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Main findings and conclusions A summary of the main outcomes of the Group Discussions is reported in the next section, however, below are additional findings across the three thematic areas: 1. Reduce Food Insecurity Fiji needs to transform its mindset by focusing on a whole of society approach and build capacities on systems thinking. There is a need to identify linkages, break silos, improve food supply chain (market, transport, infrastructure etc) and reposition and market healthy foods to make them more appealing. There is also a need to relook at government policies to support transformat... Read moreion. Opportunities to increase income across the food systems need to be reconstructed and rebuilt to identify the root causes of poverty. There is a need to invest more in the next generation in communities while addressing policies. 2. Increase Access to Nutritious Food Access to healthy foods is an issue in Fiji, with different reasons identified in the Dialogue, as those related to regulations, need to boost national production, infrastructure and high costs of transport from rural to urban areas etc. The high cost of production in Fiji and exorbitant bank lending fees were also identified as barriers to access nutritious foods. Initiatives bring about change require political and should be driven by an overarching authority, as the Prime Minister’s Office. Priority investment by government should focus on agriculture and fisheries since these sectors play second fiddle to tourism. With commitment and investment, implementation can take place and boost industry by the inclusion of insurance policies for farmers, for example. We need to work with financial institutions to provide access to finance for farmers to grow our agriculture sector. 3. Safe Food Pending food safety related policies need to be approved so programmes can be implemented. Some legislation and regulations need to be reviewed as well The Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Health need to link together closely on food safety issues and strengthening of food testing capabilities. More technology and training on food safety is required. Read less

Strand 1 – Reducing Hunger and Inequality Lack of access to land for people to be able to grow their crops and get fresh foods is a key aspect related to poverty in Fiji. This is especially important in urban areas around informal settlements where children and pregnant women are suffering the most in terms of triple burden malnutrition. For example, obesity, anemia, underweight. Inequality, especially with vulnerable groups, worsened after COVID-19. Lack of equal opportunities, access to services e.g phone ownership, employment and resources are all impacted. The game changing solution is t... Read moreo look at poverty from an intersectional lens (gender, ethnicity, education, etc) to ensure no one is left behind. Fiji needs to be more inclusive and nutrition-sensitive in its policies with social protection beneficiaries and should consider basic services for people in this space. Opportunities to increase income across the food systems need to be reconstructed and rebuilt to identify the root causes of poverty and invest more in new generations within communities while addressing policies. Strand 2 – Increase Access to Nutritious Food In Fiji, people are eating more processed foods particularly in the urban areas where the media has played a big role in marketing some of these foods. In order to change that, informal markets should be linked to formal ones, changing concepts and behavior to encourage and promote eating local healthy foods. Small and Medium Enterprises should be supported for mass production of vegetables and fruits in order to ensure availability and affordability at all levels. Some ideas for the way forward included creating a robust online system throughout the value chain in the food system; increase communication access to rural areas to increase marketing opportunities and promote more involvement in the barter system. The challenge of lack of affordability was also addressed through advocating for more planting and production at all levels and Ministry of Agriculture to lead through pilot and model farms, increase tax on imported foods, improve research capacity on productivity within ministries. It is important to increase self-sufficiency and reduce heavy reliance on rice and wheat imports as well as enhancing partnerships to sustain development projects and promote diversification in communities. Legislation should be in place for any house built to have a space for backyard gardening including informal settlements. Regulations need to be reviewed to include High Fat, Sugar & Salt reduction targets to make foods healthier; review the level of fortificants on flour and monitor its iron content. Education plays an important role; the Ministry of Education may revise its curriculum to include food and nutrition security and value chain in the food system. Strand 3 – Safe Food Legislation and regulation approval processes in government are too lengthy. Food Safety Act needs to be reviewed to align with trade agreements requirements. Accessing data and information on food safety is an issue since this is not readily available. More work is required to stop heavy metal contaminants in food and water. Government officers need to be equipped to conduct food safety checks. Technology such as development of Apps is required to track and trace and ensure consumer safety. Awareness is needed on the use of pesticides for farmers and consumers and other alternatives such as home-made solutions that could be used instead of pesticides. Better coordination on reporting of food safety issues from relevant agencies on marine ecosystem as for example fish poisoning. The group identified areas or types of food that need more attention in Fiji such as local vegetables, fruits and root crops, fish and seafood, meat and livestock and food adulteration on local and imported food products. Meat handling needs more attention where illegal slaughtering of livestock is happening in the community especially for social functions or roadside sales. Pending food safety related policies need to be approved so programmes could be implemented. Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Health need to link together closely on food s Read less

