Explore Official Dialogue Feedback

Outcome: Households in rural communities and urban areas have access to affordable nutritious food and have received appropriate nutrition education and make wise food choices, thereby contributing to an overall reduction in malnutrition and hidden hunger.Actions to be taken: a) The improvement of agricultural extension services in the country to promote the implementation of best agricultural practices in rural agrarian communities. b) The introduction of family life extension programs into the agricultural extension scheme to address socio-cultural issues, particularly, the wrong bias ... Read moretowards consumption of diversified diets rich in protein, fruits and, vegetables. c) The promotion of healthier eating patterns by expanding the blueprint of nutrition education, literacy and, care by the mandatory positioning of nutritionists or nutrition practitioners in the primary healthcare systems and other levels of health institutions. d) The optimization of overall nutrition in the country by strengthening programs (both existing or otherwise) that sensitize rural farming households on how to utilize available crops and foods. e) Training of families in the rural areas to sustain their supply and access to protein-rich foods by breeding captured bush meat or wild games. f) Enhancement of farmer productivity through investment in mechanization and agricultural technology which will positively impact their income and purchasing power g) Ensure that domestic food production addresses the availability and quality of foods, and the socio-economic challenges. Read less

Outcome: Affordable and appropriate technology and credible data are readily accessible for key stakeholders and players across the priority value chains in Nigeria to facilitate data-driven policymaking, sustainable food production, traceability, and distribution.Actions to be taken: a) The design of a comprehensive central data collection and sharing platform/database for the agricultural sector that multiple parties can benefit from is crucial. There must be harmonized and inter-connected central data gathering, storage, and sharing platform in the agricultural sector at a national and... Read more/or sub-national level. b) Public-Private Partnerships between industry and value chain actors is essential to ensure that technology is embedded in interventions. c) Government at all levels must ensure an enabling environment (characterized by right incentives, tax breaks, less regulatory controls on digital services, reduced red tape) for emerging technologies to thrive. d) Mass technological education for stakeholders (farmers, processors, etc.) on relevant applicable technologies is vital Read less

Outcome: The existence of good road linkages, storage, and processing facilities support sustainable food distribution networks and agro-processing, ensuring a reduction in food loss and waste.Actions to be taken: a) The need for increased investment in the construction of rural roads to facilitate easy access to farming communities and enable shorter turnaround times for off-taking activities b) Diversification of electricity sources to alternative sources such as solar energy. c) Renewed focus on value addition by Nigerian farmers to encourage increased infrastructural investment in t... Read morehe sector. d) Increased extension services by research institutions, government agencies, and private sector companies to educate farmers on new and improved farming practices. e) Collaboration by the public and private sector to establish grazing reserves for pastoralists, with access to potable water, cold chain storage and, lodging facilities. f) Development of new seed varieties that guarantee longer shelf-life and the ability to withstand the rigors of harvesting, transportation, and storage. g) Development of standards by regulatory authorities for agricultural machinery to prevent the proliferation of inefficient machinery in the country. h) Establishment of a multi-stakeholder partnership forum to tackle insecurity, engage communities and, provide support to security agents to deliver adequate security to farming communities. Read less

Outcome: At least 70% of smallholder farmers in Nigeria have access to and can benefit from funding facilities to ensure the use of improved inputs and mechanization, ultimately increasing their yields and overall food production.Actions to be taken: a) Commercial aggregation of smallholder farmers in groups across multiple value chains to ensure greater access to market, funding, and reach. Other benefits of the farmer groups include capacity building initiatives and technology. b) Implementation of a robust well-structured data management system. c) Development of traditional and in... Read morenovative sources of finance, (such as, crowdfunding, diaspora investment, franchising, fintech, etc) and tailored risk-management products such as farmer-centric insurance products for each value chain d) Creation of an index of financial institutions that contribute to funding for smallholder farmers to stimulate healthy competition amongst financial institutions and impact investors. e) Assessment of lessons learned from the Fund for Agricultural Finance in Nigeria (FAFIN) project to enable scaling. f) Expansion of the capacity of aggregators to increase their outgrowers and ingrowers clusters. g) Expansion of activities undertaken by donor agencies from just capacity building to supporting advocacy and education for adoption of improved seed varieties for key food crops like rice, corn, cocoa, sorghum, beans, yams and, fruit trees, amongst others. Read less

