Independiente Diálogo Asociatividad para la alimentación del futuro Enfoque geográfico: Chile Discussion topic outcome Tema: Obstáculos que frenan el potencial de las cooperativas A pesar de la percepción de un alto potencial de contribución de la asociatividad a sistemas alimentarios sostenibles, inclusivos y resilientes, se perciben varios obstáculos que lo limitan. Se destacan: A) Normativas, legislación y apoyos inadecuados El Estado aparece como un actor clave con un rol tanto facilitador como obstaculizador del potencial de la asociatividad. Aunque se reconoce la importancia de programas de apoyo e impulso de la asociatividad y el cooperativismo desde el Estado, se percibe una brecha entre el objeti... Leer másvo de los programas y las realidades de las asociaciones y cooperativas. Por un lado, el modelo promovido desde las instituciones públicas se corresponde con un modelo muy comercial poco pertinente para la conciliación de otros objetivos y visiones más amplias del asociativismo. Así, se observan dificultades para integrar los diferentes valores culturales o modelos de producción alternativos con las dinámicas del sistema económico tradicional en las que se basan esos programas. Por otro lado, el apoyo del Estado aparece como discontinuo e insuficiente, concentrando los recursos en el impulso de formación de cooperativas, pero no logrando proveer el acompañamiento y apoyo necesarios para facilitar el correcto funcionamiento de la cooperativa tras su formalización, especialmente en ámbitos de gestión. No obstante, el verdadero obstáculo lo constituye el conjunto de trabas administrativas, burocráticas y legislativas que constriñen y limitan las cooperativas. La falta de presencia de y conciencia sobre las cooperativas en la política pública lleva a la no consideración explícita de este modelo de organización y resulta, por tanto, en una discriminación implícita de cooperativas y asociaciones en los marcos normativos, que no se adaptan a sus realidades. También se percibe como obstáculo el alto grado de sectorialidad y centralización del Estado para fomentar el potencial de la asociatividad que, por su naturaleza, puede contribuir a sistemas alimentarios sostenibles, inclusivos y resilientes desde diferentes ámbitos integral y simultáneamente y desde la pertinencia territorial y local. B. Falta de información, cultura cooperativa y confianza La falta de cultura cooperativa, especialmente en un entorno en el que se promueve la competencia y el individualismo, deriva en un desconocimiento sobre el funcionamiento y el potencial de la asociatividad en todos los sectores y entre todos los actores. Esto se refleja en: 1. Desconfianza general e histórica por parte de la ciudadanía con respecto a la asociatividad por la promoción del individualismo desde la educación, la desarticulación de iniciativas tradicionales de acción colectiva y las experiencias negativas alrededor del establecimiento y posterior disolución de cooperativas que no han logrado materializar los beneficios inicialmente esperados ante los obstáculos. 2. Trabas en la vinculación de las cooperativas con numerosas instituciones y actores, especialmente con las instituciones financieras. Al no existir marcos regulatorios específicos, muchas cooperativas y asociaciones se mantienen en un vacío entre la empresa y el individuo, manteniéndose en una situación de difícil acceso a servicios financieros y al financiamiento. 3. Dificultades para encontrar a profesionales especializados en el mundo cooperativo y con capacidad para administrar cooperativas. Además de estos, aparecen otra serie de obstáculos menos específicos y relativos al sistema alimentario: I. Reducción del acceso a recursos naturales de los que dependen los productores y, por ende, la asociatividad. Las dinámicas desiguales de acceso a recursos naturales entre diferentes actores, por un lado, y el cambio climático, por otro lado, están generando un deterior del acceso de los pequeños productores a, específicamente, tierra y agua. II. Desigualdad territorial con falta de acceso a oportunidades en los territorios rurales, destacando la importancia de la brecha digital. III. Fuerte presencia de intermediarios en los canales de comercialización y las limitaciones de los canales cortos muy locales. Leer menos Línea(s) de Acción: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Palabras clave: Finance, Governance, Policy
Independiente Diálogo Asociatividad para la alimentación del futuro Enfoque geográfico: Chile Main findings Existe un amplio reconocimiento del potencial de la asociatividad para contribuir a sistemas alimentarios sostenibles, inclusivos y resilientes, aunque la magnitud de este potencial depende de la visión que se adopte de la misma y de su capacidad de integrar y convocar otros actores. En su definición más limitada, las cooperativas y asociaciones de productores tienen el potencial de mejorar la participación de los pequeños productores en el sistema alimentario, mediante la generación de mejores oportunidades de comercialización. La disminución de costos individuales asociados a las eco... Leer másnomías de escala, la estabilidad de la producción a nivel colectivo y la mayor capacidad de negociación derivada de un mayor volumen de negocio son algunos de los elementos en el haber de las cooperativas y que posibilitan la inserción en mercados más dinámicos y el establecimiento de mejores canales de comercialización que genere una más justa remuneración para los productores. Más allá de la comercialización, se percibe que las cooperativas pueden mejorar el acceso a nuevas tecnologías y generar resiliencia ante situaciones de conmociones como el impacto de pandemia. En el caso de las asociaciones de consumidores, estas aparecen como herramientas que contribuyen a la reducción de intermediario y generar un mejor acceso de los socios a los alimentos a precios asequibles. Más allá de las funciones más comerciales y económico-productivas de las cooperativas, existe una percepción amplia de que el verdadero potencial de contribución de las cooperativas a sistemas alimentarios sostenibles, inclusivos y resilientes se produce cuando transciende los intereses puramente económicos y se fortalecen los valores de ayuda mutua y búsqueda del bien común desde las bases de los territorios. En estos casos, las cooperativas y asociaciones pueden constituir estrategias de empoderamiento rural, generar capacidad de agencia y autonomía para administrar los propios recursos naturales y revitalizar las prácticas culturales y los saberes tradicionales, así como capacitar y desarrollar otro tipo de acciones a favor de los socios y los territorios. No obstante, la asociatividad se concibe como un elemento