Explore Official Dialogue Feedback

Discussion topic : Fair prices - Society will valorise the role of farmers in food systems through real costing/pricing. Recommendation 1: prices faced by farmers should adjust to reach a fair level and truly reflect the value farmers bring to society and the environment. Farmers’ remuneration needs to improve and there should be equal participation and integration of all stakeholders in decision-making on food markets Who: local governments/governors, farmers’ organisations. How: this can be achieved through dialogue between food systems stakeholders with the setup of inclusive platforms,... Read more allowing for open, transparent, and evidence-based discussion and negotiation on food costing/pricing, and valorisation of food production as an activity. The platforms support the build-up of effective networks, enable everyone to be informed and understand ‘fair business’. Ultimately, the platform would contribute towards fair prices, and a more level playing field on food markets and a well-functioning food system. Food system stakeholders will trust each other, and farmers will have their voices heard. Recommendation 2: there needs to be a radical change in valorisation of food triggered throughout society; production and services delivered by farmers need to be valued beyond production costs; consumers should be more aware of all the services provided by the farmers beyond production of food (e.g. ecosystem services) Who: local governments (Min of Ag, Min of Finance), farmers and consumer associations. How: this can be achieved through awareness campaigns targeting both producers and consumers on issues of fair trade and the value generated by farming to society. Recommendation 3: national, regional, and global trade regimes need to shift to become more favourable to smallholders in developing countries and incentivise sustainable production methods Who: WTO, international institutions, governments, international farmers’ organisations. How: this can be achieved through global communication, lobbying, and political advocacy in favour of fair trade and a more equitable food system. The new trade rules need to acknowledge current imbalances in global food trade and seek to support the competitiveness of smallholders in developing countries and the environmental sustainability of food production. Recommendation 4: farmers’ productivity and profitability need to increase, allowing to boost investment as well as quality and safety of food, improving market conditions, farmers’ livelihoods, and involvement in decision-making processes Who: government authorities in partnership with farmers’ organizations, the private sector (input suppliers, water and electricity providers, tech companies) and other relevant stakeholders. How: higher levels of productivity and profitability for farmers will be achieved by establishing an enabling context (water, electricity, infrastructure including innovative technology), expanding contract farming, supporting trade fairs and marketing to advertise local foods, leveraging the potential of new tech to communicate on innovative farming techniques, and capacity building for youth wanting to start agribusinesses. Governments should help set up and/or strengthen the functioning of traditional (so-called informal) markets, short marketing circuits or EcoFairs in different places in peri-urban and urban cities on a massive scale (without many restrictions on agro-ecological products). Recommendation 5: A food system can only be sustainable if producers receive adequate income. This requires ensuring access to healthy food to groups/communities with limited means without limiting free market and additional controls of food prices by the government. Governments need to instead adopt social measures to facilitate access to healthy food for poor groups/communities. Who: governments, international organizations (for example, this approach is already active in a number of WFP operations). How: this can be achieved by ensuring use of healthy food as part of school meals, and issuance of vouchers for food at responsible distributors/ (re)sellers. Read less

Key emerging findings across the different language dialogues and visions focused on three core needs: (1) the need for the international community to create inclusive, facilitated dialogue platforms (digital and in-person), (2) the need to reduce the gap between consumers and farmers and change behaviour through awareness raising campaigns, and (3) the need to develop enabling policies and environment to deliver progress on all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The discussion groups also stressed the central role of appropriate responsible co-production and use of data for agriculture ... Read more(production, logistics, demand, weather etc.) underpinning most proposed solutions. Inclusive dialogue platforms (digital and in-person) would close knowledge gaps, such as access information on prices and markets. Delivery of training and knowledge management resources via a digital platform would enable peer-to-peer exchanges and would facilitate collection and operationalization of agricultural data. Having a peer-to-peer element at its core, the platforms would enable the actors to not only share, but also co-produce knowledge related to agroecology, and other knowledge-intensive and context specific areas. A critical success factor for such platforms is the use of participatory approaches in design of technologies to enhance access and openness, rather than a roll-out of platforms developed by the international development community and governments. Multi-stakeholder dialogues with the most relevant actors that need to be at the core of platform development, can then be also used to develop the base for national digital strategies and data platforms. At the same time, developing inclusive dialogue platforms requires strong involvement and investment from the private sector. Another core finding is the need to reduce the gap between consumers and farmers and change behaviour through awareness raising campaigns. The participants felt that a way to bridge the information and knowledge gap was by implementing large-scale awareness campaigns on the value of food production and its role in environmental sustainability, targeting both consumers and producers. The next step in moving from awareness raising to behaviour change for healthier food choices is focusing on youth at schools and local women’s groups. By involving the next generation of change makers through dedicated school programs, and women as potential agents of change at the community level, it is possible to influence family decisions. Another mechanism for raising awareness is through legislation, and promotion of packaging and labelling standards. The packaging and labels need to inform consumers on the nutritional value of their consumption. Here there is a wealth of experience to build on, particularly in North America and Europe. Some of the key quotes related to this solution included: * Awareness-raising actions should not just be limited to knowledge but also to practice. E.g., planting vegetable gardens and cooking * Where trade is involved, build capacity for border staff so they know which laws exist and understand them. * Information on healthy and sustainable diets, agroecological management must be disseminated on a large scale while valuing local knowledge and know-how. Also, disseminating good consumption criteria, reducing huge post-harvest losses, incentives and scaling up certain practices that facilitate access to food such as e-commerce will help make the transition. * Provide regular information on product prices, taking advantage of social networks so that small producers know where to take their products and not sell at below-market prices. * Generating public information platforms is important. In addition, it is important to raise awareness among all actors and those who design the data capture/monitoring systems, so that they work at all levels and the information is returned to producers. The participants of the dialogue outlined that in order for the actions, solutions, and strategies to deliver progress there also needs to be a set of enabling policies, partnership and investment opportunities developed at national levels: * Transparency related to large scale land investment (domestic and international) is essential: contracts should be made open. To balance access to data with privacy concerns, national governments should have a clear role in indicating how data privacy/safety/security as well as sharing are guaranteed. * Another core area for national governments is the focus on favourable fiscal policies that would lower border taxes for sustainable products (e.g. reducing CO2-emissions) and help strengthen local supply-chains. * An idea that came across strongly in Spanish language dialogues is that governments need to set up and/or strengthen the functioning of traditional (so-called informal) markets, short marketing circuits or EcoFairs in different places in peri-urban and urban cities on a massive scale (without many restrictions on agro-ecological products). * It is critical that the international community invests in building public-private-partnerships (governments, civil society, and private sector) to foster policy-engagement and mobilize the marginalized voices. The private sector presented with the right set of incentives can create an interface between informal and formal economies. At the same time, international research partnerships should inform both policies and knowledge shared with communities and provide various options/products for local partners to choose from in adapting policies. Read less

