Global Dialogue
Geographical focus:
No borders
Main findings
The main findings were: 1. Getting the right narrative and amplifying it – Aquatic food is key for the future: it’s highly nutritious and vital to diets and livelihoods in some parts of the world, it can be sustainable (with the right practices, in the right place, at the right time) and it can help to take pressure off the land to produce more food for a growing population. It must be recognised in global conversations about the food system and be central to food system decision-making. 2. Integration - We should promote aquatic food systems that are integrated, circular and sustainable.
... Read moreWhen they are not, something is going badly wrong. The integrated approach has to link together land and water and must connect multiple actors. That means that integration needs to be part of the communication for the future. 3. Inclusion is vital - Include everyone, from all parts of the value chain and whether a small scale actor or large industry. Small scale fishing is absolutely critical and to protect those small scale actors and the environment, the FAO’s Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries must be properly implemented. Inclusion must be a key stone of any approach and not just not a token - that means giving the possibility for all voices to be included in food system decision-making. Efforts on including and recognising women in aquatic food production must be scaled. 4. It is all about jurisdiction - The jurisdictional approach is key. Space must be created for the less powerful to have the option to engage in decision-making when it comes to what happens in and around aquatic ecosystems, ensuring that structures/frameworks allow that room for participation. Entitlements for participation should be based on people’s roles and responsibilities. Good regulations are needed, with particular attention needed on local contexts given the regional differences when it comes to aquatic food. A good quality jurisdictional approach is where trade-offs are worked through on a local level. It must also be designed to handle and work through tensions. 5. Values – There is beginning to be a shift from investment for profit to investment for value, where value is defined by the local community. This must continue and be scaled up. The jurisdictional approach is linked to this. 6. Indicators of success matter for accountability - We cannot measure success without indicators, such as the health of fish stocks and broader aquatic ecosystems, the level of socioeconomic benefits are retained locally etc. 7. Management - It is all about management, we have to manage for conservation, manage for preservation, manage for equity and for sustainability. There are a number of basic principles that all stakeholders must have access to: data, science, modelling and capacity building to help implement accessible, inclusive and sustainable food systems. Stakeholders need to be connected to each other and able to access levers and encourage value-based innovation. Accountable partnering will be important in achieving this across geographies. Read less
Action Track(s): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Keywords: Data & Evidence, Environment and Climate, Finance, Governance, Human rights, Innovation, Policy, Trade-offs, Women & Youth Empowerment