del sistema alimentario cuyo potencial, si bien importante, depende de la interrelación con otros actores del sistema. Resulta por tanto esencial considerar a los demás actores y no reducir la acción colectiva a organizaciones de productores y/o consumidores, sino fomentar la asociatividad y la cooperación a nivel de sistema alimentario. En este sentido, tres tipos de articulaciones aparecen como de especial interés para generar dinámicas positivas que contribuyan a avanzar hacia sistemas alimentarios sostenibles, inclusivos y resilientes: I. Cooperación entre cooperativas, tanto entre cooperativas en los mismos sectores para fortalecer el alcance y las capacidades como entre cooperativas en diferentes sectores a fin de establecer redes y cadenas cooperativas. II. Conexión entre la producción y el consumo y vinculación urbano-rural. Una buena acogida y apoyo desde la demanda, ya sea para fomentar la sostenibilidad o la inclusión social en la producción, resulta clave para que se puedan generar cambios desde los productores. En esta misma línea, el mayor acercamiento entre lo rural y lo urbano y los procesos de gentrificación rural se conciben como oportunidades para el establecimiento de cadenas cortas y lograr una mayor conexión entre productores y consumidores. III. Articulación entre la asociatividad, el sector público y la academia orientada a la generación de apoyos y capacidades pertinentes y adaptados. A pesar de la percepción de un alto potencial de contribución de la asociatividad a sistemas alimentarios sostenibles, inclusivos y resilientes, se perciben asimismo varios obstáculos que limitan este potencial, entre los que se destacan un conjunto de trabas administrativas, burocráticas y legislativas que constriñen y limitan a las cooperativas y la falta de cultura y conocimiento sobre las cooperativas y asociaciones en un entorno en el que se ha promovido el individualismo y la competencia. Así, promover el potencial de las cooperativas y asociaciones para contribuir a sistemas alimentarios sostenibles, inclusivos y resilientes pasa por fomentar la visibilidad y el conocimiento sobre las mismas y generar espacios para modelos alternativos de organización y trabajo, adecuando los marcos reguladores, promoviendo la cultura asociativa, impulsando la articulación y cooperación entre diversos actores y la participación en la toma de decisiones, especialmente a nivel local y territorial. Leer menos Línea(s) de Acción: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Palabras clave: Finance, Governance, Policy
Independiente Diálogo Asociatividad para la alimentación del futuro Enfoque geográfico: Chile Major focus El diálogo tuvo como objetivo principal abordar el potencial del modelo cooperativo y de la asociatividad en Chile, en toda su diversidad, e identificar estrategias para su impulso y su contribución a sistemas alimentarios justos, sostenibles y resilientes. Así, el foco del diálogo se posicionó sobre: - La identificación del potencial del modelo cooperativo y de otras formas asociativas para contribuir a sistemas alimentarios justos, sostenibles y resilientes, así como de las barreras concretas que lo frenan; - La valoración sobre aquellos contextos o circunstancias en los que el asoci... Leer másativismo puede ser una estrategia efectiva para promover el desarrollo individual y local, y - La exploración de acciones específicas para levantar las barreras y fomentar el asociativismo, así como la identificación de actores que pueden contribuir a ello. A partir de este claro foco el cooperativismo y la asociatividad, la discusión en cada uno de los grupos de diálogo se enmarco en una o más de las vías de acción de la Cumbre. Así, se generaron intercambios en torno al potencial, las barreras y las estrategias para la contribución de las cooperativas y asociaciones (de productores, trabajadores y/o consumidores, entre otro) a 1) una alimentación y un consumo sostenibles y orientados a la nutrición, 2) la conservación de la biodiversidad y la protección del medioambiente, 3) la transformación de las cadenas productivas hacia la sostenibilidad y la inclusión y 4) la diversificación, la mitigación de riesgos y la distribución de impactos o shocks. Leer menos Línea(s) de Acción: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Palabras clave: Environment and Climate, Governance, Policy, Women & Youth Empowerment
Independiente Diálogo Pathways of creating sustainable food systems and building resilience to shocks and hazards among small scale farmers. Enfoque geográfico: Zimbabwe Area of divergence Local investments in strengthening social protection delivery systems including shock responsiveness and livelihood opportunities for the poor and vulnerable groups’ remains very low. Disaster Risk Reduction Committees remain underfunded and even in natural disasters they fail to effectively respond and assist victims because they do not have adequate resources. It was argued that DRR committees in many parts of the country do not need much resources because disasters are not a common phenomenon in the country instead the country needs to invest in early warning systems so that victims are e... Leer másvacuated early and response teams are equipped ahead of time. Focus of sustainable food systems in the country is mainly focusing on foods that are perceived by many people as modern. There is need to shift the focus to traditional and even genetically modified foods so that the agriculture sector will be able to meet demand. However, socio-cultural and economic factors also play a role on how foods are perceived there is need to continuously educate the populace on the need to consume nutritious diets. Leer menos Línea(s) de Acción: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Palabras clave: Data & Evidence, Environment and Climate, Governance, Innovation, Policy
Independiente Diálogo Pathways of creating sustainable food systems and building resilience to shocks and hazards among small scale farmers. Enfoque geográfico: Zimbabwe Main findings There is an urgent need to increase the number and effectiveness of agriculture innovation hubs and research centers across the nation. Upscale irrigation facilities by utilizing available water bodies or constructing of new ones, new technologies need to be used in drawing and conserving water for agriculture purposes. Governments need to make informed decisions in the promotion and adoption of research which improves seed and animal varieties. Ensure that stress tolerant and high yielding crop varieties and stress tolerant animal breeds are developed if agriculture is to be sustainable. Adop... Leer mást modern housing and road infrastructure adapted for climate change as a way of reducing shocks and hazards which may affect farmers in a disaster. Governments need to use a spectrum of policies from voluntary to mandatory which include laws, acts or statutes in ensuring that people have physical and economic access to nutritious foods. Enforcement of such policies is crucial in achieving a healthy and sustainable food system that benefits all. Incentives/disincentives such as taxes and subsidies need to be put in place as a way of promoting the consumption of nutritious diets. Consistency in policies around the whole food systems is also key in promoting, protecting and supporting the consumption of nutritious foods by the general populace. Leer menos Línea(s) de Acción: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Palabras clave: Data & Evidence, Governance, Innovation, Policy
