Explore Official Dialogue Feedback

Sustainable and renewable energy for food production Key question: How can we sustainably produce more food in Pakistan using low greenhouse gas energy sources? The group agreed that food production heavily relies on pumping groundwater using more than 1.5 million tubewells in the Indus Basin. These pumps are typically fueled either by diesel or kerosene, or they depend on subsidized electricity leading to high carbon emissions. The WEF nexus provides pathways to examine water, energy, and food security that are inextricably linked in the context of rapid population growth, growing multi-secto... Read moreral water demands, and sustainability challenges within and between countries. The session discussed the role of renewable energy sources in the agricultural sector as a means of enhancing sustainable food security, and explored existing technologies, policies, along with emerging opportunities in renewable energy application in the agricultural sector. Following recommendations were proposed; a) Revisiting Agro-Ecological Zoning: The current agro-ecological zoning must be revisited in the context of the WEF nexus approach. Based on which we can map the surface water availability and designated areas for higher delta crops. Areas with less surface water availability would be supplementary irrigated with groundwater. Such areas should be designated for lower delta crops. b) Groundwater governance: There is a need for introducing groundwater governance for estimation of quantity and quality for allowable extraction of water in areas of less surface water availability. Then work on system of incentives and disincentives for the introduction of renewable energy systems and high-efficiency irrigation systems. c) Financial incentives: Incentives are pre-requisite for making possible substantial saving for energy use at the farm level particularly for groundwater pumping. There is also a need to replace the traditional primitive methods of water application with other efficient methods through better extension service. Thus financial incentives through proper policies and strategies should enable farmers to adapt the modern and renewable energy technologies in the farming systems. Such technologies, if adapted on larger scale, will tap the exploitation of groundwater sources like solar pumping system. d) Incentives for small farmers: Policies must be modified so that they can provide incentives to the small farmers who are 70-80% of the farming community for using renewable energy for pumping. e) Capacity building of farming community: 1.5 million farmers having tube wells must be educated for optimal pumping and efficient use of water. That is possible by activating our extension system. f) Integrated energy plans: There is a need for the integration of diverse set up of energy generation resources with storage component to accommodate the productivity load of pumping units. Thus an integrated energy strategy may include energy production at different sources and requirements by different sectors, and finally the supply and gap analysis. We need new ideas like floating solar panels on water surfaces which can reduce water evaporation. g) Bio-Waste Management for Renewable Energy Production: There is a need to convert that waste into energy. All the waste either going into the landfill, while the waste from the agriculture fields is being burnt causing smog. Proper and well-planned policies are required to harness the potential energy from bio-waste. h) Improve efficiency practices in food production: Renewable energy utilization should be complemented with efficient water application. This must be followed by a proper value chain including reduced losses transportation, storage, etc. i) Social Enterprise Mechanism for Sustainability: Social enterprise mechanisms must be a part of implementation frameworks of different policies and strategies to ensure timely and cheaper sustainability of the renewable energy systems used in the farming system. There is a need to work on policy analysis, and evidence-based options for policy reforms, advocating private sector led growth strategies and building the capacity of stakeholders. Read less

Climate change impacts on water and food security Key question: How can we sustainably enhance food security without compromising water security in the context of climate change? All participants of the discussion group were agreed that climate change through changes in temperature, rainfall patterns, frequent flooding, drought, and other extreme events is having an unprecedented impact on water and food security in Pakistan. Water scarcity, crop water requirements, and salinity have been increased on the account of climate change and all dimensions of food security- availability, access, util... Read moreization of food as well as stability of food systems have been compromised due to these increased risks of climate change. Because of these challenges, participants discussed that the following actions in the next 3 years will have the greatest impact on the discussion topic; • Water security issue needs to be tacked through implementing water accounting and auditing system to re-assess sectoral water demands and needs • Climate smart practices need to be identified and upscaled along with promoting innovative techniques for water saving among farmers • Early Warning Systems and data sharing system need to be improved and provide sufficient early information to end-users to protect them and their livelihoods from negative impacts of extreme events such as floods, droughts, and extreme temperatures including heatwaves • A central level project management system may be introduced at the federal level to avoid duplication of the projects and to keep track of all the projects being implemented in the water and agriculture sector • Integrated support system for agriculture can be introduced with improved access to resources and services (advisory and credit) to enhance food productivity to meet growing needs On the consumption side, there is a need to educate the public to diversify their diets and to reduce their dependence on a single major staple crop – wheat. In addition, the nutrition of the diet should also be considered. All participants also discussed various potential contributions from organizations to make these actions sustainable and useful to sustain food and water security under changing climate. The possible contribution from different actors may include the following; a) Federal and provincial governments and aligned departments: • Develop sound policies for agriculture, water and environment keeping in view of the local needs in addressing food security in relation to changing climate • Devise an effective and improved coordination mechanism for provincial and federal department to discuss ways to make our food systems more resilient b) Development Cooperation/ International organizations: • Support governments in identifying and upscaling innovative climate-smart solutions to make food systems resilient to climate change as well to make them able to meet the growing food demands • Provide more support to the government to revise their policies and translate policy into action and enable them to have sound governance mechanism for implementation of relevant policies c) Academia: • More research on quantifying the impact of climate change on different dimensions of food security as well as water security • Research on institutional mechanism and networking with a particular focus on climate change adaptation d) Civil society/ communities: • Civil society organizations need to use their influence to educate farmers in adopting adaptive measures that improve their resilience to climate change such as water saving, improved varieties, change in dietary patterns, use of nutritious diet. • Communities need to participate in relevant capacity training being organized by various donors or government organizations to learn new ways of protecting their livelihood from extreme events. Read less