The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) as the coordinating agency of Swiss international development cooperation is in the unique position to mobilise a broad landscape of potential dialogue participants from all its partner countries and organisations. The Global Programme Food Security (GPFS) of SDC together with its Agriculture and Food Security (A+FS) Network hosted three series of two independent food systems dialogues in English, French and Spanish, bringing together 290 participants from 69 countries to reflect on such questions as: * What targets and action plans are ne... Read moreeded to make progress in food security; agro-ecology and climate resilience; socially and culturally acceptable and affordable nutrition; healthy diets; a circular economy of food based on more sustainable supply and value chains, a reduction of food loss and waste, social equity, better use of new knowledge, social organisation of producers and consumers, competitiveness and import & export regimes, policy, data & certification and improved rural livelihoods? * How should Swiss funded development stakeholders shape their programmes and activities in order to enhance sustainability of food systems? The organizers used this set of questions to formulate 12 vision statements around food systems, with each of the visions representing ambitious projections of the future that provoked participants of the dialogue to imagine something that is altogether better. The visions provided a comprehensive exploration of food system challenges and actors, focusing on a specific area, like fair trade policies, conducive research partnerships, and healthy school meals. It is important to note that the dialogues were short sessions of visioning/brainstorming. The recommendations should inspire local actors and participants of the UNFSS. The exact actors and specific actions (Who and How) need to be adapted in the future to closer reflect local context. Similarly, the groups did not have the opportunity to in-depth discuss the complexity of power dynamics and contextual factors, including disaster risk, resilience, climate change and conflict. Due to the structure of the FSD reporting template, the outcomes of the discussion for visions 5 and 6 (nutrition awareness and healthy school meals) and visions 11 and 12 (agroecological farming and intact natural resources) had to be combined. These discussion topics deserve further separation of recommendations per topic and should be further elaborated. Vision statements: 1. Society will valorise the role of farmers in food systems through real costing/pricing. 2. Strong social movements and networks between households at national and community level will allow equal opportunities for men and women. 3. More sustainable production and shorter supply chains will link producers and consumers more closely. 4. National agriculture and food policies will support sustainably produced regional and seasonal food and information on healthy and sustainable diets. 5. Integration of nutrition in school curricula, maternal and infant care, will contribute to healthy diets, and the production of diverse and sustainable foods. 6. The promotion of agro-ecologically sourced meals in school & community kitchens will improve performance of students in school and people in their work. 7. Land and judicial reforms will allow the improved and equitable access to land and justice for all, explicitly also for women and youth. 8. Import, export and tax regimes in countries will allow farmers to focus on products that are competitive on national, regional and international markets. 9. A national system on accurate, safe and reliable data and certification of agricultural products will inform legal frameworks and resource allocation. 10. International agricultural research partnerships take into account regional contexts and make their findings available to all. 11. An agroecological diversification of production and low-impact farming practices will reduce the use of fossil fuels and chemical inputs. 12. Switching to locally adapted crops, soil conservation methods and sustainable irrigation systems will allow for efficient production. Read less

1. Участники разошлись во мнениях относительно приоритетности поддержания национальной и международной продовольственной безопасности: какие цели должны быть более значимы? На фоне необходимости поддержания устойчивых цепочек поставок за рубеж непростой видится задача обеспечения национальной продовольственной безопас... Read moreности. 2. Повышение качества производимого и потребляемого продовольствия и связанное с этим внедрение инноваций и распространение «особо здоровых» видов продовольствия не должно приводить к ограничению доступа широких, включая самых бедных и уязвимых слоев населения по всему миру к доступному калорийному продовольствию. 3. Необходимо взвешенное и прагматичное отношение к влиянию АПК на климатические изменения, включая определение фундированной доказательной базы соответствующих изменений. Read less