Outcome: Ensuring representation for the most vulnerable groups (e.g., women and youth) in society in the food systems through equitable access to resources (land, agricultural inputs, social nets, business development, etc.) has helped in creating more inclusive sustainable food systems in Nigeria.Actions to be taken: a) Enhance data collection tools to ensure a more inclusive food system. b) Administration of the agricultural sector should be more state-led. The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development needs to be slimmer at the top and more resources funneled to the sta... Read morete and local government level. c) Inclusion of grassroots communities, women, and youth groups in policy planning and compilation of national data in strategic planning and implementation processes. d) Holistically identify critical areas of development and missed opportunities within the agricultural sector. This will justify an increase in budget allocation to the agriculture sector or departments within. e) Education of the general populace on the importance of the agricultural sector. Read less

Outcome: Knowledge exchange on climate-smart agriculture, climate change adaptation, water management, and the promotion of micro-irrigation ensures investments in sustainable land use and reinforcement of resilient livelihoods of smallholder farmers.Actions to be taken: a) Build and maintain healthy soils on which crops are cultivated to enhance food security. b) Effectively manage water utilization to ensure environmental sustainability. c) Implement mitigative measures to combat and reduce climate pollutions (air and water).

4. ADVANCE EQUITABLE LIVELIHOODSOutcome: Gender gap in agriculture and food systems is closed; women have equal access to resources and opportunities. Actions: Provide women and people of color with equal access to capital, technology, and land tenure. Align policies with the needs of smallholder farmers, solutions to climate change, and entrepreneurial opportunities. Who: Government, businesses. Measure: Access to resources. Challenges: Historic inequalities.

5. BUILD RESILIENCE TO VULNERABILITIESOutcome: 200 million farmers are empowered through the development of markets and implementation of climate-smart practices for resilience and profitability. Actions: Assist smallholder farmers—provide access to technology and seeds to improve productivity and diversify income streams. Address gender gap. Who: Farmers, government, businesses. Assess: Measure greenhouse gas emissions and diversity of farmers’ revenues. Challenge: De-risking farmer livelihoods.

Strengths and vulnerabilities within food systems: Concerns were raised that in the process of adapting food systems to mitigate the effects of climate change and ecological degradation, the following three urgent matters must be addressed: Livelihoods of smallholder farmers and how they will be affected by changes in food systems. Women having access to resources, including capital, technology, and land tenure. Food security, including underserved communities having access to affordable and nutritious food.Areas that need further exploration: Given the extent of transformation th... Read moreat will be required to adapt food systems to address climate change and ecology, as well as food security and public health, participants focused on The urgency of data and evidence to evaluate trade-offs, and make adjustments in an iterative and timely manner.Practices that are needed for food system sustainability: Participants expressed the importance of involving a variety of stakeholders in the process of developing innovative solutions to transform to end to end food systems. They emphasized the importance of collecting data and evidence about trade-offs and what works, leveraging technology for sharing real-time information, and being inclusive.Stakeholders whose interests should be prioritized: There was a great deal of concern about: Prioritizing farmers, including small holder farmers and including women. Participants see farmers as valuable resources with regard to their experience and expertise. In fact, participants recommended that farmer-to-farmer networks be strengthened and empowered, and provided with technology that will enable them to share information in real time. Including youth. Success in transforming to sustainable food systems will require the engagement of young people. Participants urged that education be oriented to young people in addition to on-site problem solving to advance sustainable agriculture. Including women. Participants emphasized that women—including women of color—must have equal access to vital resources including financial capital, technology, and land tenure. That women need educational opportunities. That women must have a voice in decision-making. Prioritizing capacity building. Participants stressed the importance of capacity building to enable small holder farmers, women, youth, and people of color. This includes access to technology, financial capital, and land tenure, as well as information-sharing, networks among farmers, training and education. Read less

