Explore Official Dialogue Feedback

On 27 April 2021, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Food Tank, and Global Alliance for the Future of Food, in partnership with the UN Food System Summit (UN FSS) Champions Network, presented the fifth of seven-panel discussions focusing on how to transform the world’s food systems. Each virtual series explored one of the Global Alliance’s seven Calls to Action and brought together more than 25+ UN FSS Champion speakers worldwide, including world-renowned activists, journalists, business leaders, farmers, policy and technical experts, and many others. This fifth ev... Read moreent in the virtual series highlighted the Global Alliance's call to action:  Unlock private philanthropic and multilateral investment opportunities, and sustainable food systems, and better align those opportunities amongst actors for greater impact. The panel brought together an international array of food systems leaders to issue calls for action on global food systems, elevate public discourse about reforming our food systems, and develop principles to guide stakeholders in leveraging food systems to support the SDGs. Ruth Richardson,  Chair of UN FSS Champions Network and Executive Director of Global Alliance for the Future of Food, set the stage for the discussion by distinguishing the difference between public and private capital flows and the capacity of interconnectedness between them. On behalf of Global Alliance, she proposed questions to guide the discussion that highlighted topics such as agroecology and regenerative practices, encouraging more ambitious funding targets, and acknowledging organizations that use grants to promote positive change in our global food systems. Bettina Prato, Senior Coordinator for the Smallholder and Agri-SME Finance and Investment Network (SAFIN), opened the discussion by framing private finance issues in our global food systems' and the deeper complexities surrounding our current financial architecture. Prato stressed two inherent weaknesses in our current financial architecture on global and country levels. Firstly, finance in itself does not unlock investment opportunities, and the need to build up those opportunities is now required. We must design, prepare and de-risk those investment opportunities that are a weak area in the current financial architecture. The second identified was the need for fragmentation in our current landscape and recognizing the significant gaps in the types of capital being offered and the need to support the transition into more adapted and riskier agricultural practices. Prato stressed the need for riskier business models and investors to support investable opportunities that are really transformative and align with our agenda towards sustainable food systems. Andrew Mushita, Director of the Community Technology Development Trust, emphasized the role that debt plays with smallholder farmers stating that it makes them more risk-averse. He stressed that investments should be demand-driven and ensure that smallholder farmers are being reached. There must be adequate infrastructure and technologies to ensure that the pricing system is fair for farmers to return investments in their economy and the agricultural development sector. Geeta Sethi, World Bank, echoed Ruth’s initial point on the importance for public and private sectors to work together to define the price of carbon, soil as an asset and provide a policy framework that allows innovation to move forward, and compensating farmers for their role.  Co-moderator Dani Nierenberg, President of Food Tank, reemphasized the need to transform our food systems by actively engaging and recognizing smallholder farmers as critical stakeholders and mitigating the many power differentials commonly seen in the financial sector. Ndidi Nwuneli, Sahel Consulting/Nourishing Africa, stressed the importance of equitable funding and used Africa as an example of funding being received by the many start-ups driven by Americans and Europeans residing in Africa. She also emphasized the role gender plays in funding, stating that women farmers typically receive less funding. Read less

● Panelists believe that finance itself does not unlock investment opportunities, and thus good investment opportunities must have not only funding, but be well designed, prepared and de-risked. ● Panelists noted that investment opportunities must be demand driven and serve the interests of small-holder farmers. ● Some panelists argued that a next step which should be taken is for funders to actively track the number of local organizations that are getting financing, ensuring that local community actors are sufficiently funded and able to act sustainably. ● Panelists argued that stakeh... Read moreolders must break down silos and promote greater collaboration, between all sectors on the local, state and federal levels. ● Panelists believe there can be a mutually beneficial relationship between the public and private sector if collaboration is effective. Read less