Устойчивое функционирование рынков сельскохозяйственной продукции и обеспечение продовольственной безопасности занимают важное место в повестке российского бизнеса и, несомненно, важны для поступательного развития всей национальной экономики. В этой связи российские участники независимого бизнес-диалога отметили след�... Read more�ющие пункты, которые следует отразить в решениях Саммита ООН по продовольственным системам: 1. Устойчивое развитие продовольственных систем – сквозная тема, затрагивающая не только приоритеты отдельных отраслей и секторов АПК, но и многие смежные отрасли, фактически всю национальную экономику. В этой связи принятие решений в отношении развития и регулирования АПК, а также потребления производимой им продукции должно учитывать кроссекторальные позитивные и негативные эффекты, включая динамику благосостояния населения, качества и доступности производимой продукции, отдачу от масштаба и т.д. 2. В целях комплексного использования потенциала АПК на международной арене, включая вклад в укрепление международной продовольственной безопасности, необходимо скоординированное наращивание усилий всех заинтересованных сторон, включая национальные и международные органы власти, производителей и потребителей. Необходимо обеспечивать эффективную гармонизацию интересов с партнерами и продвигать их на всех ключевых многосторонних международных площадках, противодействуя инициативам, оказывающим негативное воздействие на обеспечение международной продовольственной безопасности, одновременно стимулируя трансфер технологий для ее повышения. 3. Необходимо корректное целеполагание и формирование приоритетов на национальном и международном уровнях в ходе диалога с ключевыми участниками рынка. С учетом роста числа людей, находящихся в уязвимом положении с точки зрения доступа к продовольствию, приоритетной задачей является обеспечение доступа мирового населения к продовольствию. Необходимо отказаться от создания дополнительных необоснованных рационально барьеров, препятствующих обеспечению населения питанием достаточной степени калорийности, замещая объективные потребности не вполне очевидными задачами, связанными с продвижением неоправданно дорогих видов и типов продовольствия, не обеспечивающих решение основной задачи. 4. Необходимо прилагать усилия для развития стабильного и адаптивного национального и международного регулирования, способствующего справедливой конкуренции и отражающего национальные условия и уровень развития экономики и ее отдельных секторов. Необходимо отказаться от навязывания избыточных требований в отношении производства продукции, в случае отсутствия особой необходимости. В этой связи представляется необходимым обеспечить адекватность и соразмерность принятия и реализации международных обязательств в различных формах (включая стандарты и регламенты) на национальном уровне с учетом национальных приоритетов и задач развития. 5. Необходимо в большей степени уделять внимание комплексному решению не только проблемы производства продукции, но и переработки и уничтожения образующихся отходов, а также повышения глубины переработки производимой и добываемой продукции (рыба, аквакультура и т.д.), с учетом задач и потребностей всех ключевых секторов АПК и потребителей продукции. При этом производство и поставки на международные рынки продукции с более высокой добавленной стоимостью и переработкой должны не замещать текущие, а дополнять их, способствуя расширению предложения и формированию более благоприятных условий для потребителей продукции. 6. В условиях высокой международной неопределенности и волатильности рынков сырья вместе с высоким уровнем международной задолженности необходима реализация политики, способствующей повышению конкурентоспособности и ресурсообеспеченности бизнеса в АПК, не создающей дополнительного давления на издержки производителей и потребителей и опосредованно влияющего на рост цен продукции АПК. 7. Необходимо переосмыслить возможности и потенциал существующих многосторонних институтов международного сотрудничества (ФАО, ВППООН, Международные товарно-сырьевые организации, ОФСТ, МФСР), включая принятие решений по их координации действий и «разделению труда» (alignment). Целесообразно выработать программу действий по использованию их потенциала для продвижения интересов национального бизнеса и реализации инвестиционных проектов. 8. Необходима выработка и реализация политики, способствующей развитию кадровой обеспеченности ключевых секторов АПК и стимулированию повышения производительности труда с использованием потенциала цифровизации, обучения в течение всей жизни (lifelong-learning), программ по развитию человеческого капитала (capacity building) и иных долгосрочных и оперативных образовательных решений. 9. Необходимо развивать международное сотрудничество в области ветеринарии и санитарии, способствуя эффективному сбалансированному оперативному противодействию трансграничным эпизоотиям и болезням растений. Целесообразно продвигать формирование системных механизмов оперативного признания регионализации и допуска на рынки для поддержания устойчивости и неразрывности цепочек создания добавленной стоимости в АПК. Одновременно необходимо развивать сотрудничество в области стандартизации и корректного отражения вклада АПК в климатические изменения с комплексным участием и правом голоса национального бизнеса при принятии решений. 10. Целесообразно инициировать запуск обсуждения международного соглашения о торговой политике в целях развития, ограничивающего применение рестрикций и необоснованных ограничений в отношении продукции АПК. Read less

Обеспечивая устойчивость: вклад российского бизнеса в развитие глобальных продовольственных систем

One of the areas of divergence included the role of subsidies in achieving fair prices. The participants had different views on how to ensure that subsidies do not distort markets and how to ensure communities understand the approach behind subsidies for farming systems. The groups discussing fair prices highlighted that the pros and cons of subsidies need to be better understood as some form of “smart subsidies’ may in fact contribute to fair prices. The positive application of subsidies includes: * use of subsidies as incentives over a transition period towards sustainability; * subsidie... Read mores to farmers for application of ecosystem services (agroecology) in the communities. In the French language dialogues participants brought up the question of how can stakeholders ensure a transparent and constructive dialogue when there is an asymmetry of power between the actors? What support should be given to producer and consumer organisations for quality participation in business dialogues and in dialogues with public authorities to influence food and nutrition policies? It was discussed that potentially the role of removing the power imbalances may rest with the donors. The donors should support the creation of level dialogue by including all relevant stakeholders and having specific objectives for each group (consideration of social, economic, health and ecological aspects). In the Spanish language groups a strong area of concern is linked to rural-urban migration and the increase of the urban population. Some groups had shared that the migration could be the cause of additional environmental problems, more poverty, greater vulnerability, and additional risk scenarios. It was stressed in a number of break-out groups that national governments need to address the issue and build stronger linkages between the rural-urban populations, preventing migration to the cities. The groups also brought up the question of trust in technologies, especially with new technologies such as blockchain tech, and how in the use of digital there remains a focus on top-down solution Read less

