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Environmental sustainability has been identified as the major divergence point. In one hand, increased production and productivity is required to develop the domestic industry, in the other hand an increased use of agrochemicals is damaging to the environment. To overcome that, it is important that research is taken to access the levels to which the damages created by the use of agrochemicals are not more costly than the benefits returned from that increased use of agrochemicals. Taxes from agrochemicals could also be used to interventions aiming at rebuilding ecosystems.

This Dialogue was held on June 15 in the city of Xai-xai, Gaza province, focusing on action tracks 3 and 4 (boosting positive production for nature and promoting equitable livelihoods), the session had as its theme “Contributing to the consolidation of food systems value chains” .

Low production levels and processing have been identified as the main struggling points in food systems’ value chains. Some of the major root causes pointed out include the excessive production costs, a lack of sufficient supporting infrastructures and poor linkage between sellers and buyers. For example, in terms of production costs, it has been identified the very high costs associated with feed for fish in aquaculture systems. The feed is supplied exclusively from imports, due to its unavailability in the domestic market. Support infrastructures such as for irrigation are also limited to ... Read morevery small areas comparatively to the existing irrigation potential. Processing is also an important issue that limits the capitalization of value-addition as well as complementarity from the production systems. For instance, most of the livestock kept are sold as live animals while the animal derivative products (e.g., milk, yogurt, cheese and others) are mainly imported. The major solutions proposed to improve food systems’ value chains are related to the: 1. Provision of incentives for locally produced inputs (e.g., fish feed) and at a lower price compared to the current import CIF prices; 2. Promotion of processing focusing on both an artisanal and industrial scales; 3. Expansion of support infrastructures coverage and improvements/rehabilitation for the existing ones (e.g., irrigation channels, access roads, and others); 4. Specific financing schemes, with bonified tax rates, for agriculture, livestock and fisheries; 5. Promotion of local market fairs linking sellers and buyers, mainly wholesalers. Read less

The main problems identified are summarized below. • Low levels of production and productivity; • Limited processing capacity for primary and by-products, which does not allow for the capture of additional value and complementarity of production systems. For example, in the livestock sector, the sale of live animals and dependence on imports of meat and, above all, meat products (eg milk, yogurt, cheese and others) has been common; • Lack of sufficient support infrastructure, often limited to very small areas compared to the potential (such as the case of infrastructure for irrigation); ... Read more• Weak commercial link between sellers (producers) and buyers, which often results in weak bargaining power on the part of producers; The main solutions proposed to improve the value chains of food systems are related to: • Greater promotion of the use of improved inputs and mechanization; • Promotion of processing with a focus on the family and commercial scale; • Establishing legislative incentives and financing for local production of inputs (eg fish feed) and at lower prices compared to current import prices (CIF); • Expansion of support infrastructure coverage and improvements/rehabilitation of existing ones (for example, irrigation channels, access roads, among others); • Promotion of fairs in the local market with the purpose of massifying the connection between sellers and buyers, especially wholesalers. Read less

The main problems identified are summarized below. • Excessive production costs due to dependence on input imports. In certain sectors, such as the fish farming sector, the dependence on feed has been exclusively on imports and with high costs for producers; • Lack of sufficient support infrastructure, often limited to very small areas compared to the potential (such as the case of infrastructure for irrigation); The main solutions proposed to improve the value chains of food systems are related to: • Promotion of processing with a focus on the family and commercial scale; • Establishi... Read moreng legislative incentives and financing for local production of inputs (eg fish feed) and at lower prices compared to current import prices (CIF); • Specific lines of financing, with subsidized rates for agriculture, livestock and fishing; • Expansion of support infrastructure coverage and improvements/rehabilitation of existing ones (for example, irrigation channels, access roads, among others); Read less