“FOOD SECURITY IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA IS ACHIEVED THROUGH ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY PRACTICES AND TECHNOLOGIES ALONG THE WHOLE FOOD CHAIN” Participants started by developing their idea on how the Food System will change over the next 10 years: • Improved selection and crop variety for farmers is essential for adapting to climate change and rainfall variability in the coming years. • On one side it will be pivotal to select a wide variety of crops, whereas on the other side it is crucial to use native species whenever trying to apply Sustainable Agricultural Intensification to avoid invas... Read moreive species. • Decentralized method and a multi-actor strategy need to be applied to make sure a wide variety of crops is established respecting the goal of sustainability. • Valorization of traditional knowledge by discovering local and ecological resources, thus reducing the use of harmful chemical products or pesticides, is important. • Management of natural vegetation (buffer strips, hedgerows) is also considered important to encourage presence of wild pollinator populations. • New ways to deliver production data from local crops and to improve crop protection knowledge will be found by improving the use of ICTs and mobile-linked tools. Specific environmentally sustainable practices and technologies can be applied and in the local food chain: • Intercropping – many options are to be explored, also by mixing cropping and intercropping to deal with climate stress and pest and diseases. One clear option is to work on what it is known to be already successful and very effective. One example is the push-and-pull technology, that is known to be successful and effective. • Use of local, accessible and already existing materials to reduce the use of chemical fertilizers, to increase nutrient cycling at farm and household level and recycling of crop residues. One example is to employ domestic and animal west. Among the challenges to applicability of these practices, participants agreed on the following: • ICTs (as implemented in the EWA-BELT Horizon2020 Project), especially mobile technology, could improve and overcome the constraints related to training and extending services. Technologies are available, but they do not reach those interested. A great effort must be demanded for these technologies to reach those that are most interested and in need. ICTs are helpful in teaching farmers on reproduction and preservation of seeds, also in order to increase entitlement of practices and seeds. People on the field and experts alike are also essential to educate farmers to new technologies in order to boost their productivity. Training on traditional knowledge is crucial, feasible and applicable, favouring low-cost technologies and strategies. It is also adaptable to local farmers who do not have many practical tools. • Covid-19 was also seen as a constraint in terms of people going back to farming without being given proper training on sustainability. • Improving seed variety is feasible, and has been made, but needs adequate investment in research and development for plant genetics improvements. • Give farmers access to financial institutions. Micro-credit and insurance increase farmers’ capacity to be part of the value chain. One of the ideas proposed is to work for reducing land tenure and increasing possession of land over the years, as farmers often do not think in a long-term perspective. • Social networks, corporative societies and communities are encouraged as they provides farmers with great opportunities even when accessing commodity markets. • Language barriers are considered a major constraint, especially in terms of education and knowledge-sharing. Efforts to overcome such extending limit are now due. Farmers need to understand what they are been taught, with respect to agricultural practices and the given technological tools. Translation to local languages could be a valuable solution. • Improvement of infrastructures and means of transportation. Seeds and fertilizers will reach farmers on time and the crops can reach the market faster. Read less

“CAPACITY BUILDING, EDUCATION, TRADITIONAL AND SCIENCE-BASED KNOWLEDGE INTEGRATION PROMOTE AFFORDABLE, SAFE AND NUTRITIOUS FOOD IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA” Sustainable Intensification has different dimensions, one of these concerns the socio-economic and human aspects. Which is the role that capacity building and education can play in promoting Sustainable Intensification for food security in Sub-Saharan Africa? Some issues to take into consideration are: 1) Access to education for farmers in remote areas. We can speak of formal and informal education. Formal education is institutionalized, int... Read moreentional and planned through public organizations and recognized private bodies of a country. In some contexts, informal education and innovative ways of raising awareness among farmers towards innovation can be more important and effective than formal education. Some examples of informal education: • Extension services: decentralization policies and focus on infrastructure are undermining the governmental extensions services that lack resources in Sub-Saharan Africa. Other actors such as NGOs or non-academic research centers are playing an important role for fostering informal education. • Promoting “modern farm models” as platforms where other farmers can learn how to implement technologies and where they can cooperate to share inputs to implement solutions. • New ways of promoting capacity building and awareness are based on the co-construction of knowledge and dialogue and communication among different categories of stakeholders through a multi actor approach. An example of this kind of practices is the case of the “Theatre Forum” on climate change adaptation strategies (see https://futureclimateafrica.org/coproduction-manual/). 2) Capacity building related to Sustainable Intensification and food security addressed to small scale farmers should consider: • Training farmers on how to innovate and be competitive on the market. • Training on how to link agricultural production to food and nutritional requirements. • Capacity building and sensitization must be socially and culturally sensitive and shall take into consideration language and ethnicity barriers. In this respect, the active engagement of leaders in the rural communities is crucial. • Not only capacity building and training should focus on new technologies for Sustainable Intensification but also on traditional and local knowledge (e.g. Traditional crops vs GMO; certification of local seeds, allowing and promoting locally-adapted, cheap and good quality seeds). 3) From the side of research and academia, it is important that research questions are co-developed with local communities since the early beginning of project cycles, so that results are appropriate and useful for farmers and they can continue beyond single interventions/projects. This will also reduce farmers' resistance to implement and use technologies or new ways of working. • In promoting Sustainable Agricultural Intensification practices and technologies, it is important to understand the different value systems of stakeholders and take into consideration the drivers behind agricultural choices that are not only related to cash or yield but they are also social and cultural (ex. pearl millet is also used for buildings and not only for food). • All capacity building and education interventions should be accountable towards local communities and Donors. 4) When we talk about education and food security, gender issues cannot be ignored. Some insights concerned: • Access of women to education. • Considering the importance of enhancing and valorizing gender crops (such as Fonio) in Sustainable Agricultural Intensification strategies in order to ensure women's social and economic empowerment. Finally, we cannot ignore some areas of Sub Saharan Africa where conflicts and political instability worsen food insecurity and contribute to high rates of malnutrition. In these areas capacity building is important but conflict and the fragility and disruption of the social networks lead to difficult implementation of sustainable and long-term interventions. Read less

No particular areas of divergence emerged during the Dialogue. Indeed, participants converged on the vast majority of the issues discussed.