Discussion topic : Agroecological farming and intact natural resources: an agroecological diversification of production and low-impact farming practices will reduce the use of fossil fuels and chemical inputs; switching to locally adapted landscape approaches will allow for (cost-)efficient food production. Recommendation 1: launch a peer-to-peer program focused on application of agroecological concepts for farmers (potentially also for other actors in the food system). Who: local governments, civil society, producers, farmer organizations How: this would require in-person exchange and inclusi... Read moreon of the farmer communities (both small holder farmers, as well as large scale exemplary farmers). Recommendation 2: deliver training and knowledge management resources via a digital platform Who: local governments, academia, civil society, donors willing to fund the development, rollout, and maintenance of the platform. How: the digital platform would enable peer to peer exchange, as well as collect and operationalize agricultural data. Having a peer-to-peer element at its core the platform would enable the actors to not only share, but also co-produce knowledge related to agroecology. Building networks around agroecology and developing a collection of good/ best practices could then also influence relevant policy change towards agroecological principles. It is important that there is a dedicated space on the platform for women/ women’s groups/ female farmers. Recommendation 3: at the public policy level it is necessary to generate actions to promote agroecology with governmental support. Who: national governments How: governments can provide technical (including quality) and financial support to producers for the promotion of agroecological product consumption and shorter value chains; improve the accessibility of roads and distribution routes for agroecological products; ensure policies are disseminated to relevant stakeholders and producers using media. Recommendation 4: promote development of green finance to contribute to the development of agroecology. Who: UN, development banks, national governments How: The UN has created a line of financing contributing to sustainable development by mitigating the effects of climate change. Development banks at the national level also manage this financial model, which needs to be made more widely accessible to national level agroecological producers. Recommendation 5: orient nations towards sustainable use of natural resources and biodiversity; guide territorial planning considering the potential for land use, generating a balance between conservation of natural resources and development. Who: national governments (National Protected Areas Service, Ministry of Environment and Water and the Ministry of Rural Development and Lands), academia, international organizations and civil society. How: in order to make the landscape approach practical and applicable on the ground, the stakeholders will need to be clearly identified at different levels – local, regional, and global with their roles being identified clearly and linkages between and among them. It is important to consider “hotspots” - priority conservation areas and intact resources, which contain high biodiversity. National governments should consider enhancing these environmental functions and orienting towards a sustainable use of natural resources and biodiversity, such as wild cocoa, açai, jatata, etc. - food systems that enhance the use of forest resources. It is also important to strengthen the interface between academic research and the needs for information and responses to the different problems on the part of local governments. Read less

Discussion topic 9 : Conducive research partnerships: international agricultural research partnerships take into account regional contexts and make their findings available to all. Recommendation 1: research partnerships need to adopt a participatory approach Who: civil society, academia, farmers, consumers How: The participants of the group discussions agreed that local stakeholders (especially farmers and consumers) should have a stronger voice in agricultural research. The decision on the orientation of research should not be left to governments but involve civil society actors to assure th... Read moreat research is based on real demand. Research itself should be organized as a participatory process with a strong role for local actors. This setup needs mechanisms of participation and enabling spaces; some may already exist (for example farmer field schools), some may have to be developed. A continuous exchange between research and application should lead to innovations that are in the interest of all stakeholders. Recommendation 2: it is critical that research organizations share research results Who: academia, civil society, international organisations How: research results should be made freely available, exchange and cross-learning should be encouraged, transparency is key. This also ensures that existing knowledge is considered. One of the break-out groups stated that research results should be used for advocacy of an agroecological transformation of food systems. Recommendation 3: research partnerships need to rethink the role of donors Who: governments in the North and international institutions How: dependence on funding from the North is problematic for a number of research partnerships. Rather than define research priorities, governments in the North and international institutions should act as facilitators accompanying local processes. Donors should increase support for agricultural research that takes into account the priorities of the Global South. Recommendation 4: research organizations and key stakeholders need to question the research focus Who: academia, civil society, international organizations, consumers How: The discussion participants agreed that research should be demand-led and that it should involve all relevant disciplines. There was not a clear agreement whether agroecology should be the guiding principle. One of the break-out groups mentioned neglected species and livestock farming as important research topics that should not be overlooked. Recommendation 5: research partnerships need to ensure participatory monitoring and evaluation of the findings Who: academia, civil society, international organizations, governments, and consumers How: participatory monitoring and evaluation empowers actors to demand accountability. While it makes sense to use internationally recognized indicators (such as those associated with the SDGs), participants of the dialogues underlined that regional and local indicators and development strategies should also be taken into account. Read less

Discussion topic : Reliable data & certification: a national system on accurate, safe and reliable data and certification of agricultural products will inform legal frameworks and resource allocation. Recommendation 1: hold dialogues to inform and map data and stakeholder landscapes - who is capable to provide/collect data by what means/tools, who is interested in using data, is there a platform to match these two) Who: national governments How: bring together the 100 most relevant actors in data/certification space within a country. These consultations can be used as a base for digital st... Read morerategy and data platform(s). During the discussion the actors need to identify which data is needed immediately, and which data is still valid after a year or ten. The actors providing their data should be aware of the benefits of this action. As an example of incentives, it could be - in countries without health benefits - to provide health insurance to all producers involved in data delivery actions. Recommendation 2: develop national digital strategies, policy, and legal framework Who: should be led by a public/private body, with leadership from representatives of the different social/productive organisations How: based on the outcomes of key stakeholder dialogues governments need to develop Digital Strategies (including data architecture: how data is organized and used for policy making), establish independent certification bodies/ expert panels to validate data before sharing (symbiotic relationship between the certification bodies and the National Institute of Statistics helps to reduce the costs of certification), and identify required capacity building/training on the job/coaching (strengthening institutions with the right skills and tools). All data should be shared unless embargoed (needs protection) Recommendation 3: invest in appropriate infrastructure to support digital solutions Who: Ministries of Infrastructure / Communications + private actors (mobile companies) How: national governments need to invest in mobile networks and power access, as well as ensure connectivity to digital data services (foreseeing demand and the need for scale). Read less