Policy coherence, implementation and institutional coordination in water, food, energy and climate change that operationalize the WEF nexus Key question: What practical steps can/should be taken to ensure policy coherence and institutional coordination to improve water, energy and food security in the region? Pakistan’s agriculture is valued at US$50 billion and contributes to 20% of the GDP but uses 90% of the water and has the potential to generate US$350 billion with science-based management. Pakistan requires a vibrant agriculture system that addresses poverty and inequality, stemming fr... Read moreom evidence-based policy making. To achieve significance on the discussion topic, it is imperative to work on the following areas a) Reducing policy overlaps through institutional coordination. More than 18 agencies working in the water sector, hence overlapping of power—resulting in weak accountability of poor decisions. There is a National Water Policy (2018), while Punjab, KP, and Sindh have their policy. Measures are needed to bring about policy coherence and coordination. The federal government and provincial governments should work within boundaries as per the constitution and be brought under the umbrella of an agency that can be held responsible for overall food systems and agriculture. Bring together IPPs and farmers on board for policymaking. Much headway has been made by various departments, but there is still a lack of political will and mechanism to bring the different projects in the water, food, and energy sector under one umbrella. b) Federalism and lack of clear authority. Pakistan has a hybrid system. Post-18th amendment the perception is that WEF is a provincial subject, however, the federal government has the final say, for instance, in setting subsidies. There is a need to outline a clear mandate if WEF is a national concern. Federal and provincial governments must spell out what is the priority they accord to Food Systems Security with support from the highest level of government and governance. c) Pakistan’s crops have become political crops. Decisions are based on political will and not on scientific research or macro-economic priorities. Incorporating political economy in research and policy discussion is essential for highlighting the negative consequences of political decisions. d) Equity in water is essential. Tailenders crops also have the right to adequate water to protect their welfare. Disseminating the data regarding the transition in dietary habits of households can have a significant impact on policymaking. The recent shift in households’ consumption pattern from an unhealthy diet to a more nutritious diet can be taken as a guide to shift from water thirsty crops to Water thrifty crops. e) Water has to be taken as a commodity otherwise savings in water may not be possible. Revisiting the subsidies in the water sector is critical. Work is required on mapping and modeling water subsidies and creating space for sustainable agriculture by measuring the costs and benefits attached to each subsidy. Likewise, distortions created by such programs must become transparent. f) Crops driven by technology: Technology based remote sensor monitoring and water modeling on cropping patterns and pricing may yield great benefits. The focus should be on exploiting technology and statistical modeling for forecasting production, pricing and consumption. Ways should be explored to make the existing agriculture system more productive. g) Land fragmentation needs to be addressed. As per the 2010 agriculture census, almost 85-90 percent of the land farm size is less than 5 hectares. Linkage of small farmers with multinational and agricultural value-chains, such as through contract farming, needs to be promoted to combat land fragmentation. Moreover, protecting agricultural land that is being taken over by housing societies should be discouraged. Agro-ecological zone-based policy recommendations should feature high on the policy agenda. h) Smuggling of staple crops and misappropriation needs to be tackled. Rampant and unchecked smuggling of agricultural produce out of Pakistan threatens food security in the country. Read less

Enhancing performance of water systems across multiple sectors (agriculture, domestic, industry and environment) demands Key question: How do we enhance resilience of water systems to meet the competing demands of multi-sectors (agriculture, domestic, industry and environment)? All participants agreed that the following important actions needs to implemented in true letter and spirit during the next three years: • Implementation of Integrated Water Resources Management approach to meet increasing demand and competition among various sectors and users • Development of water accounting syste... Read morem for the sectors and improvement of these databases according to water use and disposal • Determining the value of water for each sector and appropriate pricing for all sectors according to the uses • Investment in drinking water supply systems with proper pricing • Treatment, recycling, and reuse of wastewater using the decentralized approach thus protecting vital ecosystem • Use of non-conventional water resources such as wastewater, saline water, rainwater The institutions can help develop water accounting for all the sectors, can provide solutions – simple to complex issues and can provide science based evidence for addressing those issues through conducting adoptive research. They can also help build the capacity of the policy makers, planners, and practitioners to adopt technically feasible, economically viable and environmentally sustainable technologies/practices. They can also help developing policies and regulations for better governance of water resources. Through knowledge sharing, they can develop consensus and trust building among various stakeholders. The following outcomes will help decide about the success of the proposed actions: • Comprehensive national water accounting is available • Sectoral database is developed with open data sharing policies among various sectors • The process of integrated water resources management has been initiated • Financial sustainability of irrigation system is achieved • Safely managed drinking water supplies are improved • Wastewater is treated at the sources before disposal • Groundwater recharge zones are developed and artificial groundwater recharge technologies are practiced. • The quality of water resources for eco-systems is improved. Read less

