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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 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

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

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

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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

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. 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

Some participants felt that the agriculture sector is mainstreaming nutrition at a slow pace and that there was need to improve synergies so that the sector plans with a nutrition lens. Other participants highlighted that farmers choices to plant food crops is normally guided by demand and market prices. They felt that prices for nutritious foods are usually associated with low demand and very high prices which many of the citizens cannot afford resulting in farmers not preferring to plant them. Some stressed out that food preparation methods influence food prices, methods used in preparing ju... Read morenk foods lead to them fetching low prices and the unregulated marketing of junk food is greatly influencing their food preferences On domestic investments in agriculture most of the participants felt that government investment in the agriculture sector is more than enough for the country to produce sufficient food for the nation. Previous experience has shown that the ministry of finance invested a significant amount of the national budget in agriculture but the sector failed to produce sufficient nutritious food. Other participants hinted that the investment is being placed in old agriculture models and that there was need to conduct more research and ensure agriculture models have more benefits compared to investment being made by the government Some participants felt that women with ownership and control over agriculture assets including land are not as productive as their male counterparts. Others felt that lines of credit mainly favor males hence it may seem as if they are productive when in fact it is because of the support they receive from government and other lines of credit. It was agreed that there is need for the government to continue mainstreaming gender in the agriculture sector. Read less

Most of the participants felt that there was urgent need for the adoption of new technologies in agriculture, the new technologies will help in improving crop management, pest control and disease management and may include farm automation, livestock technology, artificial intelligence, precision agriculture, block chain, vertical farms and modern green houses. This will contribute greatly to the consumption of diversified diets by the general populace. Some participants felt that the nation has the capacity to produce sufficient and diverse nutritious food to meet national consumption and indi... Read morevidual food preferences but new models to support farmers need to be employed. In addition the size of livestock herd should increase and meet export needs as was before if the nation is to return its status as the bread basket for southern Africa. Other participants underscored the need to inform citizens on the need to consume nutritious diets and make nutritious food desirable. Citizen’s food choices need to be informed and individuals should make food choices basing on general knowledge on nutritional value. Food manufactures need also to improve quality of food products such that they provide consumers with diverse nutrients they require for growth and development. Participants views on areas that need urgent action. 1) In this era of climate change innovation in technology systems in the fields of agronomic and animal husbandry is key in ensuring that the nation produces adequate, safe and nutritious food. Innovation in information management through modern equipment such as ICT also plays a critical role in predicting future weather patterns and climatic conditions later on in future. Investing in early warning systems reduces the risk of crop and animal losses as a result of disasters. Lastly the nation needs to ensure that there is value addition to food produced as a way of reducing post-harvest food losses and there is an urgent need to build infrastructure for easy transportation of food products. Lastly the government was urged to ensure that modern methods of food storage are adopted compared to traditional ones which are commonly used in the country. 2) The nation needs to widely adopt modern methods of agriculture such as climate smart agriculture as a means of increasing productivity, enhancing yields and reducing carbon emissions. 3) There is need to enhance nutrition information sharing between professionals and the general public. Devise information sharing tactics that will influence people to make healthy food choices, preserve and prepare foods in ways that will preserve their nutritional value and yet meet food preferences of many people. Read less

1) Promote the export of value-added food products in order to reduce post-harvest losses and raise export earnings 2) Implement measures that minimize post harvest and storage losses 3) Ensure that there is efficient infrastructure (road network) and temperature controlled vehicles to transport perishable/ nonperishable food after harvest 4) Prioritize exportation or importation of nutritious food, reduce/increase taxes as a way of incentives/disincentives 5) Mitigate against huge post-harvest losses by adopting modern methods of food preservation 6) Farmers are the foundation of our food sys... Read moretems and have demonstrated time and again that they can rise to the challenge if they are equipped and supported to do so. 7) Processes such as bio fortification are key in contributing to nutrition and farmers are key in implementing this 8) Devise innovative ways of ensuring that left over food is not thrown away 9) Several factors influences consumption patterns and these include culture, economy, social construction, availability, affordability and desirability of certain foods. There is need to develop nutrition interventions that address behavior change targeting the above factors. 10) Advertising has a significant effect on food choices and so it is important for healthy foods to be advertised. There is also great need to make nutritious food desirable. 11) Recycle food packages in order to reduce or prevent land degradation and emission of toxic gasses to the atmosphere Read less

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

Areas of divergence documented within breakout rooms as to what are the main variables and factors influencing some stakeholder's decisions have been approached as assumptions and hypothesis and we thing we should interview stakeholder before such an event, include them in the mapping, and review with them after the event.