The main problems identified are:. • Low levels of production and productivity; • Limited processing capacity for primary and by-products, which does not allow for the capture of additional value and complementarity of production systems. For example, in the livestock sector, the sale of live animals and dependence on imports of meat and, above all, meat products (eg milk, yogurt, cheese and others) has been common; • Excessive production costs due to dependence on input imports. In certain sectors, such as the fish farming sector, the dependence on feed has been exclusively on imports a... Read morend with high costs for producers; The main solutions proposed to improve the value chains of food systems are related to: • Greater promotion of the use of improved inputs and mechanization; • Promotion of processing with a focus on the family and commercial scale; • Establishing legislative incentives and financing for local production of inputs (eg fish feed) and at lower prices compared to current import prices (CIF); • Specific lines of financing, with subsidized rates for agriculture, livestock and fishing; Read less

The problem of food security and nutrition is perceived as having its roots at the early stages (i.e., at the production level) in food systems. Climate change, climate-related shocks, or other external shocks are also perceived as impacting significantly to this problem. Issues related to low production and productivity levels, aligned to poor storage conditions and limited processing both at an artisanal and industrial levels have been identified as some of the major factors that limit food availability to people. That is further worsened by the inadequate access roads and alternative means ... Read moreof (affordable) transportation to facilitate and improve products’ flow from surplus regions to deficit regions. People’s customs have also been identified as another important factor that worsen the levels of food security and nutrition in the country. Some of the most prominent solutions proposed to overcome these problems include: 1. The establishment of more wholesale markets across the country; 2. Promotion of processing focusing as well as on other production sectors (e.g., fisheries); 3. Food and nutrition training programs with the involvement of community leaders; 4. The establishment of food banks across the regions. Read less

The main problems identified are: . Low levels of production and productivity, as a consequence of the low use of improved inputs (in addition to the impact of various shocks); • Habits and customs of the population, such as raising cattle as a financial reserve, in contrast to the low consumption of meat (and meat products), which contributes to low levels of food and nutritional security in the country. Some of the most prominent proposed solutions include: • Greater promotion of the use of improved inputs and mechanization in the production process; • Development and promotion of comm... Read moreunication and information technologies for marketing, adaptable to local conditions (for example, dissemination of agricultural product prices through community radios and digital platforms); • Food and nutrition education (in person or using information and communication technologies) for social change in behavior at the community level (with the involvement of community leaders) and in schools, with a view to generating demand for nutritious food; • Food and nutrition programs targeted at risk groups, such as pregnant women and children. For example, the implementation of the 1,000 days program which consists in the provision of fortified flours for pregnant women and children up to 2 years old. This would be an integrated program, linking the Ministry of Health (MISAU, responsible for providing fortified flour to the target group and monitoring malnutrition rates), the private sector (responsible for processing and supplying the flour) and family producers (responsible for providing raw material for flour processing); Read less

The main problems identified, are summarized below. main problems • Poor storage conditions as a result of poor post-harvest handling (slaughter or capture) by producers and incapacity for adequate storage; • Limited processing due to poor knowledge of processing techniques at the household level and lack of sufficient incentives to establish commercial processing units and their sustainability in the face of competition from imported products; • Inadequate access routes and limited accessibility to alternative means of transport that facilitate or improve the flow of products from surpl... Read moreus regions to food-deficient regions; The most prominent proposed solutions to the identified problems include: • Construction of more infrastructure to support marketing (eg markets) and privatization of those currently existing in the country (eg silos), as a mechanism to make them more viable and sustainable; • Promotion of the processing of agricultural, livestock and fisheries products, through legislative and financial incentives for small and medium-sized companies; • Improvement and expansion of important access routes for commercialization using technologies that ensure greater durability of infrastructure (for example, Claycrete); • Development and promotion of communication and information technologies for marketing, adaptable to local conditions (for example, dissemination of agricultural product prices through community radios and digital platforms); • Establishment of food reserves by the Government in all regions of the country, through the purchase of agricultural products, storage and their distribution to the most vulnerable group of individuals in periods of food shortage. Read less