Independiente Diálogo Pathways of creating sustainable food systems and building resilience to shocks and hazards among small scale farmers. Enfoque geográfico: Zimbabwe Major focus The dialogue title for this particular meeting was Pathways of creating sustainable food systems and building resilience to shocks and hazards among small scale farmers in Mutoko district. It enabled the network to identify challenges being experienced by small scale farmers in their contribution to the country’s food systems and in addition it also provided opportunities for solutions to the identified as a means of addressing the challenges. Although the dialogue focused on a specific geographical area, it explored challenges that are likely to affect many small scale farmers across the co... Leer másuntry and in the region. The major focus for the dialogue was aimed at discussing all the action tracks with a bias towards action tracks 1, 4 and 5. Sector representatives were given opportunities to share challenges and possible solutions to the current food systems from their individual perspectives in a plenary session. Case studies of actions being implemented in different wards were shared as presenters pooled their experiences. After the presentations other participants would then ask questions and share their constructive comments and recommendations. In summary the group prioritized three main areas that governments and stakeholders need to address in solving challenges that were identified. I. Increased government and donor investments in enhanced research and development programs to support disaster risk reduction and resilience mechanisms. II. Continuous learning and experimentation on disasters, crop varieties, resistant livestock and social-ecological systems. III. Policy consistency in all sectors involved in food production, processing, marketing and consumption. Leer menos Línea(s) de Acción: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Palabras clave: Data & Evidence, Finance, Governance, Innovation, Policy
Independiente Diálogo National dietary guidelines as a lever for attaining a healthy and sustainable food system in Australia Enfoque geográfico: Australia Area of divergence • There was some divergence among participants about how ambitious the guidelines should be. Some felt that they should aim for consensus-building that doesn't imply radical changes. Others emphasised the urgency of dietary transitions and the need for stronger messaging given the short timeframes remaining to bring diets in line with the Sustainable Development Goals, climate commitments and agenda on noncommunicable disease. Overall, however, there was consensus that prioritising plants and reducing intake of animal-sourced and highly-processed products are essential messages, supported by... Leer más abundant and conclusive evidence, that everyone can agree on. • One of our ‘implementation’ groups highlighted the potential of plant-based meat alternatives (analogues) to reduce reliance on animal-sourced foods, with continual innovation and research pointing to significant health and environmental sustainability benefits. However, a participant from another group raised concerns that some of these products may still have a significant carbon footprint and lack a good nutrition profile. Work will be required to ensure transparency in this space to allow consumers to make informed choices. Despite some variance of views on this rapidly-evolving sector, there was unanimity that the scientific consensus supports dietary patterns that emphasise whole and minimally-processed plant foods. • There was a degree of variance expressed regarding the evidence that should inform dietary guidelines. There was overall confidence in the existing evidence review process in Australia (a thorough and wide-ranging review that seeks to avoid industry influence), but a couple of participants raised the need for reform. In particular: – Current methods for assessing strength of evidence prioritise the contribution of randomised controlled trials, but it is impossible to conduct long-term trials with diet; nor are these suitable for assessing sustainability impacts. The strength of evidence rating methodology proposed by the True Health Initiative known as HEALM (Hierarchies of Evidence Applied to Lifestyle Medicine) was proposed as an important step in the right direction. – There was also the suggestion that current approaches to evidence reflect a limited philosophy, and that the interrelationships between dietary patterns, human nutrition and planetary health need to be reconceptualised, with evolutionary theory and ecology playing a much more central role. This echoed the introductory talks that highlighted the importance of new mental models that learn from Indigenous wisdom. Our second keynote speaker, Prof Boyd Swinburn, outlined the nascent Mana Kai policy in Aotearoa New Zealand that draws on Māori concepts around the social and environmental aspects of food, and how these are interrelated. The third keynote speaker, Dr Sandro Demaio, also pointed to Aboriginal Australians as being the original founders of the concept of planetary health. Leer menos Línea(s) de Acción: 1, 2