Indigenous Peoples Challenges Indigenous peoples and their food productions are challenged in numerous ways. With the increasing involvement of big corporations in food production, frequently IPs are forcefully evicted from their traditional lands. This hampers the food produced by IPs using traditional knowledge, increasing food scarcity within these communities. The focus on economic crops such as rubber, cocoa etc. impedes traditional agricultural crops and systems. In certain cases, ecotourism has invaded the land occupied by IPs limiting their engagement with the land. Solutions - Recogni... Read morese indigenous community lands and their customary lands systems as part of building sustainable food systems - Recognize Indigenous Peoples as agents to allow their self-determined food generation and production systems and practices in finding solutions - Scale up government land distribution policies to indigenous peoples - Establish partnership with the local governments to identify and map the IP territories - Systematically register land recognising IPs right to land - Building capacity & raise awareness among IPs and their leaders about their rights in relation to their land and territories. Engage government officials in these programmes. - Devise mechanisms to resolve land conflicts among IPs, governments and the private sector Build a close network at local, national and regional level for supporting IPs with a particularly emphasis on youth Stakeholders and partnerships - Local government authorities - Youth - National governments - Relevant public servants at national, regional and local levels - Private sector - Indigenous peoples and other local communites Read less

Landless and Smallholder Farmers Challenges Absence of legal provision in some countries to recognise community/collective land rights of the people, adversely affects the food production by landless and smallholder farmers. Given the lack of recognition, landless farmers are often excluded from discussion tables. Sustained control over land is the basis for sustainable food systems and livelihoods among smallholders and landless farmers. Land tenure insecurity in these two groups adversely impact on food productions through increased conflicts. Secure and stable land tenure is key in accessin... Read moreg government support programmes and first easy step in seeking help from land administration overcoming complex administrative structures and regulatory barriers. If land tenure security is provided, smallholder farmers can play productive role to increase economic capacity of their localities by engaging communities in post-harvest and value added activities. (including food processing, marketing, catering etc.) Landless farmers are often excluded from discussion tables. Solutions - Address land issues of landless and smallholder farmers through local institutional and regulatory frameworks. Land policies should particularly pay attention to the issues of landless and smallholder farmers - Take measure to protect access to commons (e.g. assuring access to non-wood forest products) as they are often key to livelihoods of landless people and contribute to ensure sustainable management of local biodiversity and land restoration - Build partnerships with women and youth constituencies within this group - Share knowledge capturing practices from other countries to resolve issues Stakeholders and partnerships - Women and youth including regional and international women and youth groups - Civil society and international organisations - National and local government authorities - Financial institutions Read less

Given the paramount significance of secure land tenure for sustainable food systems, we need the attention of all stakeholders including governments, civil society organisations, private sector, international organisations, multi-lateral organisations and donors to come together to strengthen land tenure security of women, men, youth, family farmers, indigenous peoples, pastoralists and landless farmers and other communities as relevant. The stakeholders can be facilitated to come together through multi-stakeholder platforms to identify challenges, find solutions, implement and monitor solutio... Read morens, channel resources as needed and celebrate successes. The 2030 sustainable development agenda can only be achieved if secure land tenure for all is achieved facilitating to achieves the targets on eradicating poverty, zero-hunger, general equality, climate actions and building peaceful and just soceities. Read less

The principal focus of the independent dialogue was to bring attention to the centrality of secure land rights in building sustainable food systems with the objective of brining land issues to the discussion processes of the summit and integrate into its outcomes. The entire food system of the world is inextricably connected to land. Hence, if there is a fundamental positive change in the way we manage land we can make the global food systems sustainable, whilst simultaneously reaching the targets of climate-change mitigation and averting the dramatic loss of biodiversity. Overall, it will cat... Read moreer to achieving the intended targets of the 2030 sustainable development agenda. The current food systems are evidently inadequate in addressing poverty, hunger and malnutrition worldwide. Almost 80 percent of the world’s poor and food insecure live in rural areas, mostly depending on agricultural production for their subsistence; i.e. an important number of the world’s hungry base their livelihoods on access to land and other natural resources. Given land’s economic, socio-cultural and political importance, tenure security is critical to livelihoods and food security. Strengthened resource rights increases the likelihood that farmers invest in their land, boosting productivity and contributing to food security. Secure tenure of Indigenous Peoples over the forests they live, dramatically reduces deforestation and other forms of environmental degradation contributing to climate change mitigation. According to the research conducted by the International Land Coalition with its members, land inequality directly threatens the livelihoods of an estimated 2.5 billion people involved in small-scale agriculture, as well the world’s poorest 1.4 billion people, most of whom depend largely on agriculture for their livelihoods. Global inequality experts blame the upward trend of land inequality partly on the increased interest from corporate and financial actors, such as investment funds and agricultural land investments. As corporate and financial investments grow, ownership and control of land becomes more concentrated and increasingly opaque. Today, the largest 1 percent of farms operate more than 70 percent of the world’s farmland and are integrated into the corporate food system, while over 80 percent are smallholdings of less than two hectares, which are generally excluded from global food chains. Indigenous peoples and local communities look after 50% of the earth’s surface protecting eco systems and bio-diversity. But they have legal rights only over 1/5 of it. Secure land tenure rights lead to planned food systems based on individual or collective community choices and community driven demands. Land tenure rights for a given duration empowers deciding on efficient, scheduled, appropriate and suitable cropping system and serve as a strong foundation for economic empowerment. It is the basis of human dignity of all communities including indigenous peoples, pastoralists, local communities and landless farmers forming the pathway for right to food among these communities and beyond. Read less

