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9) Culture and Identity - Has been plagued under multi-causal poverty for years (especially food and nutritional insecurity, no dignified work, access to healthcare and housing) affecting 70% of population. - The State is the big absent to respond to this issue and even solve it, since there are not public policies in ministries nor national development agencies to tend for this, and care for people’s lives as the Constitution seeks. State irresponsibility, coopted with mafias within all institutions, it is practically left for civil society to tend to this, united to demand accountability o... Read moref irresponsible leaders and head of government on a continued basis, so as to generate a new culture of responsibility, a new culture of inclusion in government plans and action, new shifts toward sustainable consumption, livelihoods, with a spirit to improve, and turn the tortilla around of the change Guatemala needs. State neglects Mayan and ancestral roots - Change a culture of blindness, of a blinding advertising culture of damaging foods (fried, sodas, canned) or agricultural chemicals and pesticides. A need to generate a counter-culture against the unregulated products and propaganda (like in Europe from health entities). - Civil society claim to international organizations to press on government to regulate. - New culture of protection and respect of ancestral Mayan traditions towards the care of the earth, elements, and people. - Education from the fathers, grandfather and grandmothers, to be treated with respect, dignity and continuity of wisdom. Read less

The major focus of the dialogue was to follow the main title of it: Improving our food by turning the tortilla around... (and us too) [Mejorando nuestra comida al darle vuelta a la tortilla... (y a nosotra/os)] - Improve: bettering our transformation [mejorando] - Food: a colloquial way to refer in Spanish [comida instead of alimentos] - Turning around: using the motto of UNGA "Turn it Around" - Tortilla: a stample food in Guatemala, the most common food from corn (but also subject to numerous diseases and modern slavery that have been normalized). - Turning the tortilla around: a saying in Sp... Read moreanish: [darle vuelta a la tortilla] to really flip the scenario - Our / us: to be part of the problem and the solution, and identify us and all in the food systems (and not just the same, therefore a real "People's Summit" as mentioned by Dr. Agnes Kalibata). The main prompt was to rethink or have in mind: - malnutrition: it's entire focus and not just one form of malnutrition, but their intertwinement (in Spanish not only speaking with the too-frequently used technical term "desnutrición crónica" but incorporate "malnutrición"). - transparent collaboration: there have been too many collaboration from corruption, big benefits for a very few decision-makers neglecting the service to the entire population. - systems thinking: to change system we need to go back to the roots of the issues, back to basics and prepare for perhaps needed uncomfortable moments and questioning to move forward better. The dialogue focused in all five action tracks altogether and by specific focus group. We used Zoom for the dialogue, and once finished, an optional interactive world we called Mejora-Topía (Better-Topia). Convened and Curated by Bibi la Luz Gonzalez (Eat Better Wa'ik - Come Mejor Wa'ik). Thank you for this opportunity, it was incredibly valuable, and hope our findings press into a real change within our country and its commitment to transform to improved food systems. Read less

Latin America is an area of the world with great potential, but a deep transformation is needed to address some of the main challenges. Zamorano University trains professional who work all over Latin America on the issues raised in the 4 action tracks discussed. However, the next generations must think also about wider issues in food systems (such as climate change) to make agriculture and food systems more sustainable.

Access to nutritious food in Latin America is a multi-dimensional issue which requires intervention in many levels

The interest for consumption of traceable agricultural products has opened opportunities for Latin American producers. However, the

Production systems are complex in Latin America and new technologies offer solutions to increase productivity, but these technologies are not always accessible to all. Climate change risks are severe in areas like the dry corridor of Central America (Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador) and the Caribbean, for instance.

Latin America is a continent with many difference in access to resources, placing some groups at risk (indigenous communities, women farmers, youth). Structural changes promoted in the past have not yielded the expected results, new approaches are needed.

There were several areas of divergence which emerged, for example: 1. Use of GMOs vs no use 2. Large-scale farming systems vs. family farming 3. Access to finance, markets: still a challenge

We focused on food systems in Latin America, from the perspective of education, primary production, processing, trade, consumption, market access for farmers, and also involved supporting isntitutions.