By 2050, the world’s population could grow to 9.7 billion, food demand is expected to increase by 50% and global demand for grains such as maize, rice and wheat could increase by 70%. In Africa, food insecurity is one of the major problems and the continent is not on track to eliminate hunger by 2030. On the one hand, the population is growing rapidly and needs an abundant supply of affordable and nutritious food, while on the other, especially small-scale farmers do not have easy access to agricultural inputs and financial resources to raise crop productivity. At the same time, agriculture ... Read moreis a major contributor to the balance of payments for African economies, and needs to meet domestic demand as well as maintain its place in international trade. African Regions are suffering food insecurity at different extents with Eastern, Middle and Southern Regions suffering the most. One of the main reasons for food insecurity in Africa is related to the huge yield gap of the major food crops that in turn depends on a complex and interdependent variety of factors. How can we meet the food and nutrition demand of a rising population without negative environmental and social consequences? Sustainable Intensification is an approach that uses innovations to increase productivity on existing agricultural land with positive (or at least not detrimental) environmental and social impact. Both words, “Sustainable” and “Intensification,” carry equal weight. The ambition for Sustainable Agricultural Intensification (SAI) can be reflected also in the Sustainable Development Goals. In particular, SDG 15 - Life on Land, which aims to sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and review land degradation and halt biodiversity loss; and SDG2 - Zero Hunger, which seeks to ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, help maintain ecosystems, strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding and other disasters, progressively improve land and soil quality and maintain genetic diversity. If this ambition is to be realised, the efficiency with which existing resources are used will have to be enhanced to ensure that ecosystems services are maintained. Sustainability also requires ensuring social equity in the productive and environmental benefits from SAI, otherwise the poorer sections of the farming population and women farmers risk being left behind by the promotion of intensification. Despite the promises of SAI practices to ensure food security, a big scientific debate around the effectiveness of Sustainable Intensification strategies developed over the last decade. In particular, a number of NGOs worried about whether it might be used to justify intensification per se and the accelerated adoption of particular forms of high-input or hi-tech agriculture in vulnerable and poor areas at a smallholders scale. Sustainable Intensification can be achieved with a range of approaches at different scales (from plot to landscape). Different domains (productivity, environmental, socio-economic, human, social) can be considered to monitor and assess whether Sustainable Intensification has been achieved or not. Scientific evidences on the role of SAI practices adopted in African countries are still under development and somehow controversial depending on the scale of adoption, the site-specific conditions and the assessment indicators used. It is thus clear that no fixed SAI strategy is possible everywhere and the best trade-offs among different outcomes are to be searched for. The Dialogue discussed with representatives of Research and Academia, Civil Society and Farmers from Europe and Sub-Saharan African Countries, the challenges and the ways in which Sub-Saharan African farming systems can increase production of crops per unit of land, conserve or enhance important ecosystem services, improve resilience to shocks and stresses, while improving livelihoods, equity and social capital to ensure a food security system for all. Read less

