Explore Official Dialogue Feedback

Action Track 1 - Ensure access to safe and nutritious food for all: The participants noted that small farmers need financial and technical support to grow and sell more nutritious varieties of crops. Primarily, as it is a big risk for many farmers to change what they are currently growing without any financial support or incentive. In other words, it might not always be profitable or comparably profitable for them to grow more sustainable and environmentally friendly crops. Furthermore, different regions experience difference realities, both in terms of the agroecological and the socioeconomic... Read more conditions in which they operate. Therefore, State funded technology and innovation are essential particularly when it comes to helping small farmers grow more sustainable produce and/or reducing their food loss and waste. The participants also noted the dire need for State Governments to refocus their attentions on educating consumers from a young age about our global food systems and the many barriers to small farmers’ effective participation. Therefore, more needs to be done by State Governments and educational institutions to inform their populations about the source of the food that we see on our shelves. Read less

Action Track 2 - Shift to sustainable consumption patterns: The participants noted that farmers and consumers need to be better connected. Not only in terms of market access and availability but also in terms of practical understanding. In other words, only when the consumer innately understands the processes behind the food that they see on their shelves will they appreciate the urgent need for small farmers to be supported not only financially but also when it comes to the small farmers’ environmental conservation endeavours. This will also help to inform consumers behaviours and expectati... Read moreons. The participants also noted that State Governments, large and small agricultural organisations, businesses and civil society organisations need to do more to mitigate and adapt to the negative impacts of climate change which have been brought about, in part, by the increase in large scale farming. Particularly, when it comes to the automation of what once used to be human inputs and an ever increasing reliance upon the mass use of fertilisers and pesticides. However, it was also noted that this shift can only be affected by policy makers recognising the urgent need for swift and irreversible action towards more environmentally friendly policies and legislation that are targeted to incentive small farmers towards more sustainable methods and practices. Finally, it was noted by our participants that young people are increasingly unwilling to take over what once termed the family business but are instead opting to migrate to larger cities in search of more prosperous job opportunities. That has largely been brought about by their parents being trapped in revolving cycles of debt by predatory loan management companies and the closure of local agricultural businesses. That in turn only makes it harder for young farmers to earn a reasonable standard of living. Therefore, more needs to be done by State Governments to level the playing field between small famers and large agribusinesses. Especially, when it comes to small farmers access to resources such as local markets, trading houses, abattoirs and so on… Read less

Action Track 3 - Boosting nature-positive production: The participants noted that it is extremely challenging to identify clear recommendations that are scalable globally yet adaptable to local conditions. For instance, different financial incentives are needed in different economies and/or different technology is needed in different geographical regions. Green technology is still more expensive than fossil fuels, so in the context of economics small farmers are already at a disadvantage. We need to protect small farmers – whether they are profitable or not. However, this is clearly at logge... Read morerheads with a State Government’s responsibility to feed its population. Nevertheless, this still begs the questions is producing nutrient dense food more important than simply feeding a population processed food? What will be the medical and/or health implications of this in the future? Are we simple delaying an even bigger health crisis? These are all questions that need to be redressed at an international and a State level. State Governments need to implement financial incentives to encourage small farmers to grow more sustainable and environmentally friendly produce. However, this is not enough. Large companies purchasing and using the small farmers produce to make their products also need to be held accountable. For instance, it is common knowledge that such companies will say anything to promote their brand and/or to sell their products. However, what are they actually doing to encourage small farmers to be organic, to be environmentally conscious, to use less water and so on… These are once again issues that must be redressed by policy makers as a matter of extreme urgency. However, one solution to this issue maybe to persuade State Governments to do more to dissuade their populations and businesses from putting everything into an economic context and focusing much more on the human and environmental impacts that this current model is having. It was suggested by participants that we need to shift from GDP focussed development to quality of life and sustainable development. Read less

Action Track 4 - Advance equitable livelihoods: The participants noted that small farmers’ lives, lands and livelihoods must be considered in balance with the demands of purchasers and consumers. In other words, a sustainable equilibrium must be the objective rather than an aggressive campaign to eradicate large businesses entirely from the agricultural sector. Only then will we see a positive shift towards a more sustainable future for our global food systems and for our planet. It is an indisputable fact that farmers need increased access to markets, innovation, trading and finance in orde... Read morer to survive the next 20 years. However, this can only be achieved by every member of our global society taking ownership of our shared food systems and/or moving away from what is currently found under the prevailing ‘get big or get out’ mentality that seems to be dominating our global food systems and the manner in which we theorise them. However, small farmers can take practical step themselves to advance their livelihoods. For instance, by collaborating with one another, via cooperatives, to have a larger more enhanced voice in policy discussions and to be able to access bigger markets and partnerships. Read less