Land is where people grow food, hinge upon for its storage, selling, cooking or preparation and utilise to manage food waste. Hence, who owns and controls land have significant impact on how food is produced, processed, marketed and consumed. A large portion of the world’s poor lack quality access to land. Even those with access have limited possibilities to choose over their land. The current food systems are inadequate in addressing poverty, hunger or malnutrition. It is a system that relies on biodiversity loss, land degradation, resource exploitation and pollution. It is a system where t... Read morehe poorest and hungriest people are the small-scale farmers who produce large portion of the world’s food; youth is not attracted to agriculture; unclear and insecure property rights exacerbate conflicts and further contribute to land and environmental degradation discouraging land investments; massive land acquisitions for agribusinesses displace communities affecting local food systems and making communities more vulnerable. Without land tenure rights continuity of native or local seeds die, labour becomes a commodity and character of production and generation of food systems changes. As a result, mobile livelihood systems and occupations relating to food are dismantled. Land tenure is linked to land use systems where types of food generation and production are practiced. Land insecurity disrupts this link limiting the food generation and production systems. To tackle these challenges: - Future food systems should recognise security of tenure as an integral part of building sustainable food systems and take measures to guarantee both formal and customary ownership of land of women, men, indigenous peoples and local communities - Take all possible measures to guarantee equal land ownership between women and men - Make policy decisions enabling women, men, youth, indigenous peoples, local communities and other groups with formal or customary ownership of land to access bank loans, credit, seeds, markets, technical assistance, social welfare and other relevant government services. These policies should be further strengthened by making them legally enforceable as relevant - Improve land tenure systems relating to pastoralists and recognise pastoralists as food producers and build their capacity to meet market demands - Increase investments to ecosystems restoration recognising its importance in building sustainable food systems among local communities particularly of indigenous communities and pastoralists - Revive traditional practices and methods especially the ones held within pastoralists, indigenous peoples and other local communities in efforts to ensure food security - Recognize Indigenous Peoples as agents to allow their self-determined food generation and production systems and practices in finding solutions - Building partnerships among formal and customary land owners resolving conflict among people, communities, governments and the private sector recognising each stakeholders’ role and importance in building sustainable food systems - Address land issues of landless and smallholder farmers through local institutional and regulatory frameworks recognising their role in building sustainable food systems Read less

Women and Youth Challenges A large proportion of women live in rural settings and contribute to the agricultural sector. For example, women contribute to 80% of the agriculture in Asia. In Bangladesh, nearly 80% of the women live in rural setting and 72.6% of them are engaged in agriculture. Over the years, as men migrate to cities and abroad in search of stable and higher income jobs, women’s participation in agriculture has gradually increased. Despite this increase, women are often not recognised as farmers in many countries and left with little or no decision making powers over the land ... Read morethat they are engaged with. The absence of recognition of their control over land and contribution prevent them from being eligible for government concessions extended to farmers and/or accessing facilities such as credit or bank loans. This also prevents women from effectively and competitively accessing markets and their capacity to organise themselves for collective bargaining. These condition increase the vulnerabilities for land grabbing, evictions or even simply rejecting their access to land with significant impact on their livelihoods. Often government prioritise large scale infrastructure development programmes over individual and collective land rights of the people. Although significant improvement were achieved over the last decade, still in some jurisdictions, women have no property rights or their land rights are registered under male custodians. This prevents single or widowed women from owning land. The Covid 19 pandemic brought many of these vulnerabilities to the surface. Return of men from urban areas led to land grabbing or evictions depriving women from their livelihoods causing loss of income and severe food insecurities among women and their families. Engagement of young people in agriculture is decreasing as often farming is not considered to be economically empowering. Awareness among the youth on land rights and availability of land for agriculture is low. Many countries lack policies on land and youth. Complicated and cumbersome land inheritance policies discourage youth from pursuing agriculture as a livelihood. Solutions - Take measures to guarantee both formal and informal women’s ownership of land. Such measures should be proposed in consultation with the affected communities - Establish joint land titling between wives and husbands - Issue identity cards for women farmers in order for them to access government services such as educational programmes and trainings - Make policy decision for both land owners and women and youth farmers to have access to bank loans, credit, seeds, markets, technical assistance, social welfare and other relevant government services. Some of these policies should be further strengthened trough making them legally enforceable - Build capacities among women and youth farmers about their rights - Create space and make resources available for civil society organisations to work with development agencies to advocate for implementation of enacted laws and policies Stakeholders and partnerships - Governments - Civil Society organisations - Development partners - Indigenous groups, pastoralists and local communities - Public service including local authorities Read less

