Explore Official Dialogue Feedback

Speakers and participants agreed that steady public policies are essential to support a successful transformation of food systems while providing food security. Different actors should think together and provide solutions that can tackle the challenges of a complex system. Governments, academia, private sector and civil society should take actions together to reduce CO2 emissions, reduce food waste, secure access to healthy food, preserve biodiversity, water and make production more sustainable. Food waste was one of the main discussion topics and it can be addressed by education campaigns or ... Read morethe use of new technologies. In South Korea, education promotion to change consumer’s behaviour has been successful in reducing food waste, also involving a new approach in restaurants. New technologies have been used to monitor and change user behaviour. In Brazil, it’s necessary to implement better monitoring solutions and foster research to generate reliable data and indicators. The country also faces a paradox: while it’s one of the biggest food producers in the world, food insecurity has been increasing again in the last years, after a period of successful public policies to reduce hunger. Switzerland is investing resources to implement solutions developed in the labs. Partnerships between universities and the industry aim at reducing food waste, combating obesity and improving crops, based on international cooperation through a growthing network of specialists. Potential solutions also include plant-based proteins, certifications, alternatives to packaging, recycling and consumer trust building. The efficiency increase of food production must take into account social aspects. Small-scale production, when combined with innovative technologies, may provide positive impact on the quality of food and sustainability. Read less

The World Food System Center highlighted the potential in connecting partners from different parts of the world. The organization intends to create a network of researchers to share data and information aiming at solving problems in the food system with the support of scientists and industry and training new specialists. Promoting education against food waste and changing consumer’s behaviour are some of the approaches presented by the World Food Program. For instance, South Korean restaurants engaged in a pilot initiative achieved 30% reduction in food loss per client. The Good Food Institu... Read morete in Brazil supports innovative solutions on food production and advocates for public policies. Their approach is based on plant-based solutions, cultivated meat and fermentation processes, aligned with the Swiss startup product by Planted, which is already available in the market. Sustainable nutrition should support food safety, observe social impacts, reduce climate impacts, implement regenerative agriculture and circular solutions. Actions must be global and not only local, as the supply chains generate effects in planetary scale. The vision to change and improve food systems should be clear and transcend the interest of individual players. Leadership, management, teamwork, collaboration should be embodied through a clear stewardship to move forward. Read less

The major focus included (a) comprehensive analysis, (b) addressing all five action tracks, and (c) linkages between the five action tracks with innovation lever of change. 1. Comprehensive analysis: Main topics covered: The Dialogue first highlighted the significance and importance of emerging technologies in the context of indigenous knowledge for food security. For example, Space data, in a sense, game-changers and it is indeed great to see the list of the benefits, as more data and information translate to actionable services, applications, policies, and decisions, this empowers us to crea... Read morete the future we want. However, there are still gaps we need to overcome. What hinders our collective progress is the lack of universal access to space assets and their associated benefits. We cannot leave Indigenous people behind. We must embrace them, and we must ensure their voices are heard. This is where the organizers aim to help bridge the divide. An integrated system approach, where we work collectively and leverage all available tools, to advance sustainable development has tremendous potential. By combining enduring knowledge from indigenous peoples with space assets, artificial intelligence, blockchain, citizen science, and other solutions, we maximize the prospects of delivering smart, more efficient, and sustainable agricultural practices for all. Indeed, achieving this outcome can deliver wide-ranging benefits transcending across all five action tracks of the summit. The 2021 Food Systems Summit is an opportunity to merge new technologies and solutions with the knowledge of rural people from across the world. 2. Addressing Tracks 1 and 2: Challenges, barriers, and policy Issues for integrating Indigenous knowledge/experiences to ensure access to healthy and nutritious food and adopt sustainable consumption patterns. Main topics covered: The panelists discussed their current efforts and case studies of grass-roots communities of Indigenous Peoples covering challenges, barriers and policy issues for Indigenous knowledge and scientific approaches to ensure access to healthy and nutritious food for all and adopt sustainable consumption patterns. 3. Addressing Tracks 3 and 4: Emerging S&T based solutions applicable for integrating Indigenous knowledge/experiences for food security. Main topics covered: • Indigenous community-based food security: A learning experience from Cree and Dene First nation Communities • Indigenous methods of food preparation as a viable means of achieving food security and nutrition in rural poor communities. • Development and implementation of programs that target food security using Indigenous knowledge and an intercultural perspective. • No action track can be achieved if the rights to lands and waters for indigenous peoples are not first guaranteed. • Game changers were proposed using a white paper written by the Global Hub on Indigenous Peoples Food Systems. 4. Addressing Track 5: Solutions for Sustainable and Resilient Food System Strategies and mechanisms for integrating Indigenous knowledge in building sustainable and resilient food system from vulnerabilities, shocks, and stresses. Main topics covered: The panelists provided insight into challenges posed by climate change and extreme weather events that may impact the food systems and discuss current efforts, mechanisms, and ideas to integrate Indigenous knowledge for building resilient and sustainable agriculture. Read less