Action Track 5 - Build resilience to vulnerabilities, shocks and stress: The participants noted that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact upon our global food systems and/or that the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the extreme vulnerabilities within our global food supply chains. Therefore, more needs to be done by all relevant stakeholders to ensure that small farmers can access markets and production products during these extremely difficult times. Nevertheless, one practical solution to this issue it was noted, may be to ensure that small farmers have access to information a... Read morecross the supply chain. That would not only enable them to anticipate and plan for bottlenecks but also lulls in the market for certain produce. However, the more universal solution to this would be the implementation of more consistently applied international standards for agricultural production, supply and distribution. That can only be achieved by an international organisation, such as the United Nations, taking ownership of the many challenges and issues currently presented by the global agricultural sector and working with all of the relevant stakeholders to achieve a more sustainable future both for us and for our planet. For example, it was noted that on a global scale there is a clear lack of safety nets for small farmers, especially in developing nations, that would ensure that they are enabled to bounce back after periods of protracted uncertainty and disarray such as has been seen during the COVID-19 pandemic. Read less

There was broad consensus across the dialogue participants on many of the identified issues and challenges. Nevertheless, the areas of divergence often centred around differences in regional contexts and needs rather than significant ideological differences. However, one area of divergence was on the need to further define the term agribusiness for as one participant stated it is not uncommon for farming cooperatives to take unethical actions against small farmers who attempt to compete with them in the same manner as one would expect from an aggressive transnational corporation. However, anot... Read moreher participant was of the opinion that the term agribusiness should be limited to transnational corporations and other agricultural businesses enterprises that operate across national borders. In other words, the definition should be limited to what might be termed the traditional understanding of the word. Nevertheless, this divergence was quickly overcome, and it did allow all of the participants to think in much broader terms around the identified issues and challenges. Read less

With the introduction of corporations into agriculture, small farmers have faced many barriers to make ends meet. Monsanto’s reported objective is ‘No Food Shall Be Grown That We Don’t Own’. Right from the seeds to the crop, agribusiness have a monopoly. They own the seed, so they own the produce. Where does the farmer fit in? How are their expenses covered and their livelihoods maintained? Economic instability in the agricultural business has forced our youth out of farming as a way of life. What once used to be family owned farms have now become corporate enterprises often operated v... Read moreia machines. Pesticide and fertiliser use has contaminated the environment and unfair prices have created unending cycles of debt. Additionally the supply and demand chains are unregulated, preventing crop diversification and creating soil anaemia. Food is a basic human right. As is access to food. Each nation has the right to produce its own food while maintaining its cultural and productive diversity. A direct democratic intervention is needed, but it must understand the issues at hand; especially those of the small farmers. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that we put those who produce, distribute and consume food at the heart of food systems and policies rather than agribusinesses. It is an oversimplification to wish agribusiness to simply ‘play nice’. More needs to be thought about. Therefore, the main focus of our dialogue was on seeking to unearth the proactive steps that can be taken to deal with agribusinesses at not only a legal and policy level but also the practical steps that can immediately be taken by small farmers around the globe to compete with agribusinesses who are currently operating within their local markets. Therefore and in order to achieve the above, the Curator began the dialogue by giving a 15 minute oral introduction to the many challenges and common themes that have arisen out of the globalisation of our shared food systems (please see attached). After which the participants where then asked to discuss: • The extent to which they agreed or disagreed with what he had said; • The greatest challenges and threats posed by agribusinesses operating within our global food systems and how these identified challenges and threats can be overcome; and • What legislative and other policy measures State Governments should adopt to ensure that TNCs and other business enterprises operating within their domestic agricultural markets are appropriately regulated and dissuaded from committing human rights violations. However, the participants were free to discuss any other matters that they felt to be relevant and pertinent to our overarching discussions theme – food sovereignty. The participants were then informed that by agreeing upon a list of proactive steps that can be taken to ensure that the rights to use and manage lands, territories, water, seeds, livestock and biodiversity are in the hands of those who produce food and not the corporate sector would represent a vast paradigm shift in the current rhetoric but would also help to awaken the world to the fact that we must all work together to transform the way the world produces, consumes and thinks about food. However and going beyond the above, the participants were also informed that by attempting to find sustainable solutions to the identified challenges and issues their discussions would also help the UN Food Systems Summit to: • Generate Significant action and measurable progress towards the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; • Raise awareness and elevate public discussion about how reforming our food systems can help us all to achieve the 17 SDGs by implementing reforms that are good for people and for the planet; • Develop principles to guide Governments and other stakeholders looking to leverage their food systems to support the SDGs. It is anticipated that these principles will set an optimistic and encouraging vision in which food systems play a central role in building a fairer and more sustainable world; and • Create a system of follow-up and review to ensure that the Summit’s outcomes continue to drive new action and progress. Read less