Pastoralists Challenges Pastoralists have a unique relationship with nature and territory. Their contribution to the food systems is clearly different to the agribusinesses. It is important that rangelands pastoralists own the land to guarantee a sustainable and healthy food production. It is impossible to invest resources aiming at medium or long term solutions that bring benefit to food systems without transparent and sustainable land tenure for this group. There is a lack of availability of information about rangelands. This co-relates to the lack of legal ownership of land among pastoralis... Read morets. The lack of full access to rangeland by pastoralists impede mobility, their participation in restoration of rangelands and lack of building infrastructure for their food productions. It also increases conflicts over land. Overall, there is less recognition and acknowledgment of contribution by pastoralists as important players in food systems particularly as legitimate food producers. Solutions - Recognise and guarantee land titles for pastoralists. Information technology can be used to provide data on pastoralists’ populations and their land use - Improve land tenure systems relating to pastoralists and guarantee the contracts for land use - Recognise pastoralists as food producers and build their capacity to meet market demands. Promote pastoralists food/production i.e. through food festivals and other ways to give visibility to what they produce and increase their economic resources - Analyse incentives and disincentives for different users of land resources through participatory approach and manage rangelands to get better achievements - Invest on mobility as a strategy for maintaining a healthy pastoralists system and to use rangelands in a sustainable way, to preserve natural resources. Investments must be done as a way to improve the environmental friendly productions. - increase investments to rangeland ecosystems restoration - Revive traditional practices and methods especially the ones held within pastoralists in efforts to ensure food security - Develop the mobile and distant services for pastoralists Stakeholders and partnerships - Governments at national level - International institutions with platforms which supports and promote the work of pastoralist organisations - Community organisations - Private sector - International donors/investors - Social networks/ Mass media Read less

The dialogue was premised on the need to understand if the results from the diverse research topics are effectively reaching the food systems end users notably, policy makers, farmers and consumers. Strategic alliances between scientific institutions, universities and practitioners (farmers, indigenous groups, women, youth, chefs, etc) to foster transformation and prepare the next generation to have a more holistic and systemic perspective are an important pathway for exploring the inter-linkages for sustainable food systems. Mot especially in arears with both diverse and common contexts such ... Read moreas the MENA region. Read less

General Overview • Despite COVID-19 crisis, it has provided opportunity for FS transformation • But the pandemic adds to the MENA additional burden on top of; oil crises, political transitions & food imports • Agri-food system in the MENA region has shown some resilience but in a varied manner across countries &; across sub-sectors e.g. aromatic plants less affected but fruit sectors heavily affected in case of Jordan • The food systems in the MENA and the policies that support them have contributed to poor nutritional outcomes. • Agricultural subsidies and food security poli... Read morecies in the region generally favor energy–rich staple food production, without sufficient attention to promoting nutrient–rich foods. • The food system has also economic, social, and environmental outcomes • Social cash transfers have been used as one of the strategies for mitigating the impacts of the COVID-19 in Egypt, Sudan and Jordan • Agriculture &; Agri-food systems is well positioned for post-covid 19 recovery but good to learn from successful countries; in terms understanding public investment, policy frameworks.. • Integrating private sector to lead growth in the agri-food systems • In order to increase food production in a sustainable and healthy manner, research and innovation is critical Research and University Engagement • Research and innovative technologies should target conservation of the food products/system: • The main issue in processing is product conservation to minimize waste. Simplifying supply chains (connecting consumers to farmers) • Providing policymakers with data and analytics to better understands supply and demand imbalances • The transformation of food systems requires interventions beyond research and technology innovations • Shift from linear approaches to research in food systems toward more interlinked and interdisciplinary process of food system research and analysis Implications going forward • Need to be cautious that improving economic outcomes of FS seems to be the main driver of digitalization..often ignoring aspects such as environmental aspects • Entrepreneurship innovation as a critical point for valorizing technology and innovation • Universities are supposed to be drivers of change and innovation but most of the innovations from universities have not been able to create startups but rather there has been a string emphasis on publications • Need to create entrepreneurship enabling environments at universities • Working on IT valorization at universities • Adopt a food systems approach that acknowledges inter-system linkages and the multiple outcomes of the food system. • Transformation is a shared responsibility that involves partnerships among all sectors of society and transparency is a prerequisite for the success of those partnerships Read less

Strengthening Food Systems Research and Innovations: What new Frontiers are needed? • Food Systems are inter-linked and run across the value chains. • Food Systems need to be sustainable in all that we do, there is need for research and capacity development across the Value chain • Adapt technologies and innovations to local context and need to adopt feasible technologies that make sense from the income perspective of farmers • Promote partnerships including reverse linkages across countries within financial institutions to promote engagement operations Target robust solutions which ar... Read moree scaleable and demand driven- consider for example indigenous foods and the scientific solutions must make sense to the indigenous people Human Capital Development for enhanced sustainable and inclusive Food Systems Productivity and Resilience Interventions • Efficiency in agriculture: needs to improve the efficiency of our local food production systems • Encourage and attract young people into agriculture: Our education systems in the universities…previous processes taught simply what was on offer but today, there is a switch to agriculture as business…thus…show youth that agriculture is beyond food production • Collaboration: need to come together to address the common problems • Transition of agriculture to food value chains: looking beyond traditional production for household food security (availability)…unlocking the income potential of agriculture is critical in lifting smallholder farmers Institutional arrangements • Policy making and financial making should be complementary to those existing at country level • Policy should focus on improving on the enabling environment including; technology, inputs, and value chains &infrastructure to enable active actor participation • Take advantage of digital agriculture • Share the models and piggy back how to address institutional challenges • Provide a mechanism for lesson sharing and solution building • Bringing the private sector to in particular enhance the deployment of ICTs to enhance functioning of FS • Bring on board financial institutions to enhance FS e.g. production processes, support the enabling of credit • Create harmonization that can enable ease of movement of goods and services across regions Read less