Participants overall converged on the following points: • Training and capacity building are seen as core elements to the overall success of improved Food Systems in Sub-Saharan Africa. Capacity building related to Sustainable Intensification and food security addressed to small scale farmers should consider training farmers on how to innovate and be competitive on the market and on how to link agricultural production to food and nutritional requirements. Capacity building and sensitization must be socially and culturally sensitive and shall take into consideration language and ethnicity bar... Read moreriers. Moreover, not only capacity building and training should focus on new technologies for Sustainable Intensification but also on traditional and local knowledge, favouring low-cost technologies and strategies, and adaptability to local farmers who do not have many practical tools. In this respect, access to formal and informal education for farmers in remote areas needs to be enhanced. In some contexts, informal education and innovative ways of raising awareness among farmers towards innovation can be more important and effective than formal education. In addition, improving access of women to education must be taken into consideration, also in light of the importance of enhancing and valorising gender crops (such as Fonio) in Sustainable Intensification strategies in order to ensure women's social and economic empowerment. All capacity building and education interventions should be accountable towards local communities and Donors. • Digital literacy and accessibility could make a difference. ICTs, especially mobile technology, could improve and overcome the constraints related to training and extending services. Technologies are available, but they do not reach those interested. A great effort must be demanded for these technologies to reach those that are most interested and in need. ICTs are helpful in teaching farmers on reproduction and preservation of seeds. People on the field and experts alike are also essential to educate farmers to new technologies in order to boost their productivity. • Cost of seeds and irrigation, and expensiveness of some relevant tools, such as photovoltaic panels and auto-machine, are a limit to accessibility for small farmers. To overcome this obstacle, farmers can create stakeholder groups or cooperatives for gaining access to those technologies. In this context, social networks, cooperatives and communities are encouraged to provide farmers with great opportunities even when accessing commodity markets. Moreover, access to micro-credit and insurance increases farmers’ capacity to be part of the value chain. Improving land tenure systems and ensuring the possession of land over the years for small holder farmers to stimulate long-term investments and perspective is also important. • It is necessary to work on a bottom-up process that takes into consideration farmers’ needs, involving all steps of the food chain, from the preparation of seeds and soil to the distribution of products to their disposal and recycling. This way also the quality of food and distribution between people will increase. On one side it will be pivotal to select a wide variety of crops, whereas on the other side it is crucial to use native species whenever trying to apply Sustainable Agricultural Intensification to avoid invasive species. Improved selection and crop variety for farmers is essential for climate change adaptation and rainfall variability in the coming years. A decentralized method and a multi-actor strategy need to be applied to make sure a wide variety of crops is established respecting the goal of sustainability. The valorisation of traditional knowledge by discovering local and ecological resources, and the use of local, accessible and already existing materials to reduce the use of chemical fertilizers, to increase nutrient cycling at farm and household level and recycling of crop residues, are important. Improvement of infrastructures and means of transportation is essential to allow for seeds and fertilizers to reach farmers on time as well as for the crops reach markets faster. Best practices such as the control of toxic fungi population, for avoiding food losses during post-harvesting; and solar drying for avoiding contamination in food are considered of great help. When discussing strategies to be implemented, also endogenous factors including geographic position, quality of soil, presence of water, general region characteristics should be considered. • A pivotal role has to be played by governments and institutions for providing affordability, distribution of technologies, and technical assistance, promote research and development of new practices, dissemination of results, contribution to capacity building and training of farmers. From the side of research and academia, it is important that research questions are co-developed with local communities since the early beginning of project cycles so that the results are appropriate and useful for farmers and they can continue beyond single interventions/projects. This will also reduce farmers' resistance to implement and use technologies or new ways of working. Finally, we cannot ignore some areas of Sub Saharan Africa where conflicts and political instability worsen food insecurity and contribute to high rates of malnutrition. In these areas capacity building is important but conflict and the fragility and disruption of the social networks lead to difficult implementation of sustainable and long-term interventions. Read less

"INNOVATIVE AND ACCESSIBLE PRE- AND POST-HARVEST TECHNOLOGIES ALLOW FOR HIGHER CROP YIELDS, AFFORDABLE, SAFE AND NUTRITIOUS FOOD IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA" 1) Participants started the discussion focusing on which innovative pre- and post-harvest technologies and practices should be applied over the next years to increase crop yields while offering safe and nutritious food, and divided them in sectors of application: • SOIL MANAGEMENT: Precision farming. • WATER MANAGEMENT: Solar energy, drip irrigation. • AGRICULTURE LIVESTOCK INTEGRATION: Agro-ecology. • CROP MANAGEMENT: Neglected and Und... Read moreerutilized Crop Species. • POST-HARVEST: Drying solar systems and special bags that farmers can use for storing solar energy and avoiding contamination in food. • PEST AND DISEASE MANAGEMENT: Push-and-pull technology; “Aflasafe”, natural product for minimizing aflatoxin limiting contamination from reaching dangerous level. It is used in Sub-Saharan Africa for augmenting the quality of products and quantity. • ICT TOOLS: Sensors for monitoring the conditions of grains during the storage. 2) Subsequently, participants identified indicators and best practices that could effectively measure the successfulness of these technologies and practices: • Time, in addition to quality and quantity, could be an indicator to measure technologies successfulness. Example: It is important to respect yields rotation/irrigation time and technologies could help in simplifying this process. • In general, when we assess successfulness of technologies and practices, endogenous aspects, including geographic position, quality of soil, presence of water, general region characteristics should be considered too. 3) Thirdly, participants discussed whether these technologies and practices can be easily accessible for small holder farmers, as well as the main constraints and possible solutions. The main issues raised were: • Economic constraints: - Land tenure systems limits farmer’s long term investments. - Cost of seeds and irrigation and expensiveness of some relevant tools, such as photovoltaic panels and auto-machine, are a limit to accessibility for small farmers. To overcome this obstacle, farmers can create stakeholder groups or cooperatives for gaining access to those technologies. • Digital literacy gap. In particular, a gap exists in countries such as Kenya, where young people create or invent new technologies for e-agriculture, but smallholder farmers are not informed about that and it is difficult to distribute these technologies. There are also structural gender inequalities and discriminations that need to be tackled. • Difficulties in reaching farmers with technologies and limited know-how. To overcome this obstacle, sharing knowledge among farmers and within farmers groups on how to use technologies is important. It is also important to work on a bottom-up process that takes into consideration farmers’ needs, a process that involves all steps of the food chain, from the preparation of seeds and soil to the distribution of products to their disposal and recycling. - Research and development, in particular on Sustainable Intensification technologies should identify which technologies could be implemented in a more efficient way, by performing a constraint analysis when projecting research. Working on adaptating technologies to the specific characteristics of the agro-geographic area is also necessary. - Involving farmers in the development, testing and adoption of technologies and practices and promoting capacity building, training and sharing of good practices i salso important. A key role in this sense will be performed by the Farmers Field Research Units within the EWA-BELT Horizon2020 Project. - A pivotal role has to be played by governments and institutions for providing affordability and distribution of technologies, technical assistance, research, development of new practices, dissemination of results, contribution to capacity building and training of farmers. Read less