What are the greatest challenges and threats posed by agribusinesses operating within our global food systems and how can they be overcome? Agribusinesses concentrate on profits and economies of scale in which the environment, diversification and small scale faming is often sacrificed to achieve target profits for shareholders. Therefore, small farmers cannot take on TNCs if the later infringes upon their lands, deprives them of markets or curtails their independence. Small farmers often lack the necessary resources to attend court and/or to advocate for themselves. Therefore, this lack of acc... Read moreess to judicial recourse only favours large agribusinesses interests who have large funds at their disposal. By encouraging local entrepreneurs to develop and expand their farming businesses, those farming businesses eventually develop into large agribusinesses, so we need to further define exactly what kind of businesses we are discussing. For instance, it is not uncommon in one participants opinion for farming cooperatives to take unethical actions, in the same manner as an aggressive TNC, against small farmers who attempt to compete with them. Consequently, a concrete universally agreed definition of agribusinesses is urgently required. We must also urgently look at the effect that agribusinesses have on the earth, the climate and the future of our planet. It is imperative that we maintain a planet that sustains human life for the next generations. Therefore, it is crucial to ask and expect multinationals and their businesses models to be conducive to that future because at the time of writing the nature of multinationals is fundamentally misaligned with the maintenance of the planets health. What legislative and other policy measures do you think State Governments should adopt to ensure that TNCs and other businesses enterprises, operating within domestic agricultural markets, are appropriately regulated and dissuaded from committing human rights violations? With the help of unions, small farmers can achieve a crucial amendment to food chain law which bans the procurement of food below the cost of production. Agroecology is weakened if small farmers do not own the land they work. Therefore, Governments must do more to ensure that the land rights are in the hands of those who work and live on the land rather than the corporate sector. However, this contention is complicated by the fact that in countries that do not have property records, the Governments (mainly postcolonial Governments) are persuaded by TNCs to digitise land records. In the process they are denying indigenous practices where there isn’t one individual that owns a certain plot of land but rather a communal style of ownership. Therefore, capitalism is running against indigenous traditions to dispossess people of the land that they have lived and worked on for many centuries. Agribusinesses are driven by profit maximisation. Therefore, Governments must do more to dissuade their populations and businesses from categorising everything within an economic context as this only serves to further disadvantage small farmers. Governments must do more to incentivise the growth of crops that are currently imported and/or to increase the diversity of crops being grown within their borders. Only then will small farmers and corporations pay more attention to a nations overall food security. What practical steps do you think small farmers around the globe could take or should take to compete with agribusinesses who are currently operating within their domestic markets? Small farmers should begin by looking at what is feasible under the current system. By asking themselves ‘what can I do within the current system to grow more sustainably?’. For instance, if the farmer is reliant upon growing rice and has no other option within the current system but to grow rice, regardless of the negative consequences, then they should undertake the necessary enquiries to unearth the modern techniques or methods that would allow them to grow rice but with less water consumption and less pesticides. Small farmers should shift towards more sustainable agriculture by looking into the alternative crops that can be grown. Specifically, those that are traditional or native to their lands. For instance, those that can be grown all year round or that thrive within their country specific environmental conditions. However, one of the limitations to this is that there may not be an easily accessible market to the small farmer for them to sell their produce. What do you want to see coming out of the UN Food Systems Summit? Small farming should become a protected category within international instruments and international policy. There is a crisis of imagination - people cannot imagine another world where these identified issues and challenges have been overcome – therefore the majority of participants would like to see clear and substantive reforms that that are good for small farmers and for the planet. This will only come about by the relevant stakeholders reimagining the current system but crucially sharing that new vision with their populations. Every member of our global society must be encouraged to rise up and demand change. Internationally agreed upon steps to guide agribusinesses towards a more sustainable future. The onus should be on the agribusiness to take all appropriate steps to ensure that their employees understand the negative effects that large scale farming can have on the rights of small farmers, the soil and the environment that we all share. Read less