A. Main Findings from Tracks 1 and 2: • It is recognized that ancestral knowledge is extensive and despite efforts to systematize it, there are still limitations that must be recognized, and deliberate conditions must be created to have policies and resources to incorporate it into food systems where western knowledge predominates. • The summit represents an opportunity to build to recognize the problems and how to implement the solutions that we are mostly familiar with. • Reflecting on the financing of the proposals and how to really get to the political side to make inclusive decision... Read mores that promote new policies and legislations. • According to what was presented, there are many and several initiatives that already focus on knowing and valuing ancestral knowledge, they represent an opportunity to strengthen them and give more strength to the proposal of this dialogue. B. Main Findings from Tracks 3 and 4: Discussion results: Disasters are becoming more frequent with climate change and are a significant risk to food security – a risk that is only increasing due to global changes in climate. UN FAO recorded an increase in dollar-cost crop loss in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) from $8.8 Bn for the 2000-2007 time to $14 Bn for 2008-2015 (UN-FAO). Crop loss in Latin America and the Caribbean was estimated at $22 Bn for 2005-2015 (UN-FAO). While most of the present diets and farming practices prescribed by yield centric with few monocropping systems are far from the traditional knowledge and wisdom-later rely on the diversity of life, agrobiodiversity, nutrient-rich crops and food sovereignty. These risks need to be handled by understanding symbiotic relationship of 5 elements, the soil, water, air, flora, and fauna. Indigenous wisdom and rights on lands and waters are essential for future smart food and diet diversity, which is driven by indigenous knowledge in synch with emerging technologies. The Global Hub on Indigenous Peoples´ Food Systems recommends: 1. Guaranteeing the right to self-determination of Indigenous Peoples, rights to their lands and waters through policies and reforms will ensure that Indigenous Peoples could advance to more equitable livelihoods. Supporting `networks of Indigenous Peoples will also ensure they have a more active participation at policy level and to be included in the decision-making process. 2. Supporting increased biodiversity and implementing biocentric restoration centers. Resilience is strongly linked to biodiversity, so supporting indigenous communities to keep and restore their biodiversity is crucial not only for food security and nutrition but for life in general. One example of such initiatives is the Potato Park in Peru. 3. In natural systems, the production follows functions. There is an urgent need to leverage technology, diversity, and indigenous knowledge to restore the ecological sound food systems for healthy diets, sustainable living and planetary health. Technology is manured enough to make a difference which requires collective actions for system-level. transformation- it must combine resilience, conservation, and restoration with co-benefits. 4. There are two key drivers of technological innovations, the recent advances in earth observation systems and the increased use of mobile phones –90% of the precision decision making data comes from these two technologies. The transformation requires an “Inclusive Agroecosystems” where use of science, technology help to rich the producers-farmers, connect them to consumers through an institutional framework that uses the digital technologies, enormous agricultural research with the ecological framework - diversification of agriculture with indigenous knowledge and wisdom of the right mixer of crops, varieties, multi-purpose trees, livestock, and people to preserve soil health and biodiversity. Scaling such transformational changes in the food systems requires digital augmentation for collective action to interlink various systems-level solutions for inclusive development. 5. 50 years of Earth observation data coupled with local knowledge is a key to understand the impact of global climate change on food systems and indigenous people are the best stewards of climate balance. These efforts can benefit from space technologies, open data, and geo-intelligence linked with frontier technologies such as machine learning, 3-D printing, digital weather stations and the internet of things (IOTs). C. Main Findings from Track 5: Discussion results: This discussion section of the forum focused on Track 5: Building resilience to vulnerabilities, shocks, and stresses, which had the objective of generating inputs and insights on challenges posed by climate change and extreme weather events that may impact the food systems, as well as discussing current efforts, mechanisms, and ideas based on using S&T tools for building resilient agriculture with focus on indigenous community, according to the concept note for this dialogue. The panelists highlighted the importance of positioning ancestral knowledge and technology under decolonial visions and debates, especially considering our approach to the terms of food security and the difference that exists between food security and food sovereignty. Looking at these concepts integrating the indigenous perceptions and not only from our western perspectives is a challenge that we need to take towards achieving a real participatory dialogue.   Read less