There is a growing recognition that complex and multi-dimensional issues such as achieving sustainable food systems require innovative, cross-sectoral, and holistic approaches, pooling together the resources, knowledge, and perspectives of different stakeholders. Participants concur that collective stakeholder engagement is indispensable to bring about the policy changes and investments required to achieve sustainable food systems. The Netherlands is well-positioned to contribute to the preparations for the UN Food Systems Summit with innovative evidence-based proposals of “game-changing” ... Read moreinitiatives in the agri-food sector, based - amongst others - on its rich experiences with multi-stakeholder collaboration. The Dutch are engaged in many public and private partnerships in and with many different countries and stakeholders in the field of food and water management and climate mitigation. The so-called Dutch Diamond approach, in which government, business, civil society, and knowledge institutions work together is known for this. Multi-stakeholder collaboration is widely recognized as a key “game-changing solution” to achieve sustainable food systems, cutting across the 5 action tracks defined for the UN FSS 2021. This independent dialogue was convened by the Netherlands Food Partnership, Rabobank, Wageningen University and Research, the Confederation of Netherlands Industry and Employers (VNO-NCW), Oxfam Novib, the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It showcased examples, shared practical recommendations, and discussed opportunities for scaling up multi-stakeholder platforms that can be replicated and scaled up in different parts of the world, focusing on its achievements, challenges, solutions, and contribution to systemic change to reach SDG2. Specific roundtables were organized on Multi-stakeholder Platforms in the following domains: *Seeds systems *Food loss and waste *Digitalisation *Nutrition *Finance *Responsible business conduct *Natural resources management -Purpose: *Add value to the UN FSS 2021 preparatory processes, both in the Netherlands and internationally, based on the internationally recognised experience and expertise of Dutch and international partners with Multi-Stakeholder Platforms. *Recommend concrete elements on how to integrate working through multi-stakeholder platforms within the Areas of Collective Action proposed by the UN. -Outputs: They will be captured in a format to feed into (1) the Dutch national Food Systems Dialogue in June 2021 (The Netherlands/online), (2) the UN Pre-Summit in July 2021 (Rome/online), and (3) the UN Food Systems Summit in September 2021 (NYC/online). Read less

The multistakeholder approach is one of the 3 key Dutch priorities for the UNFSS 2021. In general, participants agree multi-stakeholder platforms (MSPs) are key for SDG2 and the 2030 agenda. Only together stakeholders can address the challenges ahead. Despite the challenges they face, for instance, to level the playing field for each stakeholder to participate and contribute meaningfully, participants agree MSPs can be a good vehicle for the much-needed transitions of food systems, provided they respect a few crucial rules. In this regard, the following suggestions were made for replicating an... Read mored/or scaling up MSPs working on sustainable food systems: *Legitimacy and efficiency: Core to viable multi-stakeholder platforms are the interlinked notions of legitimacy and efficiency of the structure and the process. -Representation and inclusiveness: These are fundamental key pillars to build the trust necessary for legitimacy. Recommendations raised during the independent dialogue in this regard include (1) making sure from the beginning that all stakeholders affected by the given issue are included and equally represented in the MSP; (2) giving special attention to including minority groups and “unusual suspects” (such as street food vendors, women cooking in markets and other settings). -Political will: Additionally, participants indicated that a strong political will is crucial for effective MSPs, and can also help to convey legitimacy. -Ownership: Furthermore, legitimacy relies on the adequacy of the process to engage stakeholders in a meaningful dialogue in which they feel a sense of ownership and the possibility of gaining benefits. This requires transparency, continuous communication, openness, and respect. In this regard, participants highlighted the importance of (1) having an independent convenor; (2) establishing and respecting transparent processes and governance mechanisms in the MSP; (3) defining clear principles, and in particular, making sure human rights are respected, and (4) instead of having a pre-defined agenda and solutions, ownership requires focusing on country, local and community-owned challenges and solutions. A specific call was made during the keynotes for (funding) “donors and global players to “change their behavior to align to country priorities and respect country ownership”. *Effective collaboration: -Diversity: Fostering a working relationship based on trust, mutual respect, and open communication also requires an understanding of each other's strengths and weaknesses. Stakeholders bring to MSPs their own mandates, interests, competencies, and shortcomings. Unless these factors are openly acknowledged and processes are in place to facilitate stakeholder discussions and negotiations, effective collaboration will not be achieved. Recommendations in this regard included: (1) setting up continuous learning processes; (2) having a clear and uninterrupted communication strategy, including sharing and celebrating results; (3) building on each other’s differences, value those different skills, perspectives and make them work together; (4) recognizing each other’s expertise and strengths, and come together to find common ground; and (5) applying the principle of “sufficient consensus” rather than full agreement on every issue to proceed and move on. -Power relations: Multi-stakeholder platforms have been criticized for failing to address asymmetries and unequal power relations. In particular, the treatment of diverse stakeholders as equals is seen as problematic as it does not recognize the differences in authority, legitimacy, interests, and power of different stakeholders. In this regard, participants indicated the importance of addressing power relations through standards and internal mechanisms and processes for inclusivity, transparency, and accountability. -Effectiveness and accountability: Additionally, MSPs also raise questions related to the effectiveness and accountability of these kinds of mechanisms. In this sense, the dialogue identified as crucial recommendations: (1) defining clear responsibilities for each stakeholder involved; (2) having a clear shared agenda and goals (with time frame) based on a shared analysis; (3) having internal mechanisms in place to make partners accountable; (4) focus on concrete solutions; (5) monitor and evaluate impact; and (6) invest in (mutual) learning about multi-stakeholder approaches. -Time and resources: Finally, participants stressed that multi-stakeholder collaboration requires sufficient time and resources. Time to build trust, withstand internal and external changes, align different stakeholders, build their capacity, and organize processes where they can give input, feel connected and committed, and feel confident and empowered to engage in collaborative work. A specific plea was made to move from a siloed funding approach, which still prevails, so that MSPs can address health and planetary challenges together. Independent MSPs can be a space for constructive and productive deliberation. Participants concurred that multi-stakeholder dialogue in MSPs is useful to make everybody´s voices heard, change behaviors, and empower all actors. In other words, the outcomes of MSPs go beyond the concrete solutions adopted. Multi-stakeholder approaches can be real game-changers to advance food systems transformation. It’s important to note however that decisions taken within multi-stakeholder collaborations should be complementary to, and not substitute democratically accountable and rights-based decision making around food. Read less