Discussion topic : Fair trade policies: Import, export and tax regimes in countries will allow farmers to focus on products that are competitive on national, regional and international markets. Recommendation 1: address urban migration by developing rural areas and providing the youth and women (gender mainstreaming) with meaningful jobs and income Who: policy makers, private sector How: this can be achieved by developing rural areas and decentralizing the rural system in order to address urban migration, by providing especially the youth and women (gender mainstreaming) with meaningful jobs a... Read morend a fair income. The producers should be well organised to contribute to the rural development and be competitive in the food systems that affect them. Recommendation 2: build public-private-partnerships to foster policy-engagement and mobilize the marginalized voices Who: policy makers, civil society, private sector How: include civil society and private sector in order to widen policy-engagement on particular inefficiencies. This will make food systems more inclusive and relevant. Recommendation 3: present a clear agenda and incentives for the private sector to create an interface between informal and formal economies (formalize trade) Who: policy makers, civil society, private sector How: to formalize trade, there should be incentives for the private sector and an agreeable agenda, where it is clear what will be achieved, what actions are required and stakeholders this will affect. Recommendation 4: use a bottom-up-approach by reaching out to groups and networks of people to get all relevant information in statistics Who: governments, civil society How: the approach should be bottom-up and based on principles of fair-trade (safe working conditions, protecting the environment and transparency) and moving from informal to formal trade to capture all relevant information in statistics. Part of the solution would be to develop dialogue roundtables or other spaces through federations, cooperatives, farmers' associations, SME chambers, chambers of industry and commerce. Recommendation 5: it is necessary to have standards and transparency with an effective monitoring mechanism to which all actors commit (producers & consumers) Who: an international organization (potentially WTO) How: it is necessary to adopt standards and transparency. There needs to be a clear baseline and a set of indicators for tracking progress. We need to check, if the WTO should be mandated to pick this up as a key task. Recommendation 6. Reduce tax, allow lower tariffs and less charges on products for producers and consumers to ensure fairer prices (customs unions and governments) Who: national governments and customs unions How: it is necessary to reduce taxes and remove unnecessary trade procedures and cost from products. To achieve this, actors like customs unions and governments should find actionable solutions and measures. Trade should be used to promote sustainable development, and improvement of production systems with producers at its core. Recommendation 7: Simplify cross-border-trade Who: national governments, with support from civil society and international organisations How: through facilitation of borderless alliances using a certification system and a uniform set of rules on products (cacao, palm oil), as well as lower border taxes for sustainable products (e.g. reducing CO2-emissions). Governments and trade unions should analyse international trade instruments (tariff policies) between countries to make them contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Read less

Discussion topic : Access to land: Land and judicial reforms will allow the improved and equitable access to land and justice for all, explicitly also for women and youth. Recommendation 1: Harmonise formal/modern land laws and traditional land management systems in an inclusive manner by including all actors and ensuring real ownership of decisions Who: state and local authorities How: Formal legal texts need to be disseminated, people need to be made aware of actual land laws and regulations (e.g. in Togo women have been excluded from the right to land based on traditional land management pr... Read moreactices) without creating problems at community level. Recommendation 2: secure agricultural areas and implement structural investments (irrigation, storage, and conservation of products) for optimal use of agricultural land by women and young people Who: state and local authorities, with support from civil society and international organisations How: due to low economic returns from agriculture, farmers are selling off land they have received through individual property rights (in countries where land ownership was state-owned). This must be prevented by revaluing agriculture (which will restore the value of agricultural land) and by regulating investment in real estate. Recommendation 3: integrate Indigenous Peoples' visions of land tenure (specific to Spanish-language dialogue) Who: governments, civil society, and international organizations How: national land policies need to take into account biodiverse communal lands considered by the indigenous populations as ancestral/community lands and ensure their integrity and protection via legislation. Recommendation 4: Develop permanent dialogues between land custodians (i.e. landowners), land users and local authorities so that access to land is facilitated. Who: state and local authorities How: development and cooperation agencies can contribute with dialogues and information management, so that marginalised groups (Indigenous Peoples, Women, Youth) are aware of their rights, and of tools such as the “Declaration on the rights of peasants and other people working in rural areas". Recommendation 5: Carry out the cadastre in order to have a national land file to be able to monitor and verify land transactions to avoid land selloffs, land grabbing and land speculation. Who: state and local authorities, with support from civil society and international organisations How: it is necessary to define/confirm production/agricultural areas and prohibit land transactions in these areas to other parties. Transparency related to large scale land investment (domestic and international) is essential: contracts should be made open (allocation of land rights, sales, payments for concessions, environmental impact assessments, M&E report) be made available by investors and concerned governments (host and target countries). Read less

Discussion topic : Nutrition awareness/ Healthy school meals: Integration of nutrition in school curricula, maternal and infant care, and promotion of agro-ecologically sourced meals in school & community kitchens will improve performance of students in school and people in their work. Recommendation 1: ensure schools have adequate food production units and complementary infrastructure Who: policy makers, schools, local communities How: schools need to have adequate access to land, vegetable beds, water, and complementary infrastructure, specifically storage and canteen facilities and the ... Read moreadministrative capacity to manage the entire process from procurement to serving food on premises. Other recommendations include providing recipe books for school chefs, opening up school canteens to local communities (E.g., in the evening as income generating opportunities), using nearby food kiosks to assist and complement school meals. Recommendation 2: multiple actors need to be involved in awareness-raising strategies on healthy eating and responsible consumption aimed at the general population, taking into account the intercultural nature of communities. Who: governments, civil society, farmer networks, teachers, parents How: the school canteen must be a vector in society for the message of healthy eating. This will require accompanying school canteens with didactic/educational tools such as school gardens and field trips on sustainable food production. It is necessary to remain within a sustainable production system by strengthening the capacities of support institutions, farmers, and partner operators. All this must be included in national programmes and appropriate school modules developed in school curricula. Dedicated programmes should reach canteen operators and parents. Raising awareness on healthy nutrition should not only focus on school and maternal-infant care, it should target the entire value chain and consider the specific context. Recommendation 3: healthy nutrition should be better integrated into the political discourse and programs at various scales (local, national, and international) and should also be integrated into other programs (e.g. food security). Better integrating “nutrition” in political discourses also implies better coordination between food-related policy messages (e.g. in terms of food production, food security, markets). Who: policy makers, community-based organizations How: The critical stakeholders need to be brought together: Ministries of Agriculture (and Livestock), Ministries of Education, and Ministries of Health. More clarity on budget and mandates is essential. Achieving this needs people that understand all 3 areas and are able to convene and facilitate policy dialogue. Recommendation 4: ensure adequate term definition: “healthy nutrition / diets / foods”, and include water aspects (e.g. safe drinking water), in policies, guidance and curricula Who: international actors, civil society, and governments How: use of the term agro-ecologically produced – does not guarantee healthy food. In connection to school meals and awareness raising efforts it is important to emphasize safety and diversity of foods, and also recognizing that due to seasonality and locality, some food will necessarily be imported or not local. In school meals it is important to use diversified food products (and include them if necessary, in the programme at production level) whose combination will ensure nutritional balance. However, fortification of food products as appropriate could be recommended. Recommendation 5: facilitate procurement and access to finance for school meals suppliers Who: Farmers' organisations supplying food, buyers, donor organisations, bank and non-bank financial institutions. How: identify and provide information on bank and non-bank financial entities that have as services "bank guarantee credit lines for food suppliers" that allow the financing of suppliers that have signed contracts with buyers at the school level. Read less