Since its inception 30 years ago, the GEF has invested in a wide range of projects in the food and agriculture sector to address the need for sustainability and resilience. This has been largely driven by the recognition that sustainable food production and supply is one of the key solutions to environmental challenges. GEF financing and support through multilateral environmental agreements has focused on helping countries promote and scale up practices that improve agricultural productivity while protecting and restoring natural capital. This focus has strengthened further in recent years. Du... Read morering the GEF’s sixth (GEF-6) and seventh (GEF-7) replenishment cycles, the multilateral trust fund has used an integrated approach to tackle the drivers of environmental degradation on both the spatial and vertical dimensions of agriculture and food systems, addressing both production landscapes and supply chains. In GEF-6, spanning 2014 to 2018, two major integrated approach programs were piloted: the Resilient Food Systems focused on fostering sustainability and resilience for food security in the drylands of sub-Saharan Africa, led by IFAD; and the Good Growth Partnership focused on taking deforestation out of commodity supply chains, led by UNDP. A separate Coastal Fisheries Initiative, led by FAO, was also developed on a similar basis to improve the management and sustainability of artisanal fisheries in key geographies across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. During GEF-7, from 2018 to 2022, a more ambitious and globally focused Food Systems, Land Use and Restoration Impact Program, led by the World Bank Group, was developed. This Impact Program further broadened the GEF’s engagement, targeting major commodities and food crops selected for their potential to transform food systems at regional and global scales and to secure global environmental benefits related to climate change, biodiversity, and other areas across multiple geographies. The overall programming and engagement strategy for these programs have been invaluable in helping GEF to advance the integrated and systems approach to transforming food systems. Collectively, the three programs involve nearly 50 countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America, and covering major commodities and globally food staples. In addition, each of the programs has mobilized and engaged diverse stakeholders, from the government, large corporations to small and medium enterprises, smallholder farmers, financial institutions, technical and scientific entities, development agencies, and farmer organizations. The experience and lessons emerging from these programs offers an invaluable opportunity for the GEF and partners to contribute to the UN Food Systems Summit and potentially pave the way for future GEF programming. The focus of the Dialogue was therefore on a comprehensive exploration of the programs and how the progress and achievements made are related to the FSS Action Tracks. Read less

Building on experiences shared by representatives of agencies leading the programs, stakeholders from government, private sector and civil society reflected on challenges and opportunities in moving towards the multiple objectives of ensuring resilient and environmentally sustainable food production, while also addressing livelihoods, food security, and health and nutrition goals. Defining the key criteria and parameters of a sustainable food system was highlighted as an important but largely under the radar issue. The dialogue consistently highlighted several issues that are key to advancing ... Read moreintegrated solutions and serve as enabling conditions for transforming food systems. They include the following: • Platforms for stakeholder engagement and as “space” or “hubs” to influence change, foster collaborative action, and deploy knowledge resources and tools for supporting transformative action. This is key to fostering engagement between line ministries (e.g. agriculture, forestry, environment, and water resources) and between government agencies, businesses, and financial institutions. The challenge is ensuring the long-term efficiency of such platforms, which requires time for building trust with professional facilitation. • Effective partnership and dialogue between all relevant actors involved in food production and supply / value chain, including government ministries and departments, private sector and investors, and technical organizations and practitioners. Such engagement is critical for influencing supportive policies, mobilizing financing, and establishing institutional frameworks as levers to drive transformational change in the food sector. • Investing in smallholder producers to empower them and create opportunities for them to access to benefits and incentives. Frequently, the results of economic policies or subsidies in the food sector do not reach small holder farmers, who are often in need of dependable streams of finance/investment as well as technical support. Women and youth should be a major priority for such investments given their critical role in food systems globally. • Knowledge sharing and learning particularly amongst farmers, fishers, and smallholders at the base of the food production system. It was stressed, however, that while new experience and knowledge is an important ingredient to achieving sustainable food systems, what is being learned and transferred must also be relevant to the context within which producers are operating. • Investing in sustainable resource management and regenerative production practices that deliver benefits for people and the environment. These include agroforesty and agroecology for crop and livestock production, as well as protecting key ecosystems such as watersheds or coral reefs and mangroves. Local and indigenous knowledge can be as an important source of know-how for resilient food production practices. The Dialogue concluded with a call for integrated solutions and “radical cooperation” as key to harnessing limited GEF resources to support food systems transformation. This should be an important aspect for consideration by the Food System Summit Action Tracks as well as the cross-cutting levers. Read less