Roundtable 1: Seed systems The participants identified several challenges that collaborative efforts in this domain are expected to address, starting with empowering smallholder farmers to access and use quality seeds to improve their harvest and business. Two cases of multi-stakeholder collaboration were presented, the story of Seed NL, an MSP initiated by Plantum, the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Sowing Diversity = Harvesting Security Programme of Oxfam Novib and partners. One key challenge of multi-stakeholder col... Read morelaboration initiatives is that they need to have everyone on board, and to be aware of the unequal power relations that might be reproduced in multi-stakeholder platforms (MSPs). Trust building and making sure that all stakeholders invest time is key for lasting results. Often, there is a lack of or only partial evidence informing the design of (seed-related) policies. In addition, there is often incomplete data and a lack of analytical knowledge about project impact, or MSP impact in particular. At the same time, the economic sustainability of projects is of key importance. Recommendations: -When implementing MSPs for seed systems in a particular country, a long-term vision needs to be created for the development of the seed sector in that country. As plant breeding is a long-term process, there is a need for long-term thinking and commitment. Funders need to acknowledge and cater for this as well, moving from project-based to longer-term programs-based funding. -Any collaborative initiative needs to start with an identification of needs, before solving the problem. Also, it is necessary to bring evidence to the table in policy-making and design processes. -Farmer breeding and seeds systems need to be recognized. -MSPs must move beyond controversies, building trust by having transparency and accountability mechanisms in place. There should be regular outreach to involved actors, especially farmers, and a neutral convening partner. -MSPs in developing countries need more and more diverse (Dutch) private sector involvement. Private sector branch organizations such as VNO-NCW and Netherlands Africa Business Council can play an important role herein, whereas possibly the legislative and regulatory bar for Dutch companies to step in should be lowered. -MSPs and investment by Dutch/international actors in local seed systems need to be aligned with existing national agricultural investment plans. Cases presented: Case 1: SeedNL https://www.nlfoodpartnership.com/documents/218/Seeds_case_1-SeedNL_Slidedeck.pptx.pdf Case 2: Sowing Diversity = Harvesting Security Programme https://www.nlfoodpartnership.com/documents/214/The_sowing_diversity_is_harvesting_security_program_Bram_De_Jonge.pdf Read less

Roundtable 2: Food loss and waste After the presentation of two multi-stakeholder platforms focused on food loss and waste (Food Waste Free United, and the Cool Move), the dialogue at this table identified several common challenges. One of them is that it may be difficult to convince participants of the added value of the MSP in the kick-off phase, due to the high costs involved in terms of time, effort, and money. It is also demanding to get all members to commit and follow through on a similar level of actions: some actors may join with enthusiasm at the beginning but then lose interest alon... Read moreg the way and will need to be pushed. In particular, public and private collaboration may be challenging if there is no alignment of objectives, and when there are divergences of visions among partners. In the next three years, working in multi-stakeholder platforms could have the greatest impact if stakeholders get the urgency of the food systems’ transition on the table and create momentum. This would imply creating consensus and celebrating successes. Recommendations: -Some key conditions need to be in place for a successful MSP, such as having a strong and independent driving group of convenors/facilitators, and having a shared ambition and agenda, which creates a sense of community and participation in a joint social impact initiative. -Additionally, it needs to be clear what’s in it for partners in the MSP, and a clear set of incentives needs to be there, such as the ability to create synergies by working with partners that complement each other. -It is also important to create ownership especially among local actors - this is not easy, and will take time and energy - and to ensure political commitment to allow all actors to meaningfully engage. This entails setting robust standards for transparent engagement, to allow less powerful actors to be involved and give them a clear mandate. It is crucial to grasp opportunities for the alignment of powerful players with less powerful actors. -A clear scaling strategy is necessary to scale successful MSPs (also as a visual, based on an integrated view of the value chain), as well as identifying and engaging scaling partners. Such scaling strategy needs to follow a regional or national/local approach, as there is no one scaling strategy that applies to all. -Another key aspect for well-functioning MSPs is to provide quality information and data along the whole value chain, to improve measuring, monitoring, and learning. -To develop effective MSPs there is a need to guarantee the long-term funding, also for facilitation, and the (overhead) cost of a professional coordinating team. -Creating peer exchange networks between partnerships working towards the same goal can help to share learnings and scale-up. Cases presented: Case 1: Food Waste Free United https://www.nlfoodpartnership.com/documents/213/Multi-stakeholder_platform_working_on_halving_food_loss_and_waste.pdf Case 2: The Cool Move https://www.nlfoodpartnership.com/documents/219/FLW_case_2-Rabobank_The_cool_move.pptx.pdf Read less