Discussion topic : Conducive policies - National agriculture and food policies will support sustainably produced regional and seasonal food and information on healthy and sustainable diets. Recommendation 1: increase awareness on principles of agroecology, sustainability, and nutrition Who: governments, producers, civil society How: the government should inform communities, the private sector, and the population more about agroecology e.g. through TV, education, including school meals. The consumer could be informed about the sustainability and nutritional quality of a food through traffic lig... Read moreht type communication systems. This labelling should be regularly updated with the best available data. Also, labelling could include aspects of "storytelling" to give a voice to the producers behind the products. Recommendation 2: there needs to be a shift to systemic vision in public policies Who: governments, civil society How: Public policies should adapt to the systemic character of food systems, moving away from sectoral organisation and towards coherent and systemic management.. Linked to the systemic vision, careers should be cross-cutting, including concepts such as “healthy living”. Member States are called upon to play a leading role in the transformation of food systems. Market access should be promoted by small farmers and indigenous peoples. Recommendation 3: developing and ensuring systems of accountability and standards in developing and adopting policy measures. Who: governments, with support from international organisations How: The measures required and implemented must be clarified at each level (national, regional, communal) and by each actor. The principle of subsidiarity (taking decisions as close as possible to the problems) is key in clarification of responsibilities of the actors at different political levels. There is a need to focus on effective decentralisation. This will allow policies to be implemented locally with much more effective implementation (framework for the implementation of the policy). Recommendation 4: Monitoring systems should be put in place to measure policy improvements. Who: international organizations, civil society, governments, academia How: Potential indicators include the proportion of food produced in the country compared to food consumed; child malnutrition rate; malnutrition rate; proportion of food produced and processed in the country; innovation rate; biodiversity rate; impact indicators (including footprint and thus sustainability of products). A global framework should be put in place as has been done for biodiversity and water to define indices and targets at regional level (South America) and for each country, with a monitoring system to be able to observe evolutions. The summit should encourage the role of academia, as it plays an important role in validating data and statistics. Scientists should be able to actively participate in decision-making. The concept of "science" should be broadened to include empirical, social, indigenous knowledge. Read less

Discussion topic : Sustainable production - More sustainable production and shorter supply chains will link producers and consumers more closely. Recommendation 1: Developing an enabling environment needs to be based on a systems perspective that includes a change in power structures (land rights), farmers empowerment (through farmers organization) and economics (access to capital). Who: governments and international financial institutions for loans. At the same time, farmer organizations need to be formed bottom up by farmers themselves rather than government. How: The role of the state shoul... Read mored be that of an investor to guarantee sustainability, guarantee infrastructure and the required support. Specific action can include ensuring better rural roads so smallholder farmers have access to markets, adopting policy that supports land rights for farmers, and working more closely with the private sector to ensure easier access to capital and investment for farmers, especially women and youth. The majority of smallholder farmers need to organize themselves into producer cooperatives or other similar systems (youth and women in particular). Service provision to individual smallholders can never become financially viable. Recommendation 2: Promote digital solutions across value chains. Who: venture capital/ private sector. How: in ten years all smallholder farmers need to have access to digital technology, access needs to be free for especially vulnerable groups. It is crucial that companies develop a viable business model for digital service provision to farmers. So far digitalization in smallholder farming has been donor driven and failed to scale. Recommendation 3: increase demand for more sustainably produced products. Consumer behaviour is one of the strongest instruments for change. Who: consumers, farmer organizations, civil society How: By focusing on awareness-raising campaigns and promoting transparency of systems for shareholders and consumers. This should be specifically targeting school children as actors of change in families and communities. Recommendation 4: the need for shorter supply chains requires global market regulations, as the current free trade systems favour big corporations. It also requires a shift towards higher demand for local products and investment in local market infrastructure to meet the demand. Who: national governments, municipal governments, private sector, large corporations and civil society. How: national governments need to develop public policies focused on small enterprises, with public funds and provide access to smart credit. Municipal governments could also form alliances with neighbourhood councils and territorial or indigenous farmers' organisations. The private sector should provide efficient digitally supported logistics systems, large corporations need to adopt a higher degree of global responsibility (this can be influenced by shareholders, investors, and customers). Recommendation 5: Natural resource management and local biodiversity are key - water and soil are key elements to sustain biodiversity and lower climate impact. Poverty remains a major obstacle to proper natural resource management. Who: private sector and national governments to develop and enforce legislation, farmer organizations. How: balancing the demand and utilization of water through solutions like the smart water system (Internet of Things). A prerequisite for the recommendation is better soil data. To improve soils, governments need to encourage the use of biodegradable products and promote the use of technology to valorise biodegradable waste. Local governments and farmer organizations should inventory and use more neglected species (with local nutritional value/agroecological virtues) as they are the ones that promote biodiversity. Communities and farmer organizations can promote ancestral practices, where importance was placed on the planting of diverse species of "lesser" economic utility but containing other values (e.g. various trees that shelter flora and fauna). Governments and communities should organise small areas that rebuild natural biotopes (protected micro areas). Read less