1. ENSURE ACCESS TO SAFE AND NUTRITIOUS FOOD FOR ALL • Addressing food loss and waste in supply chains, food security, and greenhouse gas emissions. Multi-stakeholder research and development. Leveraging technology to coordinate food distribution. • Innovating to advance the SDGs.2. SHIFT TO SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION PATTERNS • Transforming diets to address pressing issues of malnutrition and obesity, while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Public policies to promote healthier foods. Access to affordable, nutritious food. Market incentives for farmers to advance sustainable a... Read moregriculture. • Engaging 10 million young people in science-based social movements to catalyze climate action in food systems.3. BOOST NATURE-POSITIVE PRODUCTION • Addressing the adverse impacts of agricultural production on critical ecosystems including tropical forests, peatlands, savannas, and grasslands. • Empowering 200 million farmers through the development of markets and implementing climate-smart agricultural practices to support resilience and profitability. • Unlocking USD 320 billion per year from both public and private finance to create business opportunities for sustainable finance.4. ADVANCE EQUITABLE LIVELIHOODS • Closing the gender gap in agriculture and food systems that make it difficult for women to have access to resources and opportunities, including capital, technology, and land tenure.5. BUILD RESILIENCE TO VULNERABILITIES• Empowering 200 million farmers through the development of markets and implementation of climate-smart practices for resilience and profitability. Read less

CONCLUSION: Connections, Actions, and ExploreConnections: Establish relationships between a variety of stakeholders including scientists, researchers, and economists together with farmers, civil society, government agencies, businesses, educators, and political and social thought leaders. Each of these groups has a vital role to play in transforming food systems, as well as evaluating trade-offs and measuring results.Actions: To achieve success, stakeholders will need to collaborate to align public policies, subsidies, and financial investments that incentivize businesses and farmers t... Read moreo 1. Eliminate food loss and waste in the supply chain. 2. Conserve natural ecosystems. 3. Reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 4. Support healthy and sustainable climate-friendly diets. 5. Ensure that high nutrient foods are accessible and affordable to underserved communities. 6. Ensure equitable livelihoods for farmers, including smallholder farmers, women, youth, and underserved groups. 7. Provide equal access to capital, technology, and land tenure to smallholder farmers, women, and underserved groups. 8. Strengthen capacity to provide actionable and real-time information and advisory services to farmers. 9. Scale innovative solutions.To advance progress in achieving the SDGs, stakeholders will need to measure, evaluate, and report the data and evidence that is required to iteratively improve food systems. This will include ongoing assessments to balance food security, public health, the environment and climate change, farmer livelihoods, and the needs of women, youth, and underserved groups.Explore: Further explore food systems by drawing on data and evidence to guide: 1. Public policy—including subsidies, taxing, and food labeling—with regard to food security, public health, climate change and the environment, farmer livelihoods, and the needs of women, youth, and underserved groups. 2. Businesses, including financial investments, research and development, and innovation. 3. Research, education, and civil society to advance the SDGs. Read less

1. ENSURE ACCESS TO SAFE AND NUTRITIOUS FOOD FOR ALLOutcome: Food loss and waste reduced by 50% in supply chains, thereby improving food security and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Actions: Improve soil management and crop protection. Educate consumers about waste. Who: Farmers, businesses, researchers. Assess: Multi-stakeholder research. Challenge: Redistributing surplus food.Outcome: Food and agricultural systems are transformed to provide game-changing end to end solutions to advance the SDGs. Actions: Benefit farmers. Local solutions. Who: Farmers, scientists, businesses... Read more. Assess: Cross sectoral research. Challenge: Regional variations. Read less