Independiente Diálogo National dietary guidelines as a lever for attaining a healthy and sustainable food system in Australia Enfoque geográfico: Australia Discussion topic outcome FRESH IDEAS This breakout group discussed the question: “What fresh ideas can we consider to drive multi-sectoral implementation?” The intent of this group was to explore best practice and innovative ideas to achieve significantly increased adherence to dietary guidelines. The key findings were: • Financial policy instruments and pricing mechanisms have a key role in incentivising dietary shift: – E.g. subsidies for healthy plant foods, taxation and removal of subsidies for harmful products (the concept of ‘true cost accounting’). Such measures seek to internalise negative external... Leer másities rather than outsourcing them such that the community, the environment, the healthcare system and future generations pay the price. – A focus on affordability and accessibility: for example via redirected subsidies that bring down the price of fresh produce. Such policies should take into account the long term healthcare savings for government and institutions. – Proactive financial and practical assistance to help farmers transition to more sustainable crops/products. • Alignment with and implementation of dietary guidelines across multiple sectors is essential: Participants highlighted a wide range of opportunities across sectors such as schools and child care; the health sector; food marketing; the local built environment; food assistance programs; agricultural and trade policy. Within this, several points were highlighted: – Multi-sectoral progress requires government action to set policy and regulations, provide guidance and lead by example, e.g. through public sector procurement and catering policies. – At minimum, all relevant sector policy should ensure alignment with dietary guidelines in preference to industry-led / voluntary schemes. Sector leaders can also take steps independently to innovate and implement best practice, for example R&D into meat and dairy alternatives with demonstrated health and sustainability advantages. – Ensuring clear and easy to understand front-of-pack labelling to help guide both healthy and sustainable food purchasing: there is an opportunity to extend, strengthen and potentially mandate existing schemes. – Prompt steps should be taken to align catering, curricula, procurement and other programs with dietary guidelines within hospitals, schools, universities, workplaces and other institutions. • Communication and messaging has a crucial role in supporting dietary guidelines implementation. Among key ideas, participants emphasised: – Messaging and supporting programmes should reflect what we know about behaviour change; for example encouraging people to make small but meaningful changes such as one plant-based meal a day ensures that the shift is perceived as achievable and worth trying. Efforts tailored to specific audiences’ needs are also key. – There are some prevalent misconceptions around meat consumption being fundamental to masculinity and the Australian way: it is essential to challenge this. – Social marketing is a key opportunity and increasingly important to help popularise evidence-based messaging in the face of media noise and efforts by vested interests to sow confusion and unscientific messaging. Micro-influencers, celebrities, chefs and athletes can help change social norms and ‘speak to’ diverse audiences. Leer menos Línea(s) de Acción: 1, 2
Independiente Diálogo National dietary guidelines as a lever for attaining a healthy and sustainable food system in Australia Enfoque geográfico: Australia Discussion topic outcome IMPLEMENTATION BARRIERS The science is clear on what constitutes a healthy and sustainable diet, but even the best guidelines cannot achieve their goals without effective implementation. This breakout group discussed the question: “What are the existing barriers to implementation and how can we overcome them?” The key findings were: • Complex factors beyond personal decision-making have a strong influence on dietary patterns. Participants identified influences in the following key domains: – vested interests (industry profit) – the food environment – tradition, expectation, social ... Leer másand family norms and pressures – communication and public understanding (including the influence of media, social media, marketing and messaging by public bodies) • Dietary guidelines have an important role as part of a wider process of food system transformation that is urgently needed. The guidelines can be a catalyst for change, as many sectors access them. If the guidelines consider the impacts of diet on the Sustainable Development Goals, it is more likely that other government portfolios start engaging with them as a lever. • Several specific proposals related to informing, up-skilling and enabling the public to become aware of and adopt the recommendations in our revised guidelines: – Barrier: It is not clear who the audience is for the current Australian Dietary Guidelines, and many people do not know about them. The overall messaging needs to be much clearer. Proposed solution: Clear recommendations could be as simple as: eat more foods from plants and less processed foods. – Barrier: Practical skills are currently lacking. There are certain foods that some people don’t eat because they don’t know how to prepare them, e.g. legumes. Proposed solution: Guidance on how to cook healthy food at home is needed. Brazil’s guidelines are a good example, which include food skills and literacy in their remit. – Barrier: unhealthy diets are socially acceptable and generally unquestioned. Proposed solution: Part of the communication around the guidelines needs to de-normalise that way the majority of the population are eating. A key policy lever is limiting TV and digital marketing of unhealthy food to children (as Chile has done). • The dominant framing of dietary guidelines is on personal responsibility, leaving food choices in the hands of individuals. However, dietary habits are influenced by multiple factors from age and gender to education, income and health status, food environments, culture and nutritional and cooking knowledge. There must be a reframing to recognise that policy and business bear key responsibility for system transformation rather than the individual ‘consumer’. This means: – Dietary guidelines must be reflected throughout food and nutrition policy at all levels of government. – Healthy and nutritious meals should be showcased in settings such as educational and other public institutions, and promoted across the private sector, e.g. in workplaces and across food service outlets (noted that, in Brazil, many restaurants offer plant-predominant home-style buffet meals sold by weight that are healthy, convenient and affordable). – Official public messaging must be consistent, so that dietary guidelines are the key reference document and not contradicted by other instruments (policy coherence). – Educational curricula must incorporate the evidence and recommendations set by dietary guidelines. This requires delivery by appropriately qualified staff. – Media and social media have a key role and responsibility to promote healthy and sustainable diets. Popular TV series such as Masterchef could be encouraged to showcase healthy plant-based and/or plant-rich dishes. Leer menos Línea(s) de Acción: 1, 2