1. Outcome from Tracks 1 and 2: • It is recognized that ancestral knowledge is extensive and despite efforts to systematize it, there are still limitations that must be recognized, and deliberate conditions must be created to have policies and resources to incorporate it into food systems where western knowledge predominates. • The summit represents an opportunity to build to recognize the problems and how to implement the solutions that we are mostly familiar with. 2. Outcome from Tracks 3 and 4: Recommendations: Panel provided recommendations that may be useful for harvesting indigenous ... Read moreknowledge, utilizing it, and promoting sustainable food production, distribution, and consumption. • Ensure through policy making and institutional change that Indigenous Peoples rights to lands and waters is ensure. Respecting Indigenous Peoples’ rights to self-determination is also crucial to advance to more equitable livelihoods and support their own processes to build and maintain more resilient communities. • Technology innovation —driven by geotagging, agrotagging, Earth observation, machine learning, and ICT-enabled citizen science, mapping new consumerism —which provides essential entry points for integrating the local knowledge and indigenous knowledge (I am not comfortable with the world intelligence, could you explain what do you mean?) for site-specific advisory, access to services/information that benefits the remote and smallholder farmers and consumers while safeguarding the environmental flows. • Involving and supporting Indigenous Peoples in the process of gathering data and evidence that supports the need to preserve their knowledge, lands, and waters. Those processes should also be led by Indigenous Peoples. • Implementation of low-cost technology solutions may be shared with indigenous populations to improve data quantity and quality. • Collaborative efforts focusing on resilience plans have the greatest benefits. • The availability of space-based data may be used to substantially improve such plans when combined with information from indigenous populations. • The frequency and availability of space-based data may aid indigenous populations in making better decisions about crop management/resilience. 3. Outcome from Track 5: The challenges posed by climate change and its consequent extreme events in the sustainability of food systems of indigenous peoples require establishing bridges between research in science and technology and traditional/ancestral knowledge and practices. These knowledges for years were able to sustain the rich and healthy diet of the indigenous peoples. However, today we observe tendencies towards deterioration. Through these spaces of dialogue, our aim was to listen openly about what indigenous peoples have to say; which builds the necessary complementarity and synergy between technological innovations and traditional practices, to face the current situation that indigenous peoples experience due to the weakening of their food systems. Read less

Discussion synthesis from Tracks 1 and 2: • According to what was presented, there are many and several initiatives that already focus on knowing and valuing ancestral knowledge, they represent an opportunity to strengthen them and give more strength to the proposal of this dialogue. • Reflecting on the financing of the proposals and how to really get to the political side to make inclusive decisions that promote new policies and legislations. Discussion synthesis Tracks 3 and 4: First of all, no action track will achieve its goals and objectives as far as the right to self-determination o... Read moref Indigenous Peoples is not guaranteed as well their rights to their lands and waters. Many of the technologies and indigenous knowledge is preserved within Indigenous Peoples territories and with the daily use of their language and this is how they pass the knowledge from one generation to other. Thus, it becomes imperative to respect their right to self-determination, lands and waters. The discussion helped to define a workable and replicable new development model for integrating emerging science and technology (S&T) based solutions with Indigenous knowledge. The panelists discussed ongoing efforts and new ideas based on their experience in using S&T, especially E Earth Observation (EO) and ICT based tools for food security and food system transformation. It advocated the use of innovations to integrate indigenous knowledge and wisdom for better diet diversity, farming systems and planetary health, and use of Earth Observation and frontier technologies to investigate and integrate Indigenous knowledge for food and nutritional security. Discussion synthesis Track 5: It is of crucial importance to open dialogues about the transmission of knowledge among young peoples of indigenous communities. There is a key role of carrying out the analysis work from their ancestral knowledge but at the same time under the lens of the recovery of this knowledge by the indigenous peoples themselves, especially from the oldest wise peoples to the youth, under their praxis and their own cosmovision. Read less

1) Giving SMEs a voice and an enabling environment. through 1) ease of access to funds, training, and basic services 2) adequate representation and networking services 3) less bureaucracy, clearer regulations, and simplified legal procedures 4) lower taxes and fees on starting a small business Who should take these actions: Governments, policymakers, NGOs, and business incubators. 2) Raising awareness on sustainable production and consumption of food through 1) educating stakeholders about how to lower their ecological footprint 2) rewarding responsible (environmentally friendly) production an... Read mored consumption 3) promoting initiatives for agri-waste recycling Who should take these actions: governments, NGOs, local initiatives, community, scientists and educators. Read less