According to estimates made by the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) at the end of 2020, the drop in GDP was 7.7% in the Latin American region, whereas in previous years, between 2014 and 2019, it registered low growth of around 0.3%. Along with an economic contraction, there is always a social crisis and the one that originated with the Covid-19 Pandemic will certainly be the strongest in the last 100 years, raising the number of people in poverty to more than 190 million from which 72 million are in extreme poverty in our region. In this context o... Read moref rising social inequality, increasing unemployment rate and declining population's income, there is a serious escalation of food insecurity in the region's urban centers that must be tackled with structuring public policies. Given such a situation, local and regional governments acknowledge the challenge will be faced in cities, as they are home to 85% of the people. Also in this context, international commitments, such as the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact and the Glasgow Food and Climate Declaration are prescribed, setting important global milestones and pointing out urgent practical actions. These calls for action encourage the development of food systems aimed at promoting biodiversity, regeneration and ecosystem resilience, circularity, equity, access to healthy and sustainable diets for all, and the creation of resilient livelihoods for agricultural and food sector workers, thus contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. The Independent Summit Dialogue of Latin American cities had the objective to reunite the cities to discuss their food systems. The region is one of the biggest food producers in the world, and also holds one of the greatest number of hungry people and is deeply affected by climate changes. Another purpose of convening this dialogue was to highlight the importance of the role of subnational governments in global food systems and the need for cities and regions to have access to public policies and financial resources, demonstrating that without the support of other levels of government and participation from the private sector and civil society, from planning to the execution of projects and actions, it will be more difficult to advance policies that promote food security for all. The priority urban food-related themes identified by the Latin American cities are: * Post-COVID-19 urban agriculture: Public policies for agroecological production as a strategy for economic recovery and combating post-pandemic poverty * Resilience and circularity, sustainable food systems as an instrument to tackle the emergency climate, social and economic crisis * Promotion of food and nutrition security for the vulnerable population: initiatives by public administration and civil society * Importance of the local government be integrated and listened by other levels of governments * Responsible Production and Consumption: Society without Waste * Union of efforts between sectors of society against hunger and poverty * Traditional knowledge and practices and their importance in public food policies * Training and financing mechanisms for the implementation of food systems in the cities * Conscious alimentation planning and the promotion of a healthier society. Read less

The major outcome of the dialogue is the call for actions that is jointly endorsed by the participants represented by 40 local governments across the Central and Latin American region as well as 27 partner institutions (organizations from civil society, national and international organizations and Cities Networks) and 10 universities during the Independent Summit Dialogue. According to estimates made by the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), at the end of 2020 the drop in gross domestic product (GDP) was 7.7% in the Latin American region, whereas in... Read more previous years, between 2014 and 2019, it registered low growth of around 0.3%. Along with an economic contraction, there is always a social crisis and the one that originated with the Covid-19 pandemic will certainly be the strongest in the last 100 years, raising the number of people in poverty to more than 190 million from which 72 million are in extreme poverty. In this context of rising social inequality, increasing unemployment rate and declining population’s income, there is a serious escalation of food insecurity in the region’s urban centers that must be tackled with structuring public policies. As highlighted in the ICLEI’s Malmö Commitment and Strategic Vision 2021-2027, cities are complex systems. The components of urban systems, from food distribution networks and energy grids to transport and greenways, are interconnected and dynamic. Therefore, with the support of city networks and international organizations, we commit as local and regional governments to drive action through five critical, strategic and interlinked pathways that are the basis of sustainable urban development, towards low emission, nature-based, equitable, resilient and circular development designed to create systemic change. Therefore, we highlight the following recommendations: - Propose that the final declaration of the conference encourages member states to include local governments in their national policies, especially cities, providing them with financial and technical resources, as well as guidelines for the formulation of their local public policies; (impact indicator related to the corresponding SDG and at least 5% increase in the budget transferred to the municipalities for this purpose until 2030); - Creation of a cooperation program between cities, with the aim of highlighting best practices and disseminating replicable examples of local policies; (biennial program, covering at least 15 cities in the region per year, with impact indicators linked to the corresponding SDGs); - Include the healthy eating and sustainable food production agenda as a mandatory criterion for allocating funds related to the fight against climate crisis. Read less