Independiente Diálogo National dietary guidelines as a lever for attaining a healthy and sustainable food system in Australia Enfoque geográfico: Australia Discussion topic outcome SUSTAINABILITY Building on the context and definitions outlined in the introductory talks, this breakout group discussed the question: “What do truly sustainable Australian Dietary Guidelines look like?”. The key findings were: • Sustainability considerations must be incorporated into dietary guidelines in a meaningful way. This means drawing on the best available evidence to inform the recommendations that they make. • In the last revision to Australia’s guidelines, a discussion on sustainability was relegated to an appendix after industry pushback. Therefore it is crucial that the ... Leer másNHMRC upholds its commitment to independence, transparency and management of conflicts of interest by resisting industry influence; in parallel, the public health and consumer communities have a key role in calling for the inclusion of sustainability considerations within the revised recommendations. • Dietary guidelines should draw on best practice from around the world, using case studies such as Canada (whose plate no longer includes dairy and encourages plant-sources of protein in preference to animal sources), Finland (who have sought to align their guidelines with the Lancet’s Planetary Health Diet) and several others such as Sweden, the Netherlands, Germany, Qatar, China and Brazil. Common characteristics among these guidelines are their emphasis on eating more plant foods, reducing animal foods, not exceeding energy requirements and avoiding energy-dense, nutrient-poor, ultra-processed products. • Equity is a key aspect of sustainability. As such, dietary guidelines and associated policies must be developed with a view to redressing food inequities, by focusing on access to nutritious, culturally-acceptable food and implementing a program of effective measuring and monitoring of how dietary patterns compare to recommended patterns among socio-economic and cultural groups. • A package and plan for dissemination of dietary guidelines is required. This includes funding and materials for health professionals (e.g. webinars, videos, other education) and social marketing to ensure the key messages reach the public. Those messages must include practical food literacy and cooking skills. • Efforts at public persuasion must be informed by understanding of the factors that drive food choices, which include pre-existing beliefs, social circles, local environmental and cultural factors, affordability, convenience and taste preferences that can stem from exposures from an early age (starting in the womb). • Healthy and sustainable nutrition must be widely taught across the health professions so that awareness is far greater and patients are provided with a ‘nutrition first’ approach to disease prevention and treatment. A thorough understanding of the ADGs should be a fundamental requirement. • Proposed introducing a Lancet Countdown Indicator that monitors and measures progress towards implementation of national Dietary Guidelines. Food+Planet (foodandplanet.org) for example are developing indicators to measure the key dimensions of sustainable diets globally. This kind of initiative has great potential as a tool for both informing and monitoring guidelines. Leer menos Línea(s) de Acción: 1, 2
Independiente Diálogo National dietary guidelines as a lever for attaining a healthy and sustainable food system in Australia Enfoque geográfico: Australia Main findings Well-designed dietary guidelines based on the best available evidence, free from industry influence, have significant potential to influence improved diets. They are an example of a ‘triple-duty action’ that could address multiple aspects of the Global Syndemic which the Lancet (led by Dialogue keynote speaker Prof Boyd Swinburn) has defined as the interrelated global health challenges of obesity, undernutrition and climate change. The onus is on high-income countries such as Australia to make radical shifts in diet. This requires improvements not only to the content of our current dietary... Leer más guidelines but also to their implementation, which in turn necessitates urgent changes to the broader policy context. Dietary guidelines are an aspect of governance that can contribute to equitable access to good nutrition. Both within Australia and globally, the most disadvantaged populations have the poorest diet quality and are the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and other facets of environmental degradation. In high-income countries, where protein and calorie excess is the norm, shifts to plant foods correlate consistently and robustly with higher overall diet quality. These same shifts are not only desirable in terms of planetary health – which underpins all human health – but have been highlighted as a non-negotiable prerequisite to remaining below the 1.5°c warming threshold set by the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, and securing a safe operating space for humanity. Without these shifts, especially in the highest-consuming nations, the Sustainable Development Goals will inevitably be undermined. Main findings / proposals: • The scope of evidence informing dietary guidelines must include sustainability and equity issues so that the resulting recommendations align with these goals. The development of guidelines must incorporate these concerns from the outset, and integrate them into their advice, so they are not simply a subsequent ‘overlay’. • Ensure the headline messaging is widely disseminated to reflect the scientific consensus that Australian diets need to significantly increase the ratio of plant-based and minimally processed foods to animal-sourced and highly processed foods. • Guidelines development must be culturally responsive, reflecting diverse dietary patterns and cultural wisdom about the relationships between food, health and planet. In particular, there is scope to learn from Indigenous ways of knowing, including the multiple dimensions of health, including their cultural determinants. • Industry interests must not have a seat at the table in the development of dietary guidelines or any other aspects of nutrition and public health policy. Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), which oversees the ADGs review, distinguishes between financial and other interests, such that industry-funded published literature is not excluded. Caution and transparency must be exercised in this regard, recognising that profit motives of harmful interests require vigilance and strong governance. • However well-evidenced and designed, dietary guidelines are ultimately an informational instrument. This means they need to be backed up by a supportive policy environment. As such: – The ADGs should be used to underpin nutrition education, healthy food policies and sustainable agriculture. A national food policy, currently lacking in Australia, is recommended as an adjunct to the guidelines. – Policy coherence is essential so that the dietary guidelines are not undermined by policies, regulations and programs in other sectors such as primary production or food service, retail and marketing that increase the prevalence of unhealthy and unsustainable foods. – Coordination across government, at all levels, has a key role in supporting an enabling environment for dietary shift. Sector leaders have a key role but industry efforts must not be left to chance: many voluntary efforts need to be further incentivised and codified. – The dietary guidelines need to be supported by an effective implementation plan including education for health professionals, school students and the public: social marketing has a key role. – Monitoring and evaluation is essential to measure progress towards implementation and drive targeted action to identify and fill the identified gaps, leaving nobody behind. Leer menos Línea(s) de Acción: 1, 2
Independiente Diálogo National dietary guidelines as a lever for attaining a healthy and sustainable food system in Australia Enfoque geográfico: Australia Major focus OVERVIEW: Doctors For Nutrition convened a Dialogue focusing on dietary guidelines as a lever for attaining a healthier, more sustainable and equitable food system. We (doctorsfornutrition.org) are an independent Australian health-promotion charity working to bring a 'nutrition-first' approach to mainstream medicine highlighting the benefits of whole food plant-based dietary patterns. With dietary guidelines being one of the solution areas identified under the Action Track on sustainable consumption, and the Australian Dietary Guidelines (ADGs) review process underway, our Dialogue brought tog... Leer másether a range of local and international stakeholders to consider key issues. As well as supporting the shift to sustainable consumption patterns (Action Track 2), fit-for-purpose ADGs have a key role in ensuring access to safe and nutritious food for all (Action Track 1). They should also support nature-positive production, equitable livelihoods and building resilience to food system vulnerabilities (Action Tracks 3, 4 and 5). By considering Australia as an example of a high-income country with the health and sustainability problems typical of a Western dietary pattern, this dialogue has broader implications in countries with similar consumption patterns. CONTEXT: Dietary patterns in Australia are typical of high-income countries: high in animal-derived and processed foods and low in whole plant foods. These patterns are increasingly being taken up in low and middle-income countries (referred to as the ‘nutrition transition’) and are contributing to multiple crises globally: high rates of noncommunicable disease, climate change and environmental degradation, pandemic risk and antimicrobial resistance and impacts falling disproportionately on the most vulnerable populations. In Australia we are facing a number of pressing issues. • We have the highest per-capita greenhouse gas emissions among the G20 countries, and have recently scored equal-last out of 66 countries in efforts to include human health concerns in our climate commitments under the 2015 Paris Agreement. At the same time, our food system is highly vulnerable to climate change and land degradation, and the impacts of unsustainable consumption constitute an escalating health crisis in their own right. • Severe dietary inequities exist, indicative of a wider suite of health inequities, whereby Indigenous and remote communities and those in lower socioeconomic groups are more likely to have poor diet quality and related health issues such as overweight and obesity. These same communities are also the most vulnerable to the ecological determinants of health. • Per capita meat consumption is around triple the global average, more than 90% of adults have an inadequate daily intake of fruit and vegetables and well over half the household food budget is spent on discretionary items. ROLE OF DIETARY GUIDELINES • ADGs serve as a basis for the development of nutrition policies and programs and are activated in different sectors (e.g. health, education and agriculture) and settings such as schools, workplaces, hospitals and institutions. Their recommendations must incorporate socioeconomic, cultural and environmental dimensions of sustainability as key components of a healthy diet. • As highlighted by the EAT Lancet Commission, there is an urgent imperative to move populations towards consuming largely plant-based diets. This is particularly salient in high-income countries, with Australia a leading example where current imbalanced diets are contributing to multiple urgent crises as highlighted above. • ADGs are an opportunity to set out evidence-based recommendations to guide the population to healthy and sustainable eating patterns which would, if successfully implemented, play a significant role in reversing the growing prevalence of diet-related disease within our community, advancing towards the SDGs and meet our ethic responsibility to redress our historic and continuing contribution to the overshoot of planetary boundaries. • Dietary guidelines are an informational tool; therefore awareness and a supportive suite of policies is essential to advance towards better adherence. Leer menos Línea(s) de Acción: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Independiente Diálogo Whose paradigm counts? An Australia-Pacific perspective on unheard voices in food and water systems Enfoque geográfico: Australia, Fiji Area of divergence This report reflects the perspectives of specific communities on barriers to reform and community-led solutions for food and water systems. It is important to remember that while there are similar experiences around food and water systems, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and Pacific Islander peoples are diverse in cultures and practices and, therefore, should not be homogenised in approaches to solutions. It should not be taken to represent all perspectives from all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Pacific Islander peoples and communities. Rather, this report is based on... Leer más our experiences and community feedback of what it takes to build successful collaborations. We hope this learning will be useful for Summit organisers and others, and can help to inform the design of future Summits. Leer menos Línea(s) de Acción: 1, 2, 5 Palabras clave: Environment and Climate, Governance, Human rights, Policy