Group 4: Build resilience to vulnerabilities, shocks and stress The key concern that was highlighted by the group was the food crisis that was faced during the national lockdown in 2020 to contain the COVID-19 in the country. There were instances of hoarding that had led to increase in food prices, as the transport system was hampered during the lockdown. This was also a time when the vulnerability of the urban poor/migrant labourers was exposed, as without a government-sponsored social safety net program, they are subjected to both food and livelihood insecurity. However, the Ministry of Food... Read more under its various programs has been working towards providing the food at subsidised rates, especially during the pandemic, such as the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) truck sales, in which sugar, lentils, rice, wheat, soybean oil and other essential items were sold at lower rates. However, these interventions are established at the national or the sub-regional level and the local governments do not have the power to provide these subsidies or the mandate to provide affordable and nutritious food to its citizens. In certain instances, the city mayor has provided support through their own personal funds. Actions to be taken: • It was suggested that greater agricultural land should be integrated into the city plans (this could include conversion of vacant land, rooftop gardening, allotment of specific agricultural land in the City Master Plans etc.) which would help in shortening the food supply chain and also provide for a source of subsistence to the urban poor. • The City Corporation would need to work with the Agricultural Extension department and the local community to pilot interventions such as rooftop farming and promote farming techniques such as hydroponics and aquaponics. The group suggested that the pilots for rooftop farming should begin on Government residential buildings. • The city corporation should ensure the establishment of more farmer markets in the city with adequate support infrastructure, where local farmers can sell their produce. • Overall, there is a need for a comprehensive ‘urban food policy’ involving multiple stakeholders (such as Department of Agricultural Marketing, Local Government Engineering Department, Ministry of Food, Ministry of Disaster Management and the local urban bodies), wherein they coordinate and improve the urban food supply chain and ensure access to safe and affordable food especially for the urban poor and the marginalised communities. Read less

Group 5: Urban Poverty and Food Security Ensuring food security for the urban poor requires to adopt a more holistic approach that looks at community and regional level empowerment. The group reiterated that the urban poor were significantly more vulnerable to the food management issues such as food adulteration, access to nutritious food and occupational hazards related to food handling. The urban poor lack awareness about nutrition and food value. Besides, living expenses are generally higher in urban areas, including prices of foods. Food adulteration is harming the health of city-dwellers ... Read moreirrespective of their income level. However, the poor suffer more, as they can barely afford the expenses of treatments required to recover from diseases caused by intake of adulterated foods. Food adulteration is also causing many chronic diseases, treatment costs of which are making an entire family destitute. Actions to be taken: • Balanced development among rural and urban areas and decentralization of services and opportunities are required to be enhanced. Necessary extensions services and facilities of a good standard should be ensured at all levels for decentralization. • Further research and studies are required to be conducted to know the food system, consumption pattern, and consumer behaviour of urban areas including the poor in greater depth, which will help inform policy and program interventions. • Information centres (also remotely accessible) can be established to satisfy the inquiries of urban consumers about food safety, hygiene, standards, sources, and authenticity. • The infrastructural development has built a convenient and quick connection among rural, peri-urban, and urban areas during the last decade. Thus, the rural and urban food systems are not isolated anymore, rather they are closely connected • Urban people, including the urban poor, can be engaged better in food production through rooftop gardening. City governments can support them with necessary inputs and know-hows initially. Organizations like FAO, Practical Action, and Department of Agricultural Extension of the government are working to promote urban farming and can join forces to enhance it further. • The Department of Fisheries can work together with FAO and other development partners to develop policies for safe food handling in the markets. • Development partners, NGOs, and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) wings of private sector can partner with volunteer organizations (such as Biddyanando Foundation) to reach food aids to urban poor communities in an efficient manner during crisis. • A mechanism should be developed to ensure that leftover foods from restaurants, community halls, and social ceremonies are safely and hygienically distributed to street children and the urban poor. Some volunteers are conducting these drives; however it is in an ad hoc manner. Private sector can come forward to develop such mechanism. Middle and higher income groups should be made aware of not wasting food. • Women-specific program interventions should be taken up widely, as they are one of the most vulnerable and food insecure groups. Food security should be assessed through a gender lens and women’s participation should be ensured at all levels of decision-making and implementation. • The nutrition value and the quality of food should not be compromised based on the cost of food items. Hence it is responsibility of the Ministry of Food and the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh to ensure that safe and nutritious food is affordable by all. • Mass Awareness campaigns on sustainable food consumption should be conducted among all economic classes. • Overall, job opportunities need to be created and investment needs to be made in the agricultural and food sector to promote safe and affordable food to all along the food value chain. Creating alternative income generation opportunities in the rural areas will help to subside the rates of migration from rural to urban areas. Read less