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Co-organized by International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Food Tank, and Global Alliance for the Future of Food, and in partnership with the UN Food System Summit (UNFSS) Champions Network, presented seven-panel discussions (running one event each month from January to June 2021) focusing on how to transform the world’s food systems. Each virtual series explored one of the Global Alliance’s seven Calls to Action and brought together more than 25+ UNFSS Champion speakers worldwide, including world-renowned activists, journalists, business leaders, farmers, policy and technical... Read more experts, and many others. Each conversation will help set the stage and identify critical pathways to create a better future of food and strengthen our global food systems for the upcoming UNFSS in September 2021. This fourth event in the virtual series highlighted the Global Alliance's call to action, Direct public sector finance and fiscal policy across the value chain towards ecologically beneficial forms of farming, better and healthier food, and resilient livelihoods and communities. This discussion overlapped significantly with Food Tank’s Action Track 1: ensure access to safe and nutritious food for all. The panel discussed how the public sector can improve food access through not just production and subsidies, but also through various parts of the supply chain, externalized impacts of the food system, and taxes and procurement policies. The panel brought together an international array of food systems leaders to issue calls for action on global food systems, elevate public discourse about reforming our food systems, and develop principles to guide stakeholders in leveraging food systems to support the SDGs. Speakers included three UN FSS Champions Network members who discussed the central role of fiscal policy to transform food systems to be renewable, healthy, inclusive, and equitable. The event is part of a series of panels with themes inspired by Global Alliance’s Seven Calls to Action to transform the food system. Moderated by Ruth Richardson, Executive Director of the Global Alliance and Danielle Nierenberg, President of Food Tank, each conversation features members of the United Nations Food Systems Champions Network. Gabriel Cuevas Barron, Member of Parliament of the Mexican Congress, talked about the importance of having a long-term perspective when it comes to food systems sustainability and to improve cooperation between countries and the involvement of women. Lasser Bruun, Global Director of 50by40, highlighted the negative health impacts of current food policies, including obesity and malnourishment. Finally, Vijay Kumar of RySS pointed out the ways in which government programs such as subsidies can have undesirable consequences and the need for policy to take into account regional and local needs. Read less

The panelists provided important insights about how Action Track 1 and the call to action can be realized: Laws, budgets, and oversights most important tools when thinking about the long-term success of a food system, and to meet the needs of community members. It is parliamentarians’ responsibility to work with the people they represent in the communities because at the community level is exactly where change is happening. Conversations about food systems need to be held at a global level because it is a matter of humanity and sustainability, and it is vital that these conversations include... Read more different perspectives. To be more resilient and ‘build back better’, we need to shift ideals to focus on sustainability, and how to build a sustainable planet. The problem is not just finances; but preparing communities. Finance and public policy must be combined with action, science and evidence. Food issues can be connected to free trade agreements, and it is vital to be able to balance international commitments with national needs. Read less

There was extensive discussion about the uses of fiscal policy to promote food security and sustainability. Key points from this discussion included: Laws, budgets, and oversights are important tools when thinking about the long-term success of a food system. It is parliamentarians’ responsibility to work with the people they represent in their communities because at the community level is exactly where change is happening. Food issues can be connected to free trade agreements, and it is vital to be able to balance international commitments with national needs. Budgets also contribute to the... Read more sustainability of food systems, when it comes to fighting hunger, and developing stronger health systems, it is important to first understand it as a very comprehensive approach. Allocating budget to specific areas of the system is not sustainable in the long run because the system will no longer be symmetrical. Public procurement plays an important role and there is often a discrepancy between how public procurement is carried out at a sub-national level. There is a need to ensure a stronger alignment there. Panelists also spoke at length about the need for policy to consider equity and social justice concerns. Key points from this discussion included: When looking at the sustainability of our food systems it is important to look at problems through a gender lens. We can not continue thinking that women can be left behind because women and girls are an indispensable part of our economies, politics, and agriculture. In fact, there is data that shows if women are included in food systems we can have 30% growth in the sector. There need to be more policies that support women financially, such as taxes and subsidies to get women involved. Economic inequality leads to different issues in food systems around the world, including problems such as obesity, even in the Global North. Different countries around the world have different capacities to implement sustainable food systems. Read less

There was no significant divergence between panelists at this discussion. Conversely, there were many points of agreement. For example: Panelists agreed that governments have a role to play in creating more sustainable food systems through policy, taxation, and incentives. They agreed that gender mainstreaming needs to be a part of discussions about sustainability. All highlighted the need for international cooperation on food systems sustainability.