The focus: A comprehensive exploration of food systems and links between the action tracks - Addressing the components of the food system: farming, food processing, distribution, consumption, recycling, etc, how interrelated they are, and the importance of forming direct partnerships between all the stakeholders in question. - Calling for governmental and non-governmental initiatives for capacity building and training of scientists, researchers, technicians, students, and farmers on the circular economy, non-wasteful production, and recycling of agricultural waste which can produce supplementa... Read morery organic-matter resources for crop production, or valuable soil amendments. - Initiatives supporting individuals affected by civil wars and plagues to get them back on track be that in terms of funds or capacity building to get them back on track. - The importance of promoting awareness, on the national and regional level, of (1) the nutrients contained in foods in relation to their roles in body maintenance, growth, reproduction, health, and disease prevention and (2) convincing people to change their eating habits toward more environmentally sustainable food consumption. This can be a challenge given that food preferences, choices, and habits occupy a central role in human cultures and food consumption goes far beyond its functional role as a means to survive. Read less

1) Establishing connections between agricultural scientists/researchers and smallholder farmers so they could share knowledge and data on how to deliver sustainable agricultural practices through optimal resource use with smallholder farmers through training and workshops. 2) Creating a channel between environmental scientists/researchers and consumers so they could communicate their findings with the general consumers (everyone, basically) (each to their level of understanding) about the positive impact of responsible consumption and lowering the ecological footprint in the long run on the en... Read morevironment. 3) In most of the region's countries, taxes and fees are still high and administrative procedures are still inconvenient to small and medium businesses. These governments should focus on creating transparent business environments with less overlapping and practical regulations and the media/community should encourage local dining/shopping to help SMEs in the food system grow. (ease of access to the market for small & medium businesses) Read less

Major focal points included land reform and access to land, loans and credits to farmers, transportation and irrigation issues, advancing cooperation and agricultural knowledge among farmers and food producers. Most producers and participants centered on the need to import less food (rice was an example cited), stakeholders mentioned population growth as a result of migration and births. Nigeria is on track to add eighty million inhabitants by 2030, adding stress to a foodshed already impacted by drought. Most stakeholders spoke about the previous year’s shortages and their inability to prod... Read moreuce higher yields in their crops because of a lack of irrigation. At least one stakeholder discussed that the government should fund a Nigerian-based irrigation technology school. One participant mentioned how regardless of religious faith, all of the population was united in praying for rain. Thus, indirectly climate change was also discussed in the Dialogue Read less

One of the main findings of the Dialogue is the need to provide agriculture support and training for small and medium-size farmers. This support should include facilitating training sessions on how to increase yields and soil tests. Many farmers and livestock producers shared skills, tips, and resources to manage their business better. Producers spoke about “old” ways of cultivation better suited to small plots of land, not too modern agriculture. One of the floated ideas is creating an app to “lease” machinery by the hour to facilitate harvest and cultivation. Farmers discussed the ne... Read moreed for price transparency and better market access. As one farmer put it, “everyone thinks farming is easy just plant the seed” policymakers need to understand that farming requires more tools. Farmers also wanted to know which crops are best suited for their soil. Most farmers wanted to get in touch and communicate these lessons learned with their neighbors Another significant finding was the need to secure “soft loans” and credits. Many farmers spoke about receiving their inputs late and not being able to plant in time. In a particular case, the farmer was not able to grow cotton in time. Transportation issues also were mentioned, as was the lack of fuel. A third significant finding was the need for irrigation techniques and resources. Many farmers spoke about the need to manage water resources and the need to be prepared for climate disturbances such as prolonged droughts. Read less

Participants agreed to share knowledge and resources surrounding better agricultural processes. · Need for land reform and agricultural supports in terms of loans, credit, and price support. . Policy that regulates market prices. · Access to markets via transportation (construction of good roads) and ways to process food while it is fresh · Price stabilization and a greater share of profits from food processing · Start preparing for the next food crisis as a result of climate change or pandemics.

How to best deal with irrigation issues was an exciting field of divergence. Although for most of the dialogue, farmers and food producers spoke about modernizing practices, they also acknowledged the high cost of modern farming. As a solution, a farmer said about using traditional and older methods of irrigations. Some farmers also discussed how current agricultural practices favor more prominent landowners and not small-scale farmers. A need for comprehensive land reform was discussed as well as being able to put as much land into food production service. Some farmers also asked that Nigeria... Read more look into creating a task force to protect farmers and their crops from looters and crop thieves. There was a general agreement amongst speakers that the government should plan for an increase in population and climate related contingencies. Read less

As measures against insecurities suggestions include Government to fight against insecurity and make Nigeria free from security challenges. Also, improving evaluation and monitoring programs, Providing Insurance for farmers, and consistent policy.