Culturally, Fijians and Pacific islanders are not comfortable with disagreeing with one another publicly or in a meeting setting. The Pacific way is through consensus and silence is used to signify agreement in a formal setting. Hence, there were not many issues of divergence emerging from group discussions, although we acknowledge that this may have differed had there been stakeholders with more divergent views present. The one area of divergence occurred during discussions on Strand 1 (Reducing Hunger and Inequality) and was related to land degradation and its negative impact on fisheries; c... Read moreonflicting policies such as poultry/ livestock rearing within residential properties which are contrary to the Public Health Act. Policies prioritizing yaqona and tobacco for economic benefits (which may favour wealthier producers) have negative social and health impacts that need to be considered. Read less

In this dialogue, we discussed challenges and opportunities related to all Action Tracks.

The dialogue with Hokkaido, Yamanashi, Aichi and Tokushima Prefectural Governments was held to exchange opinions related to SDGs and sustainable food systems. Please see the attached file for details of discussions.

In this dialogue, we discussed challenges and opportunities especially related to all Action Tracks.

The dialogue was held for the members of the Public-Private Conference on Food Technology under the theme of "How food tech can contribute to realizing a sustainable food system." The main remarks from each panelist are as follows: - The OECD explained the importance of adopting mix policy instruments, R & D investment, etc., rather than taking a single-means policy. - According to a report from Ainan Liberacio Co. Ltd., they found effectiveness of insects such as promoting the growth, improving immunity of cultured fish, and high temperature resistance giving to the insects. The company s... Read moreucceeded in developing an insect-containing feed that is beyond the substitute protein in their functions. - The Center for Rule-making Strategy at Tama University reported that it would be significant for Japan to take the initiative in rulemaking in the field of cellular agriculture against the background of information dissemination and technologies concerning Japanese diverse food culture including wagyu beef. - In the panel discussion, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) mentioned that world food problems relate to not only developing countries but also developed countries. For solving these problems, it is necessary to provide food assistance including from the agricultural sector and accelerate investments into new technologies that can improve food systems. It also emphasized the necessity of collaboration between international organizations such as the WFP, national governments and private sectors. Confirmed in the panel discussion as follows: 1. The food technology, a new method of food supply, be expected to reduce the environmental burden, 2. We should actively promote investments into the field of food technologies, 3. The early rule making is important for investment. It was also confirmed that we would be making a proposal to the UN Food Systems Summit about accelerating investments into innovation in the agricultural sector toward ensuring global food security. Read less

1. The importance of establishing a Supreme committee for food security headed by the prime minister and members from PAFN, Public Authority for agriculture affairs and fish resources, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Customs Bureau, Chamber of commerce, Public Authority of Investment, food unions and relevant stakeholders. 2. Establish laws and legislations to allow near expiry date food products to be sold at a lower price while maintaining its safety. 3. Allowing licensed factories to convert surplus production to other form of food products and commodities. 4. Collaborating with Ministry... Read more of Information to promote awareness about proper water use and food consumption. 5. Reformulating subsidy policies to widen the variety and diversity to benefit all Read less

There was agreement among the participants regarding the necessity of finding solutions to manage food and water loss and waste in Kuwait. There were different views of food subsidies. Some suggested increasing the amount of subsidies on some food products, while others called for an immediate need to reevaluate the current protocol of subsidies. Some participants advocated the imposition of food taxation (sugar tax), while others disagreed. There were few participants who advised the increase in the prices of water and some foods, which contributes to the rationing of consumption, while other... Read mores objected this opinion because it will increased the economic burden on most families. Read less

The participants focused on the proper consumption requirements which depends on proper production, and the need for clear organization and policy to regulate the process of local productions, marketing them, and encourage food industries by modifying and changing the subsidy policy, and that the subsidy be done according to the quality and not the quantity. There was also a focus on the importance of protecting the local products from competition in the market , due to the inability of local food companies to market their products, forcing producers to throw their products away and waste them... Read more. A proposal was discussed to license factories to convert the surplus production to other food products. Participants also discussed the importance of managing water by treating wasted water from residential and industrial units and use it for plant irrigation not for food consumption. Read less