Roundtable 3: Digitalisation This roundtable discussion was informed and inspired by two examples of multi-stakeholder platforms: Auxfin Burundi and Digifarm. The dialogue continued identifying challenges and opportunities of working in MSPs in this domain. Theynmay help create more collaboration and alignment in the digital-for-agriculture sector, with the potential to tackle the often seen duplication of efforts. In this sector, competition between MSP partners may hamper data sharing and co-creation of digital solutions, and limit cooperation to foster the interoperability of systems. Open ... Read moresource for example is seen as a dilemma: it may contribute to the adoption of innovations at scale, but it can also limit the financial sustainability for the creators. The latter is a challenge in this sector: much of the infrastructure for digital solutions still needs to be built up, so large investments by (big) players are necessary, with the resulting need to earn back the cost. Recommendations: -Multiple actors working on digitalisation in agri-food should take responsibility to develop this sector further to deliver on food security outcomes. They can grasp opportunities to improve the performance of this sector through cooperation. -The Netherlands should invest in digitalisation as a contribution to food security, and Dutch actors can share their broad experience in this domain with LMIC actors. -Stakeholders working on digitalisation and mainstream organisations need to capitalize on their differences. Introducing technology and creating infrastructure is only one aspect, adoption of digital tools by farmers requires cooperation between different actors. -MSPs in digitalisation can learn from each other and from collaborative platforms in other domains. They may particularly benefit from dedicated support to balance interests and powers. As new partners are introduced to address challenges of MSPs, balancing interests is needed. -When there is competition around sharing data or open/closed source code, a middle way can be found by sharing some types of data or working with partly open/closed source. It is not all or nothing. -Actors active in the digital-for-agriculture domain need to document how food security benefits from digitalisation. -Digital industry standards of world regions should be aligned. Common standards and regulations can improve the enabling environment by creating a bigger playing field for digital for agriculture actors to scale and cooperate more easily. Cases presented: Case 1: Auxfin Burundi https://www.nlfoodpartnership.com/documents/212/UMVA.a_Digital_Food_Systems_Service_platform_Yannick_Chokola_Roundtable_Digitalization.pdf Case 2: Digifarm https://www.nlfoodpartnership.com/documents/216/DigiFarm_Sieka__Gatabaki_Roundtable_Digitalization.pdf Read less

Roundtable 4: Nutrition Improving nutrition security requires a systemic approach, which combines for example creating demand with improving the enabling environment and the supply of nutritious foods. This makes it more complex and is why it is not always easy to deliver outcomes at the level of improved diets (i.e. which are more diverse, safe, healthy, and affordable). But it is also why working through a multistakeholder approach is promising. These were among the findings of a recent evaluation of nutrition PPPs commissioned by the Netherlands Working Group on international Nutrition (NWG... Read moreN), the preliminary outcomes of which were shared during this independent dialogue. The other successful example presented was the Vegetables for All project in Tanzania, an initiative that benefited from the complementarity between its partners: Rijkzwaan, TAHA, Rabobank, World Vegetable Centre, ICCO, WUR, and GAIN, who collaborated in a whole vegetable chain approach from seed to stomach. Currently, some of the instruments used in international cooperation are not (yet) designed to achieve these systemic outcomes or to take such systemic approaches, which may make (potential) coalitions risk-averse and slow down progress. Recommendations: -When developing food and nutrition security initiatives, 'nutrition' should not be considered as a theme to choose, but rather as a topic that needs to be mainstreamed. -Approaches need to be about food AND nutrition security to prevent that it is food OR nutrition security. -Financing and investment for nutrition needs to be enhanced. -National and international donors and impact investors should improve on the conditions of their instruments, i.e. being more explicit on the nutrition outcomes they intend to achieve. -Monitoring and evaluation must pay attention to potential trade-offs that could occur as a result of project selection criteria: some criteria for effectiveness may limit the inclusion of certain farmers or consumers. -It is important to manage expectations of public-private collaboration for nutrition. In some cases, this may imply lowering certain expectations if some are not realistic. -Communication about healthy diets and nutrition with different stakeholders in different parts of the world could benefit from clearer messaging, and from integration as part of broader approaches. Cases presented: Case 1: Evaluation PPPs in Food and Nutrition Security https://www.nlfoodpartnership.com/documents/220/Nutrition_case_2-NWGN_Evaluation_PPPs_in_FNS.pdf Case 2: Vegetables for All project in Tanzania https://www.nlfoodpartnership.com/documents/221/Nutrition_case_1-GAIN-Veg4all.pptx.pdf Read less