The key area of divergence and trade-off was between using agroecological methods and guaranteeing yields for crops. Most farmers recognize that Nigeria is not producing enough food for its population and want to change that. Famers consider tradeoffs between farming methods tested and tried via their families or newer methods. There needs to be more communication between scholars and researchers involved in biodynamic food production and the actual farmers and cultivators.

The focus of the Dialogue was to introduce Nigerian farmers to concepts and examples around Agroecology. The Dialogue featured researchers based in Nigeria explaining what Agroecology is and how sustainable practices can produce food and reinforce resilience in the face of climate change. In particular, the Dialogue delved into how farmers can be adaptive to challenges, create favorable soil conditions, integrate species of crops with trees, and in general, enhance positive biological integrations, improved research and innovation. Researchers explained in practice what this means and used Cas... Read moresava as an example. Cassava being a staple in Nigerian diets, yet farmers struggle to produce enough. Most speakers who followed also emphasized the need to adapt to change and argued for strategic policy actions from the government both at a state and federal level. Read less

A central theme and finding from the Dialogue was “that farmers are left to their own devices”. Many farmers and food producers are unsure how to incorporate sustainable and biodynamic farming practices. Farmers spoke about the need for clear communication and materials that can be disseminated in local dialects. Producers asked for clear examples and a recognition that most families are subsistence farmers. There exists a gap between producers for a family’s needs on the one hand and growing enough to sell at market for a profit. Famers and food producers asked for targeted action plans... Read more to assist land reclamation and cultivation. Producers also asked for clearer roles between local and federal level governments. Greater inclusivity in agricultural modernization programs as well as dissemination of knowledge and practices that can increase yields for crops. Both the expert presenters and food producers in the Dialogue highlighted how small farms are in Nigeria compared to other countries. Most farms are run as family-based operations, with whatever knowledge had been passed down through the generations. The cultural context of Nigeria adds an extra burden for women. Women who own land are not perceived as professional farmers, male farmers do not share insights and relevant information with women. Also emerging from the dialogue were the following key points which were proposed; - The right of people to define their own food and agricultural policies. - Rights and control of land, water, seeds, livestock breeds, territories. - Right to protect and regulate domestic agricultural production and trade (e.g. restrict the dumping of products in local markets). Read less

Agroecology (a way of building environmental resilience) principles discussed were; Adapting to the local environment – its constraints and opportunities, creating favorable soil conditions for plant growth and recycling nutrients, diversifying species, crop varieties, and livestock breeds in the agroecosystem over time and space – including integrating crops, trees, and livestock from the field to landscape levels. As a conclusion on how agroecology can contribute to addressing major climate and food challenges in Nigeria, what emerged was building the knowledge of farmers, indigenous peo... Read moreples, and pastoralists, this could be done by government through extension workers or other food organization. Increasing research and innovations and delivering it in the indigenous languages. There's also an urgent need to rethink and transform production models. Read less

As a way of building resilience to the economic crisis, Investment in the farming system particularly in the local environment which will improve the farming system and production was stated. Also mentioned is that Government needs to provide policy and justice for farmers. Likewise working hand in hand at the community level i.e. government, private organizations, NGOs, CSOs need to work together for developing a farming system at the local level. Speakers that work with youth and civic society asked for more cooperation with the government and greater participation in government and decision... Read more-making. Read less

We explored the link between communications and the open, active, and inclusive participation of farmers in food systems. Our participants explored what it means to have dialogue with farmers and the role of communication in ensuring that the systems we design are designed with farmers to meet their specific needs. We took deep dives into principles of engaging rural communities and farmers, and the different types of tools that are necessary to do each one: whether through radio and music, through active participation, through IVR phone in lines, through systems designed to entertain as well ... Read moreas educate, and through other methods of open communication. Too often farmers and rural folks are left out of the conversations that directly involve and are made to benefit them, so the focus of this Dialogue was to discuss how communications brings farmers and rural folk into the conversation, and what is necessary to do that in a meaningful way. On the program explored the various tools and projects different organizations use to include farmers in the discussion and communicate with them; polling participants to explore the different ways they use communications; and amplifying the voices of some few every-day farmers who explained key communication needs. This Independent Dialogue was a precursor to our on-air dialogues which are using radio programs combined with live polling to identify the opinions of farmers on various FSS action tracks in Burkina Faso, Ghana, Tanzania and Uganda. Read less