The country strategy for contributing to the Food Systems Summit involved the Government of Bangladesh (GOB) forming a high level National Committee headed by Secretary, Ministry of Food (MoF) to organize Member State Dialogues. Mr. Khaja Andul Hannan (Additional Secretary,MoF) is representing as a National Dialogue Convener. A Working Group was formed to support several sub-national and national dialogues. The outputs of the current Independent Dialogue will be compiled with other independent dialogues, and considered in identification of actions in the National Dialogues. The current dialogu... Read moree emphasized solutions to achieve Action Track 3: Boost nature-positive production. The focus on AT3 was chosen to fill a gap because this AT was not strongly reflected in other planned dialogues. This dialogue also touched on Action Track 1: Ensure access to safe and nutritious food for all and Action Track 2: Shift to sustainable consumption patterns. The overall objective was to leverage contributions from a diverse group of stakeholders for developing a vision for the future of food system considering environment and climate change issues. Specifically, participants were asked to prioritize solutions for the challenges posed into the development agenda of GOB, research institutes, academia, development partners, INGOs/ NGOs, especially towards achieving SDG’s. The dialogue is therefore part of a participatory approach to address the environment and climate change issues in the food system today and in the future, where a wide range of participants shared their opinions, visions, and recommendations. Read less

All participants recognized the importance of maintaining healthy environments for food production and addressing the impacts of food systems on local environments and atmospheric emissions. Discussion Topic: The environment/degradation and food systems interface will be sustainably managed 1. River ecosystems must be monitored for agricultural pollution and managed more sustainably. Industries and urban areas are known major sources of water pollution. However, fertilizer and pesticide application from farms and manufacturing industries are also likely major sources and overlooked. It is uncl... Read moreear the amount and impact of fertilizers from runoff entering canals, ponds, and riverways, but we do know that fishery production is decreasing, possibly the result of the increasing use of chemical fertilizers and other pollutants. More comprehensive monitoring of nitrogen and other fertilizers in waterways is needed. Monitoring and reporting can be initiated in connection with SDG 6.3.2 Proportion of bodies of water with good ambient water quality, which is currently not monitored in Bangladesh. Data sharing between relevant agencies will be critical for monitoring but will need to be formalized (e.g. between Department of Environment (DoE), Soil Resource Development Institute (SRDI), Ministry of Water, Ministry of Industries, etc.). 2. Existing regulations on water pollution from all sources including agricultural must be enforced to protect food systems, in addition to water quality for drinking and irrigation purposes. More evidence needs to be generated to understand the negative impacts of pollution on food systems, and the negative impacts of food systems on the environment. Farmers and farmer organizations should also be made aware of the negative impact of fertilizers and pesticides. More systematic studies that consider agricultural pollution impacts in major agroecological zones may also be necessary. Ongoing activities that strengthen underpinning conditions, such as women/youth engagement, institutional capacity building, farmer access to finance and markets, should continue to be strengthened because they will provide the platforms and resources for promoting environmentally friendly agricultural practices. Discussion Topic: Feasible solutions for mitigating climate change are streamlined in the country’s food systems 3. To achieve climate mitigation in cropping systems, increased conservation agriculture practices and nature based solutions need to be implemented. For example, improved soil and nutrient management at the farm level will reduce the need for fertilizers and reduce CO2 emissions. Simple soil management practices are available that have been shown to reduce farm level emissions. In order to expand these and other climate change mitigation initiatives, finance solutions, policy, research and collaboration are needed. There should be more economic evaluations of ecosystem services and natural resources with emphasis on water and the benefits of all actors of the foodsystem needs to be taking into account 4. All actors of the food system need to be further engaged, not leaving behind farmer and producer needs in development planning for climate change mitigation. One key here, in addition to considering direct and long-term benefit, is capacity building. Multiple sectors need to be included in this area since no one organization or institution can do this alone. Academia needs to be involved in policy making. Private sector can take a leading role in development of new technologies but also need to be supported by laws and regulations. Intergovernmental and non-govermental organizations can support policy makers and provide technical assistance. Discussion Topic: Bangladesh becomes a leader in innovative financing solutions, policy provisions and support mechanisms for “nature-positive production” 5. Higher investment in nature based solutions are needed transform agriculture and food systems. In particular, crop zoning that recognizes natural resource availability and climate stress, both presently and in the future, can be used to better inform cropping decisions and support to successfully develop value chains. Vermicomposting to replace chemical fertilizers needs to be promoted much more. Single plastic use poses challenges to the food safety and food systems. The uses of plastic needs to be controlled in the farming, packaging, transportation and distribution of foods. Investing in solar for irrigation and food processing has good potential and need more development. 6. Innovative financing solutions are required for farmers and businesses to advance the sustainable agricultural commercialization. We should have appropriate financial products for different types of food sector actors, i.e. farmers, agro-processors, private sectors. Each year the government is allocating money to support soft agricultural credit but the loan distribution process is slow and not farmer friendly. Agricultural bank’s policy needs to be reformed and more farmers needs to be engaged in the banking sector. Opening accounts and processing of the agricultural credit needs to be faster. Co-operatives should be promoted in rural areas for collective farming, processing, marketing and financial services. Digital platform should be better utilized for credit disbursement, collection and agricultural information sharing. An underpinning challenge is ensuring that the resources currently accessed are not wasted. Read less