Discussion topic : Strong Social networks - Strong social movements and networks between households at national and community level will allow equal opportunities for men and women Recommendation 1: There is need to promote participatory approaches in design of technologies and to enhance access and openness Who: Farmers’ organisations, governments, UN, civil society, private sector. How: By incorporating farmers in the design of technologies and promoting use of available toolboxes (sets of technologies and innovations) and platforms that integrate communications and empower the target grou... Read moreps to benefit economically. Creating partnerships with the governments; linking in with the private sector and academia. Measuring success: Availability of decentralized and localized technology toolkits of best practices for wider use, and adaptation. Recommendation 2: Integrate social networks as an extension tool Who: UN, civil society, producer cooperatives and farmer organisations, private sector, and governments How: Make use of available tools such as social media; working through seed groups, incorporating the private sector, making use of digital technology to close knowledge gaps. Some best practice examples have been cited in Ghana and Nigeria. Measuring success: KPIs would include click numbers, downloads, sharing numbers on social media and other parameters. Recommendation 3: there is a need to reduce the gap between consumers and farmers and to shorten value chains. Who: Governments, industry leaders/retail and merchandising, UN, Farmer organizations, consumers, civil society How: this can be achieved by influencing structural changes and food consumption patterns, such as direct trade, direct communications between the producers and consumers; segmenting the markets. Creating awareness about the food products that we consume. There is a need to enhance trust in the value chains and promote value networks rather than individual actors. At the same time, the actors of the social networks need to ensure there are mechanisms to support the most vulnerable in the communities so that their situations don’t further deteriorate. It is important to consider gender as a core part of social networks: by encouraging women and young people to form associations, by involving men to encourage and enable their wives to engage in production. The palm oil industry is an example of positive steps towards these consumer-producer changes. Another example is the chocolate industry where smaller firms establish partnerships with local producers. Measuring success: the effectiveness of the measures can be assessed by examining the number of movements; sensitization programs; available digital services to support farmers and youth and attract them in the value chains. Recommendation 4: Promote greater agro-ecological production in adequate quantities without polluting the environment, without degrading nature, incorporating local practices (a recommendation specific to Spanish-language dialogues) Who: Government, UN, Farmer organizations, civil society How: this can be achieved by incorporating local seeds in the value chain, focusing on territorialisation of agri-food systems, and recognising local capacities and territorial complementarities between primary producers and processing (such as conditions and facilities for post-harvest processing and storage). Additionally, this can be achieved through strategic alliances for the exchange of knowledge and technology, which allow for developments that are more nature-positive and build on local capacities. Recommendation 5: differentiate rules for local products and for export products. Current international certification standards often impose limitations on local products. (a recommendation specific to Spanish and French-language dialogues) Who: WTO, UN, national governments. How: introduce differentiation of food sanitary measures, certification and labelling from the local market to the global market. It is necessary to promote the labelling of local production for better market access. Read less

Discussion topic: Fair prices - Society will valorise the role of farmers in food systems through real costing/pricing Recommendation 1: prices faced by farmers should adjust to reach a fair level and truly reflect the value farmers bring to society and the environment. Farmers’ remuneration needs to improve and there should be equal participation and integration of all stakeholders in decision-making on food markets Who: local governments/governors, farmers’ organisations. How: this can be achieved through dialogue between food systems stakeholders with the setup of inclusive platforms, a... Read morellowing for open, transparent, and evidence-based discussion and negotiation on food costing/pricing, and valorisation of food production as an activity. The platforms support the build-up of effective networks, enable everyone to be informed and understand ‘fair business’. Ultimately, the platform would contribute towards fair prices, and a more level playing field on food markets and a well-functioning food system. Food system stakeholders will trust each other, and farmers will have their voices heard. Recommendation 2: there needs to be a radical change in valorisation of food triggered throughout society; production and services delivered by farmers need to be valued beyond production costs; consumers should be more aware of all the services provided by the farmers beyond production of food (e.g. ecosystem services) Who: local governments (Min of Ag, Min of Finance), farmers and consumer associations. How: this can be achieved through awareness campaigns targeting both producers and consumers on issues of fair trade and the value generated by farming to society. Recommendation 3: national, regional, and global trade regimes need to shift to become more favourable to smallholders in developing countries and incentivise sustainable production methods Who: WTO, international institutions, governments, international farmers’ organisations. How: this can be achieved through global communication, lobbying, and political advocacy in favour of fair trade and a more equitable food system. The new trade rules need to acknowledge current imbalances in global food trade and seek to support the competitiveness of smallholders in developing countries and the environmental sustainability of food production. Recommendation 4: farmers’ productivity and profitability need to increase, allowing to boost investment as well as quality and safety of food, improving market conditions, farmers’ livelihoods, and involvement in decision-making processes Who: government authorities in partnership with farmers’ organizations, the private sector (input suppliers, water and electricity providers, tech companies) and other relevant stakeholders. How: higher levels of productivity and profitability for farmers will be achieved by establishing an enabling context (water, electricity, infrastructure including innovative technology), expanding contract farming, supporting trade fairs and marketing to advertise local foods, leveraging the potential of new tech to communicate on innovative farming techniques, and capacity building for youth wanting to start agribusinesses. Governments should help set up and/or strengthen the functioning of traditional (so-called informal) markets, short marketing circuits or EcoFairs in different places in peri-urban and urban cities on a massive scale (without many restrictions on agro-ecological products). Recommendation 5: A food system can only be sustainable if producers receive adequate income. This requires ensuring access to healthy food to groups/communities with limited means without limiting free market and additional controls of food prices by the government. Governments need to instead adopt social measures to facilitate access to healthy food for poor groups/communities. Who: governments, international organizations (for example, this approach is already active in a number of WFP operations). How: this can be achieved by ensuring use of healthy food as part of school meals, and issuance of vouchers for food at responsible distributors/ (re)sellers. Read less