Overall, it was agreed that there is a need for greater coordination among stakeholders (such as Department of Agricultural Marketing, Local Government Engineering Department, Ministry of Food, Ministry of Disaster Management) to work alongside the city corporation, to ensure food safety, nutrition, and equitable access to nutritious food, especially for the urban poor and marginalised communities. Within the existing monitoring and regulation laws on food safety it was suggested that checks for quality of food items and traces of adulteration should be undertake at all stages of the food valu... Read moree chain. Further, instead of penal punishment being imposed on defaulters, greater emphasis should be given to training and capacity building of street vendors on food handling and safety. There are currently no programs on nutrition or social safety net for the urban poor, as there are for the rural communities. Hence there is need to re-design the programs to include sections of the urban communities into these programs. Additionally, urban agriculture significantly grew in Dhaka city amidst the lockdown and has become a lifeline for many urban poor communities. It was agreed that the city should promote urban farming and aquaculture on vacant lands or communal water bodies. This can help urban agriculture to serve as a more durable and long-lasting solution to future food security threats for the urban poor. Actions and commitments (10 year/2030 vision) The city aims to focus on reducing food adulteration and to ensure greater food safety by providing technical training and building the capacity of food vendors. Actionable messages to UNFSS 1. Institutionalising capacity building and technical knowledge for safe food to coordinate the activities between the different stages of the food value chain and the food regulatory system. 2. Recognition/ formal identification/ institutionalization, empowerment of informal vendors; Undertake trainings for street vendors for better handling of food and food safety. 3. Regulatory food safety guidelines for assessing the quality of food items all along the value chain of food production, processing, sale, consumption or disposal. 4. Redesign social security programs to be more inclusive to ensure food security for urban poor, along with rural communities, establish social protection mechanism poor communities; A mechanism should be developed to ensure that leftover food is safely and hygienically distributed to street children and the urban poor. 5. Awareness generation among schools children and mothers for improved food habits and better diet. 6. Promote urban agriculture in communal lands as a means of livelihood and food security for urban poor; establishment of a farmer markets in the city with adequate support infrastructure, where local farmers can sell their produce 7. Develop a comprehensive ‘urban food policy’ involving multiple stakeholders (such as Department of Agricultural Marketing, Local Government Engineering Department, Ministry of Food, Ministry of Disaster Management and the local urban bodies), to coordinate and improve the urban food supply chain and ensure access to safe and affordable food especially for the urban poor and the marginalised communities. Read less

Group Discussion 1: Ensure access to safe and nutritious food for all The main issue discussed in the group was that food adulteration was taking place at a large scale, especially in the case of food processing conducted by small and medium enterprises both in rural and urban areas. Participants mentioned that while large-scale food production systems had some regulations with respect to nutrition guidelines and hygiene, these did not apply to small and medium-sized enterprises. Another concern that was raised was the lack of adequate knowledge among the farmers on the appropriate use of chem... Read moreical fertilizers and other contaminations. Actions to be taken included: • A Standard Operating Procedure for food regulations especially for SMEs need to be developed along with clear guidelines on monitoring of food quality. It is still to be decided whether this should be brought under the purview of the Bangladesh Standards Testing Institute or the local municipality. • However, this would require also greater support through capacity building and technical knowledge. It was suggested that a safe food foundation, titled ‘Nirapod Khaddo Foundation’ should be formed to coordinate the activities between the different stages of the food value chain and the food regulatory system. • The nutrition gap also needs to be addressed. The group recommended that an assessment should be conducted to identify nutrient dense local food items and encourage this production to address the current nutrition gap in the national agricultural policy. • A key concern that was highlighted was the unsanitary conditions of the local markets and adulterated food items that are sold at street food stalls. The current regulatory mechanism in place is that of a ‘Mobile Court’ that conducts trials based on complaints made to the Mobile Court under the Food Safety Act 2013, and takes legal action against the food safety offenders on the spot. While this regulation is commendable, its implementation and the desired results of such a stringent regulation was questioned by the group. They suggested that the approach to food adulteration and safety should take a more systemic approach, whereby advisory and guidelines are given to the vendors on food safety in the first instance, rather than immediate legal actions. It was suggested that the street food vendors should be registered and provided a license by the city municipality. Further it is the role of the city corporation to identify the relevant stakeholders such as the Bangladesh Society for Safe Food, Department of Fisheries, Department of Agricultural Extension, who could provide the necessary training to street food vendors on safe food. The authorities should not only check for food safety (i.e. checking expiry dates) but also the nutritional value of food items. • The International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh and the Institute of Public Health, Bangladesh should generate more consumer awareness on food adulteration and safe food via electronic media. • Overall, it was agreed that there was a need to regulate the quality of food items all along the value chain of food production, processing, sale, consumption or disposal. Read less