Independiente Diálogo Whose paradigm counts? An Australia-Pacific perspective on unheard voices in food and water systems Enfoque geográfico: Australia, Fiji Discussion topic outcome Discussions with community stakeholders and experts have led to the development of case studies and Summit feedback. From those, three key food and water security challenges were identified. TOPIC 3: Community-led solutions. Creating resilient food and water systems will have the co-benefit of contributing to a reduced NCD burden. Approaches to achieving this rely on community-identified strengths and solutions and building and strengthening community capacity and skills. Community-led programs can be effective at improving food and water security, nutrition and health; they can help reverse t... Leer máshe trend of worsening diets and increasing chronic diseases. The most effective programs adopt a multi-strategy, multi-sector approach that includes both securing and sustaining the supply of local healthy foods and access to safe drinking water. They also include Traditional Knowledges and cultural practices passed down through millennia. Governments need to work with communities rather than perpetuating a top-down approach, ensuring involvement of community leaders, shared planning and decision-making, and appropriate evaluation procedures to guarantee that community-identified food and water system challenges are responded to and community needs are met. Government responses must also respect Traditional Knowledges and ensure they are included in food and water policy. Leer menos Línea(s) de Acción: 1, 2, 5 Palabras clave: Environment and Climate, Governance, Human rights, Policy
Independiente Diálogo Whose paradigm counts? An Australia-Pacific perspective on unheard voices in food and water systems Enfoque geográfico: Australia, Fiji Discussion topic outcome Discussions with community stakeholders and experts have led to the development of case studies and Summit feedback. From those, three key food and water security challenges were identified. TOPIC 2: High salinity groundwater has compromised the quality of drinking water and food security. The degradation of inland rivers over time, due to drought and government mismanagement, has had increasingly devastating effects on food and water security and the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Communities such as Walgett in New South Wales, Australia, have had t... Leer máso rely on groundwater for drinking and food production. The salinity of this water is almost double that recommended in the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines – which are based on palatability not health – and 15 times more than the amount recommended for people with high blood pressure. These unacceptably high levels of sodium can lead to dehydration and increased purchasing of soft drinks, further impacting community health. The salinity of the water in Walgett has resulted in reduced agricultural yield and destruction of soil structure within the local community garden, increasing the community’s reliance on purchasing packaged, processed foods or takeaway foods that are more expensive and less healthy. Extreme weather events linked to climate change, such as tropical cyclones and rising sea levels, are contributing to increased soil salinity and contaminated drinking water in Pacific Island coastal communities. This is further exacerbated by long droughts, which make the soil less able to absorb rain, resulting in declining agricultural yields. Extreme weather events also destroy produce and farming resources, making subsistence farming untenable for local communities. Climate change is also limiting the productivity of local fishers and, therefore, increasing reliance on imported foods and food aid. It is estimated that 75% of coastal fisheries will not meet their food security needs by 2030 due to a forecasted 50% growth in population and limited productivity of coastal fisheries as a result of climate change. Leer menos Línea(s) de Acción: 1, 2, 5 Palabras clave: Environment and Climate, Governance, Human rights, Policy
Independiente Diálogo Whose paradigm counts? An Australia-Pacific perspective on unheard voices in food and water systems Enfoque geográfico: Australia, Fiji Discussion topic outcome Discussions with community stakeholders and experts have led to the development of case studies and Summit feedback. From those, three key food and water security challenges were identified. TOPIC 1: A shift from traditional diets has compromised food security. For millennia, the diets of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples were rich in local flora and fauna, particularly native fruit, vegetables and lean animal proteins. The colonisation of Australia and the dispossession of and forced removal from Country caused a ‘nutrition transition’ away from traditional diets and disruptio... Leer másn to food and water systems, resulting in ongoing food insecurity. Forced rations replaced traditional diets and included large quantities of refined grains and processed foods containing high levels of salt, saturated fat and added sugars, which has had ongoing detrimental impacts on health. Communities were prevented from accessing traditional food and water sources on Country, exacerbating hunger and food insecurity. Pacific Island nations include a wide range of cultures and practices. However, they share similarities in that they all have relatively small populations, are in remote locations, have high costs associated with transport and communications, and have varying levels of infrastructure. They also share a reliance on subsistence agriculture, and tourism, agriculture and fishing are key sources of income and support for their economies. Traditional diets of Pacific Islander communities have been also disrupted by colonisation and dispossession, resulting in food insecurity. Extreme weather events have further exacerbated this issue in the Pacific, where the subsequent provision of unhealthy food aid after extreme weather events, including white rice and tinned meats, is relied on to prevent hunger. In these settings, urban migration increases, as local food production and productivity decreases the viability of subsistence farming. This again prevents communities from accessing traditional food sources and limits the ability to grow food. With more people migrating to urban centres and changes in traditional jobs, gender-related roles and responsibilities are changing,8 which has subsequent impacts on diet and health. In Fiji, for example, more women are now in the formal workforce, yet they maintain responsibility for the bulk of the care work for their families. The need to balance paid and unpaid work is increasing the reliance on convenience foods, which are often cheap but ultra-processed and lacking nutrition. Across the Pacific, women continue to play key roles in agriculture and fisheries sectors; however, they tend to be undervalued and underrepresented actors in agriculture and fisheries development and decision-making. This underrepresentation means that typically unheard voices in crucial industries go ignored, exacerbating inequalities. Leer menos Línea(s) de Acción: 1, 2, 5 Palabras clave: Environment and Climate, Governance, Human rights, Policy