To truly embrace and achieve “nature-positive production”, Bangladesh must sustianably manage the envrionment, climate change and food systems interface through three pathways. First, an evidence base must be built which demonstrates the impacts of agriculture sector on the environment, especially more extensive and reliable monitoring of river ecosystems. This evidence should then be used to motivate greater enforcement of exisiting pollution regulations. Second, nature-based solutions that improve soil and water management, reduce pollution, and lower agricultural GHG emissions need to b... Read moree scaled up. However, scaling up activities must carefully consider trade-offs and harmful consequences towards smallholder farmers and producers. Third, sustainable agriculture approaches that have positive impacts on the environment need innovative financing solutions which make it easier and quicker for farmers and businesses to access finance. Specifically this means strengthening farmer organizations, co-operatives, and digital services that serve as the vehicles for scaling up successful approaches. Finally, women, youth, and the private sector, each play a critical role and need to be engaged for future change. Innovative programs that promote women and youth leadership, behaviour change towards environmental stewardship, and training in job skills should be prioritized. Further dialogues are needed to understand how to effectively engage the private sector in positive environmental changes. Read less

Bangladesh needs to learn from experiences from developed countries to not repeat the same mistakes which led them to degraded agro-ecosystems. So called “modernized” approaches, including increased mechanization and chemical inputs, have not always had positive long-term benefits. Some participants fear the same trajectory will be followed in Bangladesh as it seeks to graduate from its Least Developed Country status, and urged for caution. On the other hand, other participants pointed out that mechanization should continue to be promoted, not limited, as part of the longer-term solution. ... Read moreAgricultural industries have been good for creating new businesses and jobs (spare parts, repairs) in the private sector. Mechanization has therefore done more good than bad and should not be slowed down. Read less

The key take aways from my dialogues are for all head of governments as signatory to the Paris Cop21 agreement, and signatory to the UN Convention on Biodiversity, to follow France and Sri Lanka to make pollution by chemical fertilisers NPK leaching into any water system or ocean a very serious crime by respective legislation. To succeed for the "Decade of Restoration" and to protect our Oceans by 30% by 2030. (MPA 2030), there is an urgent need to take actions by all signatories to the Paris 2015 agreement. There is an urgent need to ban all toxic chemical fertilisers industry before we reach... Read more any tipping point. Read less

1) All major rivers, water system & oceans are in deep eco suicide laden with plastic waste and leaching from toxic NPK fertilisers. ( Resulting in redtides &toxic algae blooms & dead zones).Refer Nasa satellite images. 2) Unless we stop polluting the water system & oceans it is not possible to have the 30% Marine Protection Area by 2030, and not possible to achieve the UN SDG . There will be no food security from the fisheries or aquaculture industry too. 3) The current practice of using toxic NPK fertilisers for soil to enhance harvest is incorrect.( NPK is Irrelevant too) 4)... Read more The NPK fertilisers comes with high carbon intensity, and also from the heavy pollution of extractive industry for phosphate and potash. ( composition of NPK fertilisers). 5) Ammonia nitrate from NPK fertilisers is an existential threats to humanity. ( Food security challenge, Ammonia nitrate is for bomb making purposes & very toxic to soil & degradation to air, water, soil , land, & human health too) 6) The science have proven that nature based solution is the best alternative to all toxic NPK fertilisers. 7) The essence of crops' harvest is from the microbial community within soil, and nature photosynthesis process. 8) There is an urgent need to legislate ecocide law, ( like the French Ecocide Law) to halt degradation to our soil, water system and biodiversity. 9) We need to live in harmony with nature, and to stop all pollution by chemical NPK fertilisers into our water system & oceans. 10) Nature based solutions, with the application of manure from animal husbandry and natural carbon sequestrations should be the new norm for all crops' agriculture. ( " MONIGREEN" from Singapore PRC Global Pte.Ltd. CEO Ron Tan ) Read less