The main problems are summarized below. • Consumption Habits and practices of the population, such as raising cattle as a financial reserve, in contrast to the low consumption of meat (and meat products), which contributes to low levels of food and nutritional security in the country. Some of the most proposed solutions to the identified problems include: • Development and promotion of communication and information technologies for marketing, adaptable to local conditions (for example, dissemination of agricultural product prices through community radios and digital platforms); • Food an... Read mored nutrition education (in person or using information and communication technologies) for social change in behavior at the community level (with the involvement of community leaders) and in schools, with a view to generating demand for nutritious food; • Food and nutrition programs targeted at risk groups, such as pregnant women and children. For example, the implementation of the 1,000 days program which consists in the provision of fortified flours for pregnant women and children up to 2 years old. This would be an integrated program, linking MISAU (responsible for providing fortified flour to the target group and monitoring malnutrition rates), the private sector (responsible for processing and supplying the flour) and family producers (responsible for providing raw material for flour processing); • Establishment of food reserves by the Government in all regions of the country, through the purchase of agricultural products, storage and their distribution to the most vulnerable group of individuals in periods of food shortage. Read less

The establishment of food reserves by the Government in all regions of the country, through the purchase of agricultural products, storage and their distribution to the most vulnerable group of individuals in periods of food shortage has potential to be costly taking into account the availability of storage facilities and maintenance requirements

The session focused on action tracks 1 and 2 (ensuring access to safe and nutritious food for all and changing sustainable consumption patterns). The theme chosen for the session was “contributing to the improvement of the situation of food and nutrition security in the country”. The lectures in this session were given by representatives of the academy (Universidade Lúrio) and MISAU (nutrition sector of the provincial health department of Nampula).

Topic two ‘Boosting Nature-Positive Food Production at Scale’ highlighted the need for increased funding in research and development and extension to underpin agricultural innovation as well as upskilling initiatives for farmers and producers accompanied by the implementation of regulations, standards, mechanization, modern irrigation techniques and technologies including a focus on post-harvest processing. For instance, and consistent with international trends, Lao PDR is pursuing the implementation of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) as a minimum standard across all production systems t... Read moreo be adhered to by small producers and private enterprises. Read less

Topic three ‘Advancing Equitable Livelihoods and Value Distribution’ highlighted the need for generating and improving opportunities for decent work, incomes, and social safety support with a focus on ensuring universality of access to quality incomes, social support and wellbeing, and finally, with a forward-looking intention of mitigating risks to increase resilience for all livelihoods. For example, IFAD, FAO, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry commit to reducing the gender gap and mainstreaming gender related issue, by ensuring equity and/or empowering women in their interven... Read moretions. Read less

Topic four ‘Building Resilience to Vulnerabilities, Shocks and Stress’ underpinned the necessity of undertaking a comprehensive Vulnerability and Risk Assessment (VRA) of agriculture - encompassing crop, livestock, fisheries and forestry - and dependent livelihoods to guide planning of resilience building in food systems. Moreover, the stakeholder encouraged the mainstreaming of climate-smart, green and sustainable practices into project planning, research, extension, investment decision-making and community engagement.

Please see section 3 for an overview of the areas of divergence, which emerges during the Member States Dialogue in Lao PDR.

The National Dialogues revealed diverse insights on food systems in Lao PDR. Regarding topic one ‘Ensuring Safe and Nutritious Food for all’, the organizers and panelists identified the need to gain a better understanding of nutritional issues, food behaviors including the perspective of the consumers as well as the interaction with the food and social environment to influence behaviors and taste preferences (cost/marketing, availability etc.). Education is key to incentivizing consumption patterns and behavior that has a positive impact on healthy nutrition choices. Moreover, greater nutr... Read moreition focus in financing and public policies, particularly in agriculture are key. Large agri-businesses bring the risk of taking up large swathes of land and can contribute to environmental degradation. Small- and medium-sized enterprises need access to financing and capacity-building resources to support improved production of safe and nutritious foods. This will also help generate higher incomes for the population, improving access to safe and nutritious food. In order to continue the work of the National Dialogue creation of an inclusive, multisectoral mechanism, which will plan and coordinate action in developing a balanced and inclusive food system in Lao PDR. Read less