Co-organized by International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Food Tank, and Global Alliance for the Future of Food, and in partnership with the UN Food System Summit (UNFSS) Champions Network, presented seven-panel discussions (running one event each month from January to June 2021) focusing on how to transform the world’s food systems. Each virtual series explored one of the Global Alliance’s seven Calls to Action and brought together more than 25+ UNFSS Champion speakers worldwide, including world-renowned activists, journalists, business leaders, farmers, policy and technical... Read more experts, and many others. Each conversation will help set the stage and identify critical pathways to create a better future of food and strengthen our global food systems for the upcoming UNFSS in September 2021. This third event in the virtual series highlighted the Global Alliance's call to action, Recognize and account for the positive and negative environmental, social, and health impacts and externalities of food and agricultural system policies and practices to inform decision-making. This discussion overlapped significantly with Food Tank’s Action Track #2: shift to sustainable consumption patterns. The panel brought together an international array of food systems leaders to issue calls for action on global food systems, elevate public discourse about reforming our food systems, and develop principles to guide stakeholders in leveraging food systems to support the SDGs. Speakers included were four UN FSS Champions Network members, who discussed the deep complexities of food and agricultural systems, and provided insights into pathways that can transform food systems to be renewable, healthy, inclusive, and equitable. The event is part of a series of panels with themes inspired by Global Alliance’s Seven Calls to Action to transform the food system. Moderated by Ruth Richardson, Executive Director of the Global Alliance and Danielle Nierenberg, President of Food Tank, each conversation features members of the United Nations Food Systems Champions Network. The panelists brought a range of perspectives to help understand food systems sustainability. Joao Campari of the Worldwide Fund for Nature put the environmental stress created by agriculture in focus and called on consumers to make conscious choices in order to have a profound collective impact. Sandrine Dixson-Declève, Co-President of the Club of Rome, urged consideration for those who have less choice in the products they consume and to involve young people, who will be most affected by the impacts of climate change. Naoko Ishii, Executive Vice-President of the Center for Global Commons, University of Tokyo emphasized the need for effective communication and accurate measurement to improve understanding of the impact of current unsustainable practices. Finally, Michael Taylor, Director of the Global Secretariat of the International Land Coalition, explained the need to support smallholder farmers, women, and Indigenous peoples who are crucial to the global food supply. Read less

The panelists provided important insights about how Action Track 2 and the call to action can be realized: • Food is a public good and it is essential. This point must override every conversation around the UN FSS and food systems transformation. • Equity and inclusion are core principles for transformation. Women and Indigenous peoples are essential to sustainable food production and biodiversity preservation; however, land tenure systems make both groups particularly vulnerable. • Not only do we need to recognize those who have no choice or “plate” at the table, we need to co-creat... Read moree solutions with them. • A focus on social contract and moving beyond the economic system is necessary to think about food systems from a new angle, with priorities beyond profit and short-term goals. • Finance can serve as a driver for change; however, the financial system needs to be overhauled by moving towards finance that prioritizes positive impacts. TCA can serve as a powerful instrument to drive change. • Agroecology and regenerative agricultural practices are key. These ecological systems that are in harmony with the environment also have social benefits and need to be scaled-up. To facilitate this, more research is needed that highlights the benefits of these systems. Read less

Below are ten key discussion outcomes from this panel discussion: Agriculture is responsible for 70% of freshwater withdrawals, 80% of deforestation, and 52% of farmland that is degraded, among many other major environmental impacts. The pandemic has had a direct impact on our food system and food value chains. It needs to be ensured that we are resilient to future crises. Research on land inequality by ILC and other partners found that land inequality is 40% higher than previously thought. 1% of the farms in the world operate 70% of the land Panelists also spoke at length about possible solut... Read moreions and ways to move towards a more sustainable system. Key points from this discussion included: On the policy front, there are 4 universal principles to promote: 1) Food choices that reduce environmental impacts, 2) Promote food choices that support production that protects and restores nature, called nature-positive. 3) Everyone needs to embrace flexible food choices that are healthy and sustainable, and 4) G20 countries need to curb their food related missions. Finance can serve as an important lever, but the financial sector also needs to change. Instead of thinking about short-term gains, companies must re-prioritize and build shareholder value around long-term financial benefits, and link actions put in place to what is essential to humanity. It is possible to shift subsidies and put that revenue into positive investments in the agricultural sector, specifically agroecology. The feedback loops between biodiversity loss, climate change, and the food system are substantial. We need to view our food system as a positive contributor to climate mitigation, rather than as part of the problem. Agroecology is one solution. To achieve a sustainable food system, there needs to be a narrative shift, so that everyone along the supply chain feels a responsibility to make better choices, there needs to be a social contract. The current economic system isn’t doing this as it focuses solely on profit. Finally, panelists explained the necessity of including various disadvantaged groups in this conversation. Key points from this discussion included: It is important to avoid vilifying the food system, especially producers such as smallholder farmers. Rather, everyone must recognize the benefits of the food system over centuries, and help facilitate the transition to a system that works for nature and people, by incorporating these hidden costs into decision-making. Youth is the glue within communities. We need to forget how we envisaged youth in the past and move away from tokenism, as they are already a part of the solution. Youth are innovators; they need to be viewed as co-creators and enablers of the transformation we need. 70% of food is produced by small farmers, so the question really is what kind of policies can support the production systems of smallholder farmers? The current exclusion of these farmers is not a failure of the system because the system is deliberately designed to exclude them. It’s said that women feed the world, but we say that they feed us on somebody else’s land. Women are 60% of the agricultural labour force, but own only 15% of the world’s land. Women have less security and rights, and in emergency situations such as the pandemic, they are the first to suffer from the current food system, as they have little to fall back on. Indigenous peoples also face major vulnerabilities, and this translates to vulnerabilities of their land as well – including the ecosystems, biodiversity, and the carbon storage they protect. Read less