2. SHIFT TO SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION PATTERNSOutcome: Diets are transformed to address malnutrition and obesity, while reducing greenhouse gases. Actions: Policies and partnerships to help consumers choose healthier foods (labeling, taxation, advertising). Improve access to affordable, nutritional food. Market incentives for farmers. Who: PPPs. Assess: Trade-offs between farmer incomes, nutrient quality, food prices, and sustainability. Challenge: Shaping demand for healthier consumption.Outcome: 10 million young people are engaged in science-based social movements to catalyze clim... Read moreate action in food systems. Actions: Engage youth climate action leaders to incorporate food security, health, access, and systems innovation. Who: Cross-sectoral: private, public, science, education. Assess: Balance health and environmental science. Challenge: Promote longer term thinking. Read less

3. BOOST NATURE-POSITIVE PRODUCTIONOutcome: Agricultural production does not adversely impact ecosystems including tropical forests, peatlands, savannas, and grasslands. Actions: Transform food systems to address climate and biodiversity crises. Conservation measures including pollinators and nutrient management. Incentivize farmers. Who: Businesses, government agencies, and schools. Assess: Data and evidence, evaluating trade-offs. Challenge: Scaling solutions.Outcome: USD 320 billion annually from public and private finance is unlocked to create business opportunities for sustai... Read morenable finance. Actions: Align current spending, including by OECD countries (presently $530 billion annually in farm subsidies), with incentives to advance the SDGs. Who: Government, businesses. Assess: Measure success by SDGs. Challenge: Pricing carbon. Read less

Summary of outcomes The top challenges identified by network participants in both groups fell under four headings: 1. Limited bankable demand on the agri-SME side. This includes: a. limited capacity (particularly in terms of business management) of individual entrepreneurs and companies b. market-level factors that affect agri-SME bankability (e.g. fragmentation of farmers, high transaction costs of doing business in rural areas, value chain malfunctioning, lack of business development service models that work well at scale). 2. Limited capacity to engage with agri-SMEs among financial ... Read moreinstitutions. This includes: a. limited capacity or willingness to engage with agri-SMEs for some types of institutions (due to lack of understanding of the market, risk factors, etc.) b. lack of proper segmentation of the agri-SME market and, consequently, clear asset classes in this market c. ill-suited product offerings (particularly among traditional financial institutions) d. processes of client acquisition and client management with high transaction costs 3. Limited capacity of agri-SMEs and finance providers to address new environment or climate-related challenges or to tap into climate finance and the sustainable investors’ market. a. Environmental and climate pressures bring new risks and costs for many agri-SMEs (including for compliance with new standards etc.), but only a fraction of public and private finance for climate mitigation and adaptation goes to agri-SMEs b. Many finance providers are ill-prepared to design and issue investment products for to green/sustainable investors to deploy in agriculture, nor do they easily access or have capacity to manage funds from public sources of green finance for this sector 4. Policy and coordination gaps. This includes: a. political interference or policy gaps (e.g. at Central Bank level) b. lack of coordination, information gaps and information asymmetries among different actors in the agri-finance ecosystem c. lack of convergence around shared standards, e.g. concerning effective business development services or agri-SME bankability. The proposed "game-changing" actions that the Summit could help launch or amplify/scale were: 1. A clear recognition by governments of the key roles of agri-SMEs in delivering against various public goods related to food systems and commitment to reward the positive development externalities generated by agri-SMEs through their business models. 2. A multi-actor initiative to bring more transparency into the business development service market for agri-SMEs, including an evidence-based benchmarking of effective models against impact on access to finance, an effort to standardize BDS curricula on the basis of such benchmarking, and value-for-money metrics for funders of such services. 3. One or more large-scale regional risk reduction facilities (e.g. risk capital pools plus technical assistance) to mobilize regional commercial capital, including long-term, patient investors’ capital, for regional (local currency) investments for agri-SMEs (particular focus on Africa). 4. A platform targeting agri-SME users with information about the universe of potential investors in their markets, their product and services offering, their bankability requirements, and their potential suitability to each company's growth stage. 5. A shared international reference framework on the use of blended finance for agri-SME investments in a “food system transformation” context, allowing evidence-based decisions about where to focus “subsidy” to leverage private capital for agri-SMEs, how to phase it out and how to assess additionality in agri-SME finance from a holistic food system standpoint. 6. An international platform or programme to: a) support innovation in digital technology and in business models applying digital solutions to agri-SME finance, b) address barriers to scale for business models with scale potential, c) roll out digital solutions among a broad community of financial institutions serving agri-SMEs, focusing on solutions that reduce the costs of acquiring smaller clients, managing risk, and achieving positive environmental/climate impact. Read less