Aiming on actions towards the achievement of healthier, more sustainable and equitable food systems, the National Dialogues in Lao PDR were organized along four of the five action tracks suggested by the Food Systems Summit secretariat. The first action track focuses on ‘Ensuring safe and nutritious food for all’ particularly to the benefit of women, children, and the most vulnerable groups. The second topic promotes ‘Boosting nature positive production at sufficient scales’ which aimed at strengthening a more sustainable agricultural production system that ensures Lao PDR is economica... Read morelly competitive in the region whilst not harming the ecology. A key focus of this action track was to tackle the high level of demand for safe, nutritious and environmentally sustainable food by taking advantage of Lao PDR’s rich biodiversity. The third topic enforces ‘Advance equitable livelihoods and value distribution’. This is particularly relevant in Lao PDR’s context where agriculture accounts for 70% of employment and 16.6% of the national GDP. This area focuses on ensuring that all people, especially the most vulnerable and marginalized benefit from the changes envisioned in the National Dialogues. The fourth topic aims at building resilience to vulnerabilities, shocks and stress which is crucial to mitigate the impacts of floods, droughts, storms, which often trigger secondary hazards such as landslides, forest and community fires. All these threats have negative effects on the food system, and particularly affect the most vulnerable and food insecure people in the country – such as, rural workers, women and children. Since food systems are multifaceted and dynamic, the National Dialogues in Lao PDR set an overall focus on the understanding of food systems in all its complexities – particularly the interlinkages between topic areas. The emphasis on trade-offs and synergies between topic areas was key and enabled a wide range of stakeholders to determine the national pathway towards sustainable food systems by promoting an integrated and inclusive approach. Read less

Through the National Dialogues on Food Systems, the participating stakeholders had an open platform to exchange their diverse views and perspectives on Lao PDR’s food systems. In particular, the National Dialogues provided them an opportunity to discuss food systems from different perspectives and to identify opportunities and challenges; to acknowledge and identify synergies and possible trade-off among the four topics; to acknowledge the importance to have all stakeholders on board to collectively tackle the challenges and seize the opportunities while making sure no one is left behind; to... Read more learn from good practices and policies as well as to benefit from each other’s lessons learned; to collect and to strengthen the commitments from stakeholders for collaborative actions on the pathway towards sustainable food systems. Main findings on ‘Ensuring safe and nutritious food for all’ include that growing reliance on store bought food is leading to an increased consumption of unhealthy, processed foods. This is exacerbated by poverty, though even people with sufficient money might not buy healthy foods. Moreover, deforestation and infrastructural mega-projects are cutting off supply of food to people who still engage in ‘traditional food systems’, such as foraging and subsistence farming. Many people lack the necessary knowledge of healthy foods. With regard to ‘Boosting Nature Positive Production at Sufficient Scales’ key findings entail that green agricultural practices are more expensive and require research, development investment, funding, education and training, including the upskilling current agricultural workers Laos PDR has a rich biodiversity is well placed to take advantage of the demand for safer foods while high levels of pesticide use are threatening public health and the environment. The main findings on On ‘Advancing Equitable Livelihoods and Value Distribution’, the National Dialogues emphasized the existence of significant food-system related barriers for women and girls’ livelihoods, especially in terms of decision making and access to leadership positions. Lastly, ‘Building Resilience to Shocks Vulnerabilities and Stress and Ensuring Sustainable Food Systems’ showed that Laos PDR is particularly vulnerable to climate change, with over 90% of farms having the potential to be adversely affected by environmental issues – this affects vulnerable groups the most. Moreover, large areas of land are still contaminated with unexploded ordnances (UXOs). Read less

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