Key emerging findings across the different language dialogues and visions focused on three core needs: (1) the need for the international community to create inclusive, facilitated dialogue platforms (digital and in-person), (2) the need to reduce the gap between consumers and farmers and change behaviour through awareness raising campaigns, and (3) the need to develop enabling policies and environment to deliver progress on all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The discussion groups also stressed the central role of appropriate responsible co-production and use of data for agriculture ... Read more(production, logistics, demand, weather etc.) underpinning most proposed solutions. Inclusive dialogue platforms (digital and in-person) would close knowledge gaps, such as access information on prices and markets. Delivery of training and knowledge management resources via a digital platform would enable peer-to-peer exchanges and would facilitate collection and operationalization of agricultural data. Having a peer-to-peer element at its core, the platforms would enable the actors to not only share, but also co-produce knowledge related to agroecology, and other knowledge-intensive and context specific areas. A critical success factor for such platforms is the use of participatory approaches in design of technologies to enhance access and openness, rather than a roll-out of platforms developed by the international development community and governments. Multi-stakeholder dialogues with the most relevant actors that need to be at the core of platform development, can then be also used to develop the base for national digital strategies and data platforms. At the same time, developing inclusive dialogue platforms requires strong involvement and investment from the private sector. Another core finding is the need to reduce the gap between consumers and farmers and change behaviour through awareness raising campaigns. The participants felt that a way to bridge the information and knowledge gap was by implementing large-scale awareness campaigns on the value of food production and its role in environmental sustainability, targeting both consumers and producers. The next step in moving from awareness raising to behaviour change for healthier food choices is focusing on youth at schools and local women’s groups. By involving the next generation of change makers through dedicated school programs, and women as potential agents of change at the community level, it is possible to influence family decisions. Another mechanism for raising awareness is through legislation, and promotion of packaging and labelling standards. The packaging and labels need to inform consumers on the nutritional value of their consumption. Here there is a wealth of experience to build on, particularly in North America and Europe. Some of the key quotes related to this solution included: * Awareness-raising actions should not just be limited to knowledge but also to practice. E.g., planting vegetable gardens and cooking * Where trade is involved, build capacity for border staff so they know which laws exist and understand them. * Information on healthy and sustainable diets, agroecological management must be disseminated on a large scale while valuing local knowledge and know-how. Also, disseminating good consumption criteria, reducing huge post-harvest losses, incentives and scaling up certain practices that facilitate access to food such as e-commerce will help make the transition. * Provide regular information on product prices, taking advantage of social networks so that small producers know where to take their products and not sell at below-market prices. * Generating public information platforms is important. In addition, it is important to raise awareness among all actors and those who design the data capture/monitoring systems, so that they work at all levels and the information is returned to producers. The participants of the dialogue outlined that in order for the actions, solutions, and strategies to deliver progress there also needs to be a set of enabling policies, partnership and investment opportunities developed at national levels: * Transparency related to large scale land investment (domestic and international) is essential: contracts should be made open. To balance access to data with privacy concerns, national governments should have a clear role in indicating how data privacy/safety/security as well as sharing are guaranteed. * Another core area for national governments is the focus on favourable fiscal policies that would lower border taxes for sustainable products (e.g. reducing CO2-emissions) and help strengthen local supply-chains. * An idea that came across strongly in Spanish language dialogues is that governments need to set up and/or strengthen the functioning of traditional (so-called informal) markets, short marketing circuits or EcoFairs in different places in peri-urban and urban cities on a massive scale (without many restrictions on agro-ecological products). * It is critical that the international community invests in building public-private-partnerships (governments, civil society, and private sector) to foster policy-engagement and mobilize the marginalized voices. The private sector presented with the right set of incentives can create an interface between informal and formal economies. At the same time, international research partnerships should inform both policies and knowledge shared with communities and provide various options/products for local partners to choose from in adapting policies. Read less

The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) as the coordinating agency of Swiss international development cooperation is in the unique position to mobilise a broad landscape of potential dialogue participants from all its partner countries and organisations. The Global Programme Food Security (GPFS) of SDC together with its Agriculture and Food Security (A+FS) Network hosted three series of two independent food systems dialogues in English, French and Spanish, bringing together 290 participants from 69 countries to reflect on such questions as: * What targets and action plans are ne... Read moreeded to make progress in food security; agro-ecology and climate resilience; socially and culturally acceptable and affordable nutrition; healthy diets; a circular economy of food based on more sustainable supply and value chains, a reduction of food loss and waste, social equity, better use of new knowledge, social organisation of producers and consumers, competitiveness and import & export regimes, policy, data & certification and improved rural livelihoods? * How should Swiss funded development stakeholders shape their programmes and activities in order to enhance sustainability of food systems? The organizers used this set of questions to formulate 12 vision statements around food systems, with each of the visions representing ambitious projections of the future that provoked participants of the dialogue to imagine something that is altogether better. The visions provided a comprehensive exploration of food system challenges and actors, focusing on a specific area, like fair trade policies, conducive research partnerships, and healthy school meals. It is important to note that the dialogues were short sessions of visioning/brainstorming. The recommendations should inspire local actors and participants of the UNFSS. The exact actors and specific actions (Who and How) need to be adapted in the future to closer reflect local context. Similarly, the groups did not have the opportunity to in-depth discuss the complexity of power dynamics and contextual factors, including disaster risk, resilience, climate change and conflict. Due to the structure of the FSD reporting template, the outcomes of the discussion for visions 5 and 6 (nutrition awareness and healthy school meals) and visions 11 and 12 (agroecological farming and intact natural resources) had to be combined. These discussion topics deserve further separation of recommendations per topic and should be further elaborated. Vision statements: 1. Society will valorise the role of farmers in food systems through real costing/pricing. 2. Strong social movements and networks between households at national and community level will allow equal opportunities for men and women. 3. More sustainable production and shorter supply chains will link producers and consumers more closely. 4. National agriculture and food policies will support sustainably produced regional and seasonal food and information on healthy and sustainable diets. 5. Integration of nutrition in school curricula, maternal and infant care, will contribute to healthy diets, and the production of diverse and sustainable foods. 6. The promotion of agro-ecologically sourced meals in school & community kitchens will improve performance of students in school and people in their work. 7. Land and judicial reforms will allow the improved and equitable access to land and justice for all, explicitly also for women and youth. 8. Import, export and tax regimes in countries will allow farmers to focus on products that are competitive on national, regional and international markets. 9. A national system on accurate, safe and reliable data and certification of agricultural products will inform legal frameworks and resource allocation. 10. International agricultural research partnerships take into account regional contexts and make their findings available to all. 11. An agroecological diversification of production and low-impact farming practices will reduce the use of fossil fuels and chemical inputs. 12. Switching to locally adapted crops, soil conservation methods and sustainable irrigation systems will allow for efficient production Read less