On 11 January 2021, SAFIN partners held a "Food Systems Dialogue," as the first contribution of the network to the preparatory process for the UN Food Systems Summit (FSS) to be held in September. The objectives of the dialogue were to: • Allow SAFIN partners to be well informed about the FSS, so they can reflect on what opportunities and expectations this brings for the network; • Reach clarity about why and how agri-SME finance most fits into the FSS agenda, so that the network can focus its engagement and develop a compelling narrative around it; • Identify 2-3 priority issues or... Read more challenges in agri-SME finance that are critical to address in order to achieve impact in the FSS Action Tracks; • Brainstorm about 2-3 potential "game-changing" actions around these issues or challenges. In line with the standard structure of Food Systems Dialogue, the event started with a framing presentation (an overview of the Summit process and intended outcomes by Alison Cairns, Partnership Lead in the Summit Secretariat) and then moved into two interactive breakout sessions facilitated by Kindra Halvorson (Technoserve) and Brian Milder (Aceli Africa and CSAF). Both breakout groups discussed the top challenges in agri-SME finance that should be addressed in order to transform food systems in line with the FSS Action Tracks, and the top "game-changing actions" that could be launched around the Summit to address these challenges at scale. Read less

Actions to engage young people in science-based social movements include raising awareness by visualizing the potential future of food systems through education and exposure on social media platforms. In order to close the gender gap, access to family care and child support are essential to enable women to work in agriculture. Other enabling factors are reinforcing women networks, equal payment for men and women ensured by the private sector and recognizing women for their work.

a) The presence and importance of ecosystems services (carbon market) need to be clarified and emphazised more in food systems. Considering ecosystem services is crucial in Latin America due to its vast diversity of ecosystems.b) Areas that need further exploration are addressing trade-offs and developing ways to measure progress. Moreover, the different stakeholders should be linked to specific actions to pin down responsibilities. It remains unclear what is expected form the younger generation, what is specifically meant by the younger generation (current or future) and what their potent... Read moreial jobs will include in the future.c) Practices needed for food system sustainability include equitable value distribution along the whole food chain as well as between genders. Furthermore, critical ecosystems should be maintained, restored and further protected from the possible impacts of agriculture. Besides, the transformation of the food system should deliver healthy and nutritious diets for everybody in Latin America.d) Policies and incentives need to be tailored to the different types of farmers that we find in the region in order to enable the transition towards a more sustainable food system. Additionally, especially the link and partnership between science, the public- and the private sector should be prioritized, as well as the link between producers and consumers. Read less

Actions to provide end-to-end solutions to transform food systems should include access to healthy food, consider young people in agriculture, strengthen local supply chains and economic incentives through innovation systems. To unlock sustainable finance, a distribution mechanism is needed to ensure equitable value distribution all the way down to the farmers. Working hand by hand with the private, public sector and civil society, as well as the establishment of sound regulations and policies will create an enabling environment for money to flow into the region.

Besides, promoting local markets can enhance greenhouse gas emission reductions. To achieve 50% reductions in food loss, improving and increasing technologies, logistics and innovation are found essential. Alliances should be promoted along the whole food chain supported by transparency, interdisciplinary communication and promoting the use of scientific information in regulation.