The following are some solutions proposed to reduce food waste : 1. allocating shelves for food commodities that are near their expiration date, to be offered for sale at a reduced value in the food market. 2. Restaurant owners provide meals in different portions at appropriate prices, in order to encourage customers to order meals with small quantities of food at reduced prices, which contributes to reducing waste. 3- involving charities مlike the Kuwait Food and Relief Bank to distribute the surplus food for quick consumption to needy families, with the importance of applying food tracking ... Read moremechanisms and policies to ensure food safety and consumer protection. 4. Providing information about storage methods for foodstuff and directions for preserving foods on the packaging label. 5- Using modern technology to reduce food waste, such as electronic platforms and applications to reach the needy and distribute food to them as a societal responsibility. Furthermore, excess and surplus meals can be registered and sold the next day at a lower price to low-income people. 6. Emphasize the importance of issuing laws and legislations to reduce food and water waste. 7. Increase consumer awareness: * To encourage buying their needs only without the need to store foodstuff in large quantities. * To ration purchase as needed to reduce food waste. * To amend purchasing and consumption habits so that the consumers prepare a list of their food needed before heading to the food store so that the consumers are obligated to buy only their needs according to the pre-prepared list Read less

Kuwait held a national phase 2 dialogue addressing improving the nutritional status of school children in Kuwait virtually on 26 May 2021 in preparation for the Food Systems Summit (FSS) in September 2021. Different stakeholders participated in the dialogue representing sectors related to nutrition and health of school students with a total of 118 participants. Participants conducted a thorough diagnosis of overweigh and obesity among school students which highlighted the following points: 1) Lack of nutritional awareness in the school environment (administration, students and parents). 2) Unh... Read moreealthy school food environment. 3) Insufficient implementation of physical education curriculum in some government schools. 4) Failure of school administrations to abide by school canteen regulations. Read less

1. Developing a national nutrition strategy under the umbrella of the Council of Ministers to ensure the achievement of sustainable development goals regarding food security. It was stressed on the importance of meeting nutritional requirements of the population and focus on providing health promotion and education. 2. Mobilize government, private sector, and civil society support to ensure implementation. 3.Develop a national committee for promoting the nutritional status of school children chaired by PAFN with Ministry of Education and School Health Department in the Ministry of Health to im... Read moreplement and monitor WHO/FAO recommendations on school children. 4. Collaboration between PAFN and Ministry of Education to raise nutritional awareness and capacity building among the school administration, parents, and students. 5- Collaboration between PAFN and food industry regarding the importance of reformulating school snacks ( no added sugars, no added salt, no TFA and no sugar sweetened beverages). 6. Enforcing physical education curriculum and adding nutrition and applied nutrition curricula. 7. Developing school agricultural projects and activities to educate students on the importance of sustainable food production , by selling planted school produce in school canteens and motivating students to participate in school farming competitions, in collaboration with Public Authority for Food and Nutrition , the Public Authority Of Agriculture Affairs And Fish Resources and the Environment Public Authority. 8. Conduct research to evaluate and assess the following - before and after implementation: ● Nutrition awareness programs of school canteen staff . ● Dietary food habits among school children. ● The effectiveness of enforcing physical education. Read less

1) Establishing the national committee for promoting the nutritional status of school children chaired by PAFN with Ministry of Education and school Health Department in the Ministry of Health to implement and monitor WHO/FAO recommendations on school children. 2) Partnership with food Industry for abiding with and reformulation of food products. 3) Conducting research with academic institutions in Kuwait to assess, evaluate and monitor policies and intervention programs. 4) Collaboration with Ministry of Information for promoting nutrition policies and activities in the country.

There was no disagreement between participants. In fact all participants agreed on the importance of improving nutritional status of school children and developing appropriate and corrective actions to reduce health risks.