Most farmers or policy makers are not aware that the current practices of using and producing chemical NPK fertilisers are so destructive to our biodiversity, ecology and natural life supporting system. As there are symbiotic relationships among, air, water and land (soil). Toxic NPK fertilisers have been to proven to degradate soil, water and oceans.Unless we stop leaching NPK fertilisers into water system and halt all contamination and pollution of ocean, how are we to have a " Decade of Restoration" to succeed. The externalities of extraction industries, of phosphate and potash are very pol... Read morelutive to our air, water and (soil)land. Ammonia nitrates synthesis from natural gas is carbon and energy intensive, and very contaminating too. Workers working in the blending of chemical fertilisers NPK, if not in proper safety gears are known to have cancers from the pollution of npk fertilisers industry. It is an existential threat and security threats to humanity, if NPK fertiliser industry is not terminated by respective legislations. World Bank and all other financial institutions should revoke the existing financial packages for construction of NPK fertiliser plants, and bring it to an immediate halt.There are no food security in place, if NPK fertiliser industry is not halted. To produce nutritious and safe harvest for food consumptions, NPK fertilisers should never be used in the first place. Read less

There were no major areas of divergence there was unanimous agreement on most of the issues discussed in the Regional dialogues as well as in the national dialogie.

6. PUBLIC AND DEVELOPMENT SECTOR INVESTMENTS; • State budget: Government must honor the Maputo Declaration, which was also complemented by the Malabo declaration to invest 10% in the Agriculture sector. • Avail Collateral for Primary Producers: Government to set aside funds from its budget to act as collateral for all farmers to enable easy access to finance from commercial banks. The proposed Agriculture Investment Fund should be approved and stakeholders invited to invest in this fund to support farmers and the growth and development of the sector. • Policy: Suggested a compulsory M&am... Read morep;E; policy to follow up on all farms leased out to assess how they are used and make recommendations that will benefit the food system. Underutilized government-owned farms must be put to optimal use. • Support by Donor organizations to assist in the establishment of the Farmers Bank interests for Farmers. • Farmers and farmers' enterprises struggle to raize capital to establish business infrastructure such as warehouses, abattoirs or cold rooms, irrigation, etc. Government and development partners are encouraged to assist farmers to establish these under necessary terms and conditions such as lease arrangements. Read less

The dialogue was centered around the following themes: 1). THEME: Advancing equity, openness, and fairness in the governance of value chains including in International trade. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Agree on three strategic interventions that would be necessary to address this by the producers themselves and other chain actors, as well as roles of research and policy in this regard. 2).THEME: Enhancing availability and Equitable access to factors of production. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: For each of the key factors of production, explore at least two ideas that will enhance available and equitable ac... Read morecess to primary producers, understanding that they are not a homogenous category. 3). THEME: The groups reviewed the status and level of adoption and scaling up of innovation and technology including digital technology. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Which areas/fields (maxim 5) of research and development/innovations present the greatest opportunities for transforming the lives of farmers and at scale? b) what should be the key principles underpinning the governance of data value chains be based on, particularly with respect to data generated by and from farmers? c) What factors and investments by the different ecosystem’s actors would enable wider adoptions within the shortest period of time- what are the low-hanging fruits? The role of the public and development sector in areas such as backbone infrastructure and capacity, as well as in digital literacy? 4). THEME: Strategic interventions that can increase the pace of involvement of a younger generation of Agri-preneurs in the food system. Delving on the strategies that can be undertaken to contribute towards this and Identify the younger generations' expectations from other ecosystem players. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Identify a maximum of 5 strategic interventions that can increase the pace and scale of the involvement of a younger generation of Agripreneurs. What can the younger generation undertake to contribute towards this, and what is it that they expect from other ecosystem players? 5). THEME: Shifting to sustainable and nature-positive production at scale. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: a) where are the low-hanging fruits in achieving significant shifts to nature positive production by farmers and at scale? What strategic (max 5) investments and infrastructure will be needed to take farmers on a sustainable and scalable nature positive production trajectory in the medium term? What will be the responsibility of farmers in advancing this, and what would they expect from other systems actors, including consumers? Also, consider the role of the public and development sector in de-risking and funding the transitional period. 6). THEME: Priorities for Public and Development sector investments. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: a) Which areas for public sector investments lend themselves to catalyzing the transformation of primary production at scale both in the short and medium-term and similarly for the development sector? (maximum 3 each). Identify a maximum of 5 policy proposals/ideas that you would consider game-changing in transforming the primary production at scale (consider also the role of public and development sector funding in de-risking the transition towards more resilient, sustainable, and inclusive food systems. Read less