Group 2: Ensuring sustainable consumption patterns The major concern raised by the group was the increasing consumption of fast-food and processed food, especially by the younger generation. The consumption of wheat flour had increased drastically, as is reflected in the increase in import to 4-5 times in the last 10-15 years. The level of trans fatty acids in food also is a concern. The Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA) has developed a draft policy limiting the level of trans fat in foods to 2%. The draft regulations state that, ‘any fat emulsions, oils and fats that are used individu... Read moreally or intended for processed foods or any food or to be used as raw material for food production for retail business, catering business, restaurants, institutions, bakeries or any food establishment, and processed food, packaged food, ready-to-eat food or any type of foodstuffs cannot be sold, distributed, stored, produced, processed, marketed or imported if those contain more than 2% Trans Fatty Acids or 2gm Trans Fatty Acids per 100gm fat.’- Limited Trans Fatty Acid in Food Products Regulations 2021. However, its effective implementation and regulation especially with respect to SMEs will continue to be a challenge. Additionally, a social trend that has been observed, especially among the urban poor and the lower-middle class is to consume more packaged/processed food and food from restaurants, as it is seen as an indication of a better social status. Food habits are also dependent on the availability of food, such as street food or restaurants near their workplace. On the other hand, the urban marginal poor are not fortunate enough to assess the quality of food, but rather purchase food that is cheap and provides them a basic meal. In respect to food wastage, the issue of food wastage at social gatherings and ceremonies was highlighted. This was considered a major cause for concern, as it is an easily avoidable issue and did not seem to require major government interventions. The cause for food loss was directed towards the monoculture approach adopted by farmers, which leads to massive production of a certain crop/cereal that often exceeds the market demand. A further challenge is inadequate storage facilities along the food value chain that results in large food losses. Actions to be taken: • To address some of these issues and target more sustainable consumption patterns, the group agreed that the BSFA should authorise a higher price on unhealthy food through the application of Fat and Sugar taxes as against more healthier food options. • The Ministry of Health, Institute of Public Health, the Bangladesh National Nutrition Council should increase and diversify their campaigns to increase more consumer awareness on healthy dietary habits, especially among those sections of society that can have a multiplier effect- such as school children and mothers. A good example is the Healthy Food Plate - a nutrition counselling tool for pregnant women to promote dietary diversity through a healthy and balanced diet. • Perishable food items should be sold at lower prices after a couple of days to avoid food wastage and provide access to poorer sections to buy nutritious food. • Overall food producers and manufacturers are advised to focus more on ensuring national health, and not only on making profits. Read less

Group 3: Advance Equitable Livelihoods This group particularly focused on promoting full and productive employment and decent work for all actors along the food value chain which shall eventually contribute to the elimination of poverty. Key issues that were highlighted was the degree of challenges and vulnerability faced by the people occupied in and around the food sector in urban areas including those in food production, processing, handling, transporting, vending or trading, and food waste management. The street food vendors often do not have a legal status and thus are at the risk of bein... Read moreg evicted as well as victims of theft. These vendors are often left at the mercy of local police or political syndicates that take bribes from the vendors, in order to secure vending spots. As their stalls are usually make-shift structures, they are subjected to extreme weather conditions, air and noise pollution, affecting not only their health but also the freshness of the food they serve. Due to their temporary status, access to potable water, sanitation and waste disposal is also a challenge. This also leads to poor personal hygiene condition for food vendors. Most fresh market workers and food vendors work for long hours without breaks or weekly off-days. They often get very low or below subsistence wage or income. There is also significant discrimination in the working conditions of male and female workers. Further, there are no nutrition or social safety net programs for the urban poor such as those of the Bangladesh Integrated Nutrition Programme (BINP) that are available for rural communities. Informal actors in the urban food value chain play a vital role in feeding the large urban population. However, they do not have access or opportunities to join agencies such as business owners’ associations. Most of the food sector workers live in slum areas. The urban food system is also playing a vital role in creating and widening livelihood opportunities in the rural areas. The businesses and livelihoods of rural food system actors are thus heavily dependent on their urban counterparts. Online food purchase and delivery services have opened up new market opportunities for rural producers to sell their products directly to the urban distributors of consumers, including employment opportunities in delivery and distribution services. Actions to be taken: • Enabling and supportive environment is required for women. • Infrastructural improvements are required to enhance food vendors’ access to water and sanitation facilities and to improve their personal hygiene condition • City Corporations and Directorate of National Consumers Right Protection should work together to protect both the rights of food sector workers and consumers. Regulations should be developed to set and enforce a minimum wage rate for the food sector workers. • Proper policies and implementation system should be in place to allocate specific areas for street food vending. Thus, city governments will not need to evict them and acknowledge the informal vendors. Quality control measures should be set. Furthermore, a mechanism should be developed so that the wastes generated from the food vending stalls reach out up to the solid waste transfer stations of the city. • People working along the food value chain in urban areas can be made involved in urban farming which can serve as an alternative source of food security and income generation for them. • City governments should develop initiatives to protect rights of people employed in different e-commerce based food businesses and related services, as this is an emerging and rapidly growing sector. • Micro and small traders should be empowered through their inclusion in the private sector based procurement channels. • Elimination of influence of local politics and syndicates, and give rights to agency/ union/ cooperatives. Read less