Independiente Diálogo Whose paradigm counts? An Australia-Pacific perspective on unheard voices in food and water systems Enfoque geográfico: Australia, Fiji Main findings Based on consultations with key stakeholders, information from case studies included within this report and our research and advocacy expertise, we believe: • Organisers of multilateral summits should ensure First Nations voices are represented at all levels and in all aspects of governance structures from the earliest stages of summit conception. • Organisers of multilateral summits should recognise the diversity of global Traditional Knowledges and unheard voices and embed flexibility in engagement mechanisms to ensure these are captured. • Organisers of multilateral summits should ens... Leer másure discussions of food systems include consideration of water systems as a default. • Health systems should recognise climate change and its impacts on human health in policy and practice and take responsibility for reducing their own climate footprint. • Governments should design food policy through a process of communityled policy development that recognises Traditional Knowledges and includes engagement with community leaders and Elders, and shared planning and decision making. • Governments should adopt a systems approach to developing policy, recognising the relationships and reciprocal links between food and water systems, the burden of non-communicable disease, climate change and equity. • Governments should support consumer demand for sustainable, fresh and healthy foods, and implement policies to ensure these foods are easily accessible, available and affordable. • Researchers should monitor the effectiveness of policies that aim to improve food and water systems and develop the evidence base on the impacts of implementation on equity, climate change and the disease burden. Leer menos Línea(s) de Acción: 1, 2, 5 Palabras clave: Environment and Climate, Governance, Human rights
Independiente Diálogo Whose paradigm counts? An Australia-Pacific perspective on unheard voices in food and water systems Enfoque geográfico: Australia, Fiji Major focus Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Pacific Islander people’s voices and Traditional Knowledges are often missing from, or go unnoticed in, decision making processes that profoundly impact their own communities. This top-down approach can result in solutions that are not fit for purpose and not appropriate for specific communities and cultural contexts. Therefore, this Dialogue had three major focal points: (i) to understand and explore community experiences of food and water systems; (ii) to highlight community identified priorities, strengths and solutions in shifting to healthy and ... Leer mássustainable consumption patterns (Action Track 2); and (iii) to examine links between community priorities, strengths and solutions, and government responsibility, engagement and action. Leer menos Línea(s) de Acción: 1, 2, 5 Palabras clave: Environment and Climate, Governance, Human rights, Policy
Independiente Diálogo Independent National Dialogue on Action Track 5: Building resilience to vulnerabilities, shocks, and stress in Bangladesh Enfoque geográfico: Bangladesh Discussion topic outcome In the Industrial sector and urban communities: i. Expand coverage of safety nets to target vulnerable urban populations, introducing mechanisms which allow mobility and migration between urban and rural areas ii. Increase involvement of industrial sectors in the safety net coverage for the families of their current and former employees, e.g., through special food and credit related schemes to support affordability of nutritious diets. iii. Establishing of Public-Private Partnerships to use market mechanisms to respond to shocks and emergencies while through pre-arrangements reducing the volat... Leer másility of food markets post-disaster, also combining the strengths of government and private sector logistics and infrastructure capacity for the public interest. iv. Food industry to focus on production of nutritious and safe food, reducing food waste during production and post-harvest losses and establishing effective, efficient, and fair public and commercial distribution mechanisms. Leer menos Línea(s) de Acción: 5 Palabras clave: Data & Evidence, Environment and Climate, Finance, Governance, Human rights, Innovation, Policy, Trade-offs, Women & Youth Empowerment
Independiente Diálogo Independent National Dialogue on Action Track 5: Building resilience to vulnerabilities, shocks, and stress in Bangladesh Enfoque geográfico: Bangladesh Discussion topic outcome In the Agriculture sector and rural communities: i. Modernization of agriculture production including post-harvest management of crops through use of adapted technologies. ii. Institutionalize national capacities to respond to and recover from shocks through building on existing systems (e.g., early warning) and introduction of new and innovative approaches (e.g. anticipatory actions, insurance schemes). iii. Rework and strengthen existing emergency food stock system including involvement of private sector and using food procurement systems as buffer mechanisms to ensure markets for vulnerable... Leer más smallholder farmers iv. Adaptation of crops and cropping systems to salination along costal belt in southern Bangladesh; strengthen and utilize existing natural biodiversity to identify most suited crops v. Special focus on identified climate hotspots and plans to manage, mitigate, and adapt to climate stress and shocks in accordance with government plans. For that, detailed vulnerability mapping, heavy investment in disaster risk reduction and innovation of insurance mechanisms and targeted subsidies are required. Leer menos Línea(s) de Acción: 5 Palabras clave: Data & Evidence, Environment and Climate, Finance, Governance, Human rights, Innovation, Policy, Trade-offs, Women & Youth Empowerment