The focus of the stage 1 dialogue, “Toward Resilient and Inclusive Food Systems in Rwanda: Economic, Social and Environmental Resilience” was Action Track 5. Participants therefore discussed how to build resilience to vulnerabilities, shocks and stress, and ensure continued functionality of sustainable food systems in the Rwanda context. The dialogue aimed to facilitate the broad engagement of stakeholders including government, academia, the private sector and development partners. The dialogue divided the action track into three central approaches: • Economic Resilience: Being equitab... Read morele and inclusive;  • Social Resilience: Producing broad-based benefits for all people for them to be able to recover effectively and efficiently from shocks; and  • Environmental Resilience: Generating positive and regenerative impacts on the natural environment.  The dialogue opened with brief presentations given by invited speakers to help set the scene for participants. The speakers were followed by four breakout sessions where participants were asked to identify gaps and opportunities in Rwanda’s food system on one of the following thematic areas: Regional food trade: The Rwandan food system is strengthened by integration into East African trade that connects smallholder farms to reliable markets and distributes profits fairly across all actors along the value chain. Risk mitigation and insurance, focusing on Rwanda’s National Agriculture Insurance Scheme (NAIS): Crop insurance is a risk management tool which provides dependable support to smallholder farmers facing shocks across Rwanda. Insurance coverage during adverse years prevents households from resorting to negative coping that erodes the natural resource base and degrades ecosystems, while supporting access to credit and financial services at more favorable terms and encouraging an entrepreneurial mindset and innovation. Access to insurance is an effective mechanism to de-risk food systems. Early warning systems (EWS): Smallholder farmers and other stakeholders along the food systems value chain receive timely warnings on shocks using better data and mobile technology. Rwanda has been expanding its early warning system to help people prepare for extreme weather events so as to reduce vulnerability and economic losses from these. Climate smart agriculture (CSA): Pervasive use of conservation agriculture, climate resistant crops and other forms of climate smart agriculture (CSA) boost Rwanda’s food systems resilience to natural disasters and environmental stresses caused by climate change. During discussions, each group considered policy, innovation, finance and inclusivity as cross-cutting issues. Objectives 1. To contribute to national efforts for sustainable food systems by 2030, providing participating stakeholders with a deeper understanding of their food systems and how they can be transformed. 2. To create an opportunity for engagement and interconnection among a broad set of stakeholders, enhancing connectivity and relations among national food systems actors. 3. During the Dialogues, participants that represent different stakeholder groups will work out how they intend to contribute to the sustainability of national food systems and, ideally, make commitments for which they are accountable. 4. To engage participants on future endeavors for sustainable food systems, in line with their intentions and commitments, beyond the Summit. Read less

Topic 1. Economic Resilience (Regional food trade) Existing Challenge within Food Systems • Lack of awareness of regional compliance standards among stakeholders so that Rwandan produce can become marketable in the regional trade system • Lacking infrastructure keeps transport prices high • Significant gaps in trade standards between East African countries continue to create challenges for trade Game changing solutions Increase the participation of smallholder farmers in regional food markets through a private sector friendly business environment • Harmonize border inspect procedures t... Read morehrough regional blocs (namely EAC) • Target infrastructure investments based on market demand to reduce logistic costs and expand participation by smallholders • Capacity building for MSMEs on trade standards Topic 2. Economic & Social resilience (Risk mitigation and insurance) Challenge: • Low awareness of insurance products among smallholder farmers, which affects trust and uptake • Underdeveloped data collection, M&E and Knowledge systems on all aspects related to agricultural insurance, including historical data on yields, losses, weather-related data points, etc… • Despite the government subsidy, perception is that insurance premiums remain too high Game changing solutions Increase coverage of livestock and crop insurance • Continue increasing awareness through national media campaigns • Leverage innovative technologies (including satellite/drone technology) to enhance the data systems linked to insurance, as well as customer feedback mechanisms to ensure use of lessons • Continue initiatives aimed at reducing premium costs through de-risking the sector Topic 3a. Environmental & Social resilience (Early Warning Systems) Challenges: • Underdeveloped data management systems linked to EWS technologies • Limited access to information on EWS, particularly among vulnerable and isolated communities in an accessible and low-cost manner. Game changing solutions Expand access to Early Warning System (EWS) data for enhanced decision making among smallholder farmers • Pilot EWS initiatives in vulnerable districts with a view to stress test and fine tune data sharing protocols • Design human-centered, user-friendly information delivery systems using accessible technology for the end users of information (mainly smallholder farmers) Topic 3b. Environmental resilience (Climate Smart Agriculture) Challenges: • Lack of a multi-sectoral coordination approach to promote CSA practices. • Limited application of CSA practices and technologies that are contextualized for Rwandan agriculture Game changing solutions Increase area under climate smart agriculture (CSA) practices through enhanced coordination and smart incentives for green production • Ensure coordination among stakeholders through strengthened national systems, including public-private dialogues (PPD), value chain platforms (VCPs) among others • Incentivize Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) practices (smart subsidies, tax breaks), as well as create stronger partnerships with institutes (e.g. RICA) promoting such practices Read less