A major concern in the food system of Dhaka is the high level of food adulteration and unsafe food handling practices. Dhaka City Corporation in 2004 indicated that more than 76% of food items on the market were found to be adulterated and the level of food adulteration varied from 70% to 90% . Most of the urban fresh market workers in the city also work under very poor conditions. Studies found, 30% of meat shop workers do not have knowledge of zoonotic diseases, 85% and 90% of them do not wear protective coat/apron and gumboots, and 45% do not know proper duration of washing hands. 27% fish ... Read moreretailers suffer from lesions on hands, fingers, toes, and 10% had diarrhoea due to unhygienic and unsafe handling of fishes. A recent FAO study on Consumer Behaviour in Dhaka City indicates that 23-52% of urban poor suffer from moderate to severe food insecurity, which reciprocates in reduced meal sizes and poor nutrition intake. It also found that 34% and 27% of low-middle poor and low-poor are suffering from hypertension and respectively, 18% and 14% of them got diabetes, poor diet and low intake of fruits and vegetables play a vital role behind most of the diseases. Poor urban households and disadvantaged groups in the informal low-income settlements particularly suffer from the chronic consequences of hunger and malnutrition . 31.8% of urban slum children under 5 years of age are underweight, whereas 2% are overweight. Urban poor families have also struggled to cope with the food crisis more than health crisis caused by COVID-19 outbreak. The loss of income coupled with increasing price of basic food items due to the lockdown, forced urban poor households to change their diets and eat less . During COVID-19, 42% of urban households suffered severe food insecurity while only 15% of households in the rural area. Around 90% urban households consumed poor quality foods and 60% of them reduced significant quantity of food intake . Keeping the above issues at the forefront, the dialogue focused on examining the cross-linkages between the issues and their alignment to each of the Action Tracks. Read less

1. The urgency to increase in budgeting and focus on agroecology at all levels of governance including donor funding and government funding 2. Sustainable agriculture practices for climate change adaptation and mitigation 3. Seeds and genetic resources ;the critical role that indigenous seeds play in promoting and conserving our genetic resources 4. Participatort research and dissemination and embrace the idea and practice of Farmer Research Networks (FRNs), where adaptive learning, diverse evidence such as farmer’s traditional and Indigenous knowledge, and the recognition that holistic unde... Read morerstanding of food systems impacts are all essential 5. Water governance : concerted efforts towards conserving and maintaining our water resources through a participatory ecosystem-based approach 6. Participation and Local ownership of farmers need as the centre of Food Systems Transformation In the spirit of “leave no one behind”, and localization, it is key to have local ownership of food system transformation 7.Promotion of nutrient-dense, whole-food diets underpinned by diversified food production adapted to different microclimates and sociocultural contexts 8. integration, participatory and rights-based approaches to governance and policymaking at all levels to address the structural inequities and power imbalances in food systems. 9. Global food trade and its implications to the principles of food sovereignty and local sustainability 10. COVID 19 pandemic implications to Regional and National Food Security and Food supply chains are Read less