1). Bargaining Power targeted to Markets: the dialogues resolved that Due to the marketing challenges that farmers are facing, they must establish strong group/s that shall have bargaining power in the market. In this regard, they will be able to obtain the most favorable prices, representation in marketing boards, lobby governments to enact policies that will allow participation of the private sector to alleviate price volatility. The capacity of farmer cooperatives should be strengthened so that they can deliver effective services to members including organizing collective access to inputs a... Read morend output markets for farmers. Government and development partners should provide infrastructure such as warehouses to support farmers' enterprise bargaining. 2). Agriculture Crop Insurance: The dialogue proposed for a system of risk and insurance sharing which might mitigate the consequences of adverse outcomes or might even allow traders to pursue higher returns but more risky activities. In the absence of formal institutions, proposing that social capital might play this role. 3). Governance of Farmer Organizations: As a matter of policy, the dialogue proposed that Agricultural policies should focus more on the intensification of the agriculture sector, empowering farmers’ organizations, and increase the market orientation of the smallholder farm sector, suggesting that ESNAU should be strengthened to assume this role effectively. Umbrella bodies such as ESNAU must take lead in providing governance mentorship and support to farmer organizations including farmer cooperatives. 4) Climate Change Research: The impacts of climate change on the food systems were observed. The dialogue realized that Climate change can affect food availability, access, utilization, and the stability of each of these over time. It was proposed that Research should take centre stage in unravelling the impacts of this phenomenon if the food system is to be sustained. 5). Access to Finance: In the discussions, finance was said to assume vital and significant importance in the agro–socio-economic development of agriculture both at macro and micro levels. Secondly, it was said to be playing a catalytic role in strengthening the farm business and augmenting the productivity of scarce resources. In a food system access to finance serves to initiate production and sustain the value chain. Financiers should provide farmer-friendly financing products. Government should establish an agriculture fund that will act as collateral for smallholder farmers. 6). Improve adoption, access and use of digital technology; The dialogue noted that today's agriculture routinely uses sophisticated technologies such as robots, temperature and moisture sensors, aerial images, and GPS technology. These advanced devices and precision agriculture and robotic systems allow businesses to be more profitable, efficient, safer, and more environmentally friendly. The government was therefore encouraged to promote these technologies through capacity building forums for Primary Producers. Producers are encouraged to adopt and make use of new technologies. 7). Agriculture Mechanization. The dialogue realized that primary producers in Eswatini are heterogeneous and that mechanization could be an answer to the problems faced by farmers; the dialogue understood that Mechanization covers all levels of farming and processing technologies, from simple and basic hand tools to more sophisticated and motorized equipment., this improves the efficient use of resources, enhances market access and contributes to mitigating climate-related hazards. 8) Promote agriculture in Schools and improve the curriculum- and strengthen Career Guidance; They understood that as long as there is not targeted career guidance for pupils taking agriculture subjects in schools the prospects of generating future farmers in bleak. There is a need to create an organization to advocate and advance the aspiration of agriculture students and guide their career paths. A youth wing under ESNAU can be created, to in the first place target schools. 9). Overgrazing and Land degradation: were serious issues for the dialogue, unit livestock agriculture requires massive amounts of land, food, energy, and water; results in polluted land, water, and air; and causes immense animal suffering. livestock production contributes to the world's most pressing environmental problems, including global warming, land degradation, air and water pollution, and loss of biodiversity. The group proposed that farmers must keep the right livestock unit per area (proper Livestock Units). The ministry of agriculture must intensify educational programs. 10). Development and investment agencies could help in providing grants, funds for supporting agriculture projects. Donor funding could make a meaningful difference if they were to support the establishment of a Farmers Bank. Read less