculture) • Encouraging access to early maturing and disease resistant varieties (Ministry of Agriculture) • Sensitization of food system actors on following climate reports (NIMET and Ministry of Communications) • Sensitization on the benefits of afforestation and the dangers of deforestation (CSOs, Ministries of Communication; Environment and Forestry) • Enacting and enforcing laws against negative nature-food production practices. • Improving synergy between the state/federal government and regional/international organizations (like ECOWAS, UN) on desertification. • Developing climate-smart varieties. How will it be possible to tell if these actions are being successful? • At least, a 50% increase in the number of trees in the next three years, • Periodic environmental assessment. • A review of the current Land Use Act. • Having stable budget plans, budget lines, budget releases and monitoring/evaluation for the suggested actions. Leer menos

Advance Equitable Livelihoods and Value Distribution What actions in next 3 years will have greatest impact on the above 1. Deliberate policy formulation and implementation to promote gender inclusiveness along the food system in North Central Nigeria 2. States to develop strategies to domesticate and implement all existing International and National Gender Policies. 3. Women and other vulnerable groups should be given access and opportunities for social investment schemes. 4. Advocacies to traditional leaders, Religious leaders, and Social-Cultural organizations to abolish cultures and norms ... Leer másthat discriminates access to resources by women and other excluded groups in the communities. 5. Review of the land tenure system to create opportunity for women access to land. 6. Trade laws and tariff: The need for only one body to regulate collection of agricultural Tariff 7. Environmental problem: The need to rehabilitate canals and irrigation infrastructures in the State. 8. Afforestation laws and policy: promotion of smokeless stoves, the use of biogas and animal dung as alternative to wood. 9. Continuous sensitization of farmers on climate smart Agriculture. 10. Food system and insecurity: Can be addressed by encouraging entrepreneurship opportunities for youths to engage in farming which will promote food production and reduced vulnerability of youth to social vices 11. Promotion of Homestead agriculture 12. Periodic update of farmers database for equitable distribution of inputs. What contributions will our organisations make? Civil Society Organizations / Ministry of information: Information dissemination from urban to rural; Policy reforms and implementation; Advocacy to market on various Government schemes; Advocacy for increase funding into the Agriculture Sector; monitor investment in Agriculture; and Public sensitization and orientation. Ministries of Agriculture: Promote Good agricultural practices among rural farmers; Promote adoption of modern technology in agricultural operations by farmers; train Small holder farmers especially women on food processing, packaging as well as hygienic food handling; train farmers on value addition; Strengthen extension services; and, Empower Farmers and other vulnerable groups for alternative income generating activities. Ministries of budget and Economic planning: ensure that resources are adequately allocated to Agricultural infrastructures; make contingencies plans for emergency support to vulnerable groups before international intervention; strengthen Agricultural Research institutes and colleges; ensure needs assessment, participatory approach, for effective inclusiveness during project planning; create database of real farmers; and strengthen insurance scheme for farmers. How will it be possible to tell if these actions are being successful? 1. Improvement in involvement of women and youth in Food system activities 2. Increase in number of women in leadership positions at community level 3. Discriminating laws and norms are renounced by communities to pave way for inclusiveness of women and youth in decision making. Leer menos