Topic 1. Economic Resilience (Regional food trade) Existing Challenge within Food Systems • Lack of awareness of regional compliance standards among stakeholders so that Rwandan produce can become marketable in the regional trade system • Lacking infrastructure keeps transport prices high • Significant gaps in trade standards between East African countries continue to create challenges for trade Game changing solutions Increase the participation of smallholder farmers in regional food markets through a private sector friendly business environment • Harmonize border inspect procedures t... Read morehrough regional blocs (namely EAC) • Target infrastructure investments based on market demand to reduce logistic costs and expand participation by smallholders • Capacity building for MSMEs on trade standards Topic 2. Economic & Social resilience (Risk mitigation and insurance) Challenge: • Low awareness of insurance products among smallholder farmers, which affects trust and uptake • Underdeveloped data collection, M&E and Knowledge systems on all aspects related to agricultural insurance, including historical data on yields, losses, weather-related data points, etc… • Despite the government subsidy, perception is that insurance premiums remain too high Game changing solutions Increase coverage of livestock and crop insurance • Continue increasing awareness through national media campaigns • Leverage innovative technologies (including satellite/drone technology) to enhance the data systems linked to insurance, as well as customer feedback mechanisms to ensure use of lessons • Continue initiatives aimed at reducing premium costs through de-risking the sector Topic 3a. Environmental & Social resilience (Early Warning Systems) Challenges: • Underdeveloped data management systems linked to EWS technologies • Limited access to information on EWS, particularly among vulnerable and isolated communities in an accessible and low-cost manner. Game changing solutions Expand access to Early Warning System (EWS) data for enhanced decision making among smallholder farmers • Pilot EWS initiatives in vulnerable districts with a view to stress test and fine tune data sharing protocols • Design human-centered, user-friendly information delivery systems using accessible technology for the end users of information (mainly smallholder farmers) Topic 3b. Environmental resilience (Climate Smart Agriculture) Challenges: • Lack of a multi-sectoral coordination approach to promote CSA practices. • Limited application of CSA practices and technologies that are contextualized for Rwandan agriculture Game changing solutions Increase area under climate smart agriculture (CSA) practices through enhanced coordination and smart incentives for green production • Ensure coordination among stakeholders through strengthened national systems, including public-private dialogues (PPD), value chain platforms (VCPs) among others • Incentivize Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) practices (smart subsidies, tax breaks), as well as create stronger partnerships with institutes (e.g. RICA) promoting such practices Read less

1. Regional food trade: There was divergence between the relative importance of harmonizing trade standards across East Africa and raising the awareness of smallholder farmers to regional standards. On the one hand, there is a gap between East African countries related to trade with Kenya having a higher level of standards than its neighbors for example. One proposal is therefore to bring in expertise on issues related to policies, food safety regulations, and post-harvest handling to harmonize policy. Others noted that while differences in standards exist, there are legal and economic framewo... Read morerks in place, notable the EAC trade forum to address trade disputes in the interests of vulnerable stakeholders. Following this, raising awareness of differing standards is key so that farmers are able to export to other markets competitively. 2. Risk mitigation and insurance: There was divergence on the percentage of insurance premiums that should be paid for by government. It was mentioned that in some parts of India, 80-90% was required to attract interest compared with 40% in Rwanda. Others noted that this was not feasible in Rwanda and that the emphasis should instead be on integrated crop insurance into existing social protection programmes. There were also difference in the role that insurance companies should play with some arguing that they were not doing enough while others mentioned that the larger problem lies with the lack of trust farmers have in the insurance providers. This fed into the larger theme of public-private partnerships and the balance that must be found between business interests and social protection. 3. Early warning systems (EWS): The use of technology to disseminate EWS information was mentioned as a possible game-changing solution to tackle low awareness but there was divergence on how to make it user-friendly and accessible. The success of an FAO smartphone application that provided information about the weather, hazards, nutrition and animal resources to help farmers deal with climate change was used as a case study. However, the issue of not all farmers, particularly the most vulnerable, not having access to a smartphone was raised. With 80% mobile phone coverage in Rwanda, simple SMS messages could be an alternative although the effectiveness of transmitting complex information in such a limiting format would remain a challenge. 4. Climate smart agriculture (CSA): There was some divergence over the promotion of biodiversity and the use of more nutritious and drought-resistant crop species Read less

There's a positive divergence of opinion within the participants. Home-based food businesses use their home to prepare and handle food for sale. Regardless the size of the business, they have to meet the same food safety requirements as others. And during the global pandemic Covid-19, many people especially the housewives (women) and youth started this home-based food business to earn money from home. There should be some consideration for modification of food safety guidelines and materials for them.