The main outcome was the need for more scaled awareness on the contexts of respective stakeholders and what drives their decision-making. Causal Loop mapping has been tested and through this exercise identified as a useful tool. Results ar visible here in the bottom section of the board: https://miro.com/app/board/o9J_lTysA9Q=/ Our main question post event: How might we scale the awareness raising effect of cross stakeholder causal loop mapping and be more inclusive?

- There is a need to scale such exercises to help more SHs from the food system to develop this understanding and gain clarity on the gaps that exist - Strategy-making that is preceded by an empathy exercise becomes more straightforward and relevant. - We need more empathy facilitating institutions - Gaps have been identified as related to a lack of knowledge of 'Other' stakeholders' context for short and long term decision making, as well as representation, and we need to think of additional formats and approaches to bridge them (Causal Loop Mapping and collaborative Miro events are the not t... Read morehe only way and not always easily inclusive) - Read less

The focus of the dialogue was about exploring the impact of different role identities on empathy in the food system and attitudes towards food systems transformation. We designed the dialogue to create climate conducive of collective action so that participants can, identify shared intentions and understand constraints for different stakeholders, appreciate the potential of Causal Loop Mapping to recognise complexity and use that to create roadmaps for future action.

nclusion: It was observed that most people in rural settings do not have access to digital technology, the cost of technology is prohibitive and the youth are not involved in processes of policy making. Further, the youth and women are often left out of discussions affecting land distribution or matters touching on agriculture yet they are critical players. It was suggested that, in order to overcome such challenges, there is need to include youth in policy making, it is imperative to look at the cost of emerging technology and subsidise the same for the youth and also improve on distribution ... Read moreof digital infrastructure throughout the region not just in urban settings. There is also need to mainstream gender issues into agricultural discussions so that women’s role in agricultural processes can be recognised and rewarded. Read less

Agricultural finance: Several issues were considered as constraints to farming in the region in connection to agricultural finance. These include lack of sensitisation on interest 32 | P a g e rates for lending to youth, lack of awareness on the issues on the loans or allowing for negotiations for youth to be able to access funds, failure for concessions or grace period for agricultural borrowers, and not allowing youth and farmers access to loans at the rates the National bank allows for them thus hindering them from progressing in agricultural pursuits. Also, the agricultural products most b... Read moreanks are offering have a very high insurance rates and when farmers face challenges they are not compensated, this is coupled with interest rates for agricultural products being very high. In terms of recommendations, the young farmers suggested the need for microfinance organisations to improve on their products and tailor make them for youth, the need to revise interest rates and insurances and also to consider concessions or grace period for loan repayment. Read less

Agricultural land: The youth noted that land is inaccessible to them, there is poor land documentation especially regarding issues of succession in the case of death of old parents, conflicts have become common for example in Uganda due to increased population density, there is shortage of agricultural land in most countries coupled with issues of fragmentation among others. The members proposed that there is need to break cultural barriers regarding land ownership, there is need to have proper documentation and laws regarding land ownership and succession, idle land should be made accessible ... Read moreto youth for farming purposes, and there is need to look into ways of managing human conflicts occasioned by population explosions. In addition, farmers should be encouraged to adopt new technologies such as hydroponic farming and the governments to improve on data management especially concerning households to improve on planning. Read less

Resilience: The participants noted that in terms of constraints, there was a challenge of unpredictable weather patterns, issues of deforestation, lack of proper research on seed varieties and a disconnect between research findings and the actual data on the ground. Further, the adoption of GMOs has led to altered production rates and in other cases there is growing cases of pollution that has led to making land unproductive. In terms of solutions, it was proposed that there is need to invest in regenerative agriculture concerning organic farming to cushion farmers in relation to unhealthy foo... Read mored production, there is need for proper dissemination of research data and statistics, it is important to involve young farmers in feasibility studies and the need for reliable and accurate information regarding weather patterns among others. Further, there is need for more capacity building for young farmers, need to begin conserving the indigenous seeds for better productivity, we should adopt proper disposal/ reuse/ recycling of plastic waste and push for reforestation and tree planting for improved ecosystems. Read less