Aware that the world is not on track to achieve SDG 2 “End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture" because more than 690 million people are still facing hunger, and 2 billion people do not have access to adequate, safe and nutritious food. Recognizing that agriculture plays a fundamental role in ensuring the right to food to all, mitigating climate change, and promoting employment and social stability. However, industrial agriculture with its narrative centred on increasing productivity to feed the growing population and solving the problem o... Read moref hunger in the poorest countries is responsible for biodiversity loss, environmental pollution, and grabbing of natural resources, including more and more land for non-food production (biofuel, feed for intensive livestock, carbon sequestration). Concerned that the corporate sector is using its economic power to influence the public policy sphere to see its vision endorsed and supported by public policies. They promote business-led solutions to hunger (patents, hybrid seeds, GMOs, pesticides and fertilizers, the inclusion of farmers into the global value chain, climate-smart agriculture and sustainable intensification, food fortification, precision agriculture). While they are part of the problem, they offer false solutions they mask with a new face maybe mention one or two strategies pushed forward in this masked mode Conscious that the food systems transformation agenda is long overdue, and many social movements have been fighting for systemic and structural transformation of food systems, stressing the urgent need for a radical shift from fossil fuel-based industrial agriculture and corporate monopolies of food and agriculture to food sovereignty and agroecology. UNFSS should acknowledge that the potential of agroecology as the basis for sustainability is now widely recognized alongside the role that small scale farmers play in food security and indigenous knowledge systems Read less

1. INVESTING IN AGROECOLOGY We urge the UNFSS to call for an urgent increase in budgeting and focus on agroecology at all levels of governance including donor funding and government funding. The time is now for deliberate and increased financing, investments in agroecology for the health of the planet and people. 2. AGROECOLOGY FOR CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION AND ADAPTATION Agriculture contributes to 24% of the total greenhouse gases emission while at the same time agriculture is the backbone of most African Countries. Realizing the global trends of climate change, we call upon the UNFSS to prio... Read moreritize agroecology as a major strategy for addressing climate change in sustainable Agricultural systems. Adopting agroecology practices will mitigate the effects of climate change by reducing dependency on fossil fuels and enhancing carbon sequestration. Agroecological practices enhance farms and communities’ resilience to climate-related disasters and risks. 3. SEED AND GENETIC RESOURCES While SDG 2, Target 2.5 calls for maintaining the genetic diversity of seeds, cultivated plants, and farmed and domesticated animals and their related wild species, we call for urgent attention to the critical role that indigenous seeds play in promoting and conserving our genetic resources. We, therefore, call for enhanced recognition and protection of farmer-managed seed systems including enabling legislative environments. We also call for stricter adherence to the safeguards enshrined in the Convention on Biological Diversity and its expansion to regulate new bioengineered technologies because of unforeseeable off-target effects, patent, and ethical issues associated with this evolving science. 4. PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH & DISSEMINATION We call upon the UNFSS to embrace the idea and practice of Farmer Research Networks (FRNs), where adaptive learning, diverse evidence such as farmer’s traditional and Indigenous knowledge, and the recognition that holistic understanding of food systems impacts are all essential. This should also include well-planned participatory methodologies of disseminating research findings coming from undertaking research based on community needs 5. WATER GOVERNANCE We realize that sustainable Agriculture is dependent on water resources. We urge deliberate and concerted efforts towards conserving and maintaining our water resources through a participatory ecosystem-based approach. 6. PARTICIPATION AND OWNERSHIP OF FOOD TRANSFORMATION PROCESS Participation and Local ownership of farmers need to be at the centre of Food Systems Transformation In the spirit of “leave no one behind”, and localization, it is key to have local ownership of food system transformation 7. PROMOTE NUTRIENT-DENSE, SOCIOCULTURAL DIETS Promote nutrient-dense, whole-food diets underpinned by diversified food production adapted to different microclimates and sociocultural contexts. Create positive food environments that provide equitable access, healthy dietary guidance, controls on food advertising and marketing especially to children, a precautionary approach to new products, and special consideration for vulnerable groups and women’s role as agents of change. 8. PARTICIPATORY GOVERNANCE Ensure integrated, participatory, rights-based approaches to governance and policymaking at all levels to address the structural inequities and power imbalances in food systems. Build processes and policy platforms on democratic principles, transparent deliberations, shared power, and inclusive participation to ensure that policies are driven not only by evidence but also by ethics and the broader public interest. 9. : GLOBAL FOOD TRADE World Trade Organisation (WTO) Global food trade is against the principles of food sovereignty and local sustainability. There is a need to build sustainable local food production systems first. We, therefore, call upon the UNFSS to recognize local food sufficiency as the basis of national food security Read less

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The theme of this dialogue was “Unleashing Innovation towards sustainable consumption patterns and reduction of post-harvest food waste. Major focus of the discussion was on mainstreaming nutrition in agriculture to ensure that farmers and markets reduce the quantities of food that are lost after harvesting. Also, the discussion was focused on determining the factors that influence consumption patterns and how those factors could be used to influence healthier consumption patterns. Though the main focus on actions targeted action track 1 to 3, some opinions that emerged also addressed action... Read more tracks 4 and 5. Read less