Explore Official Dialogue Feedback

Discussion Topic: How do EAC Transport Chains and Logistics Systems Contribute/Impact on Access to Food Background: Given the consensus on the centrality of transport chains and efficient logistics in all the aspects of access to food, the recommendations focus on issues around coordination, sustainability, capacity, interconnectivity, efficiency and resilience. a) Support to the Regional Economic Communities The critical coordination roles played by the RECs under the African Union in the implementation of efficient transport and logistics systems across the continent should be underscored. C... Read moreonstituent Governments should capacitate the RECs and commit to the implementation of all the priority projects, policies, strategies, legal frameworks agreed upon at the RECs and continental levels to improve infrastructure interconnectivity and efficiency to underpin access to food on the continent. b) Support for the expansion of rural roads networks and industrial capacities A call to the Governments to: i) set aside enhanced and dedicated budgets for the improvement and expansion of the rural transport networks and target to double their capacities in the next five years to support agricultural production and investments at that level. This will support the production, distribution and access to sufficient food quantities. ii) support industries that manufactures and add value to agriculture in the rural areas and construction of communal solar cold chains, for example, to conserve excess produce. c) Market liberalization and removal of non-tariff barriers Governments through their RECS should fast track the liberalization of transport and logistics services markets and remove non-tariff barriers to bring down the associated costs to trade and hence access to food. The governments could consider allowing cabbotage for transporters to reduce lengthy empty legs for trucks that penalize transporters and consumers. Airfreight transport costs remain high on the continent as a result of protected markets. Governments in Africa should implement the Single Air Transport Market (SAATM) arrangements to bring down the cost of air transport on the continent. d) Interconnectivity of Transport Networks Whereas African Governments have committed to realizing the development of major transport Corridors linking the continent, there are huge deficits as a result of missing interconnectors within modes and between modes. This deficit results in idle or lost capacities hence inefficiencies. Governments coordinated by their RECs should: i. fast track the construction of the key missing links on roads and railways transport corridors and prioritise the development of transport corridors on the navigable inland waterways that are cheaper to operate and maintain; and ii. Enhance digitalization and ensure efficient border crossings to underpin seamless transport chains, open up markets and enable efficient intermodal and multimodal transport systems. Hence, contribute to enhanced access to food. e) Sustainable Investment Strategies in the Transport Systems Governments to address alternative financing strategies to stem the over-reliance on the public sector to deliver transport infrastructure. Governments should: i. address the inordinately high costs of infrastructure delivery develop effective platforms to attract private sector investments ii. de-risk investments in the sector iii. ensure availability of maintenance resources iv. Address corruption in the procurement processes. These actions should translate to lower user charges expanded trade and cheaper access to food. f) Peace and Security in Enabling Seamless Transport Chains and Logistics. Governments should urgently address peace and security issues within their jurisdictions as they affect transport and logistics operations directly. It is a fact that large sections of linking corridors in Africa are sometimes closed for long periods due to attacks on trucks many a times transporting food to areas in distress. One of the key peace and security dividends is seamless transportation and logistics that should underpin access to food. Read less

Discussion Topic: Knowledge Transfer for future food systems in Africa There is a quiet Green Revolution happening in Africa. It is not at the pace of that which occurred in America, Asia and Europe. However, the shoots are there. This revolution will succeed on the backbone of knowledge transfer. Against the backdrop of a rising population that is set to double every 25 years, this development is timely so as to strengthen the food systems so as to ultimately meet the food security and nutrition needs of Africa. A number of things will need to happen in the next few years: 1. A special focus ... Read moreon the smallholder farmer in knowledge transfer 2. Further harnessing the use of radio and digital media in knowledge transfer 3. A special focus on increasing youth participation in agriculture for employment, income and sustainability. 4. A special focus on women, especially in decision making in agriculture. 5. Utilising climate smart agricultural practices including harnessing water resources and employing moisture conservation practices. 6. Forming strong partners so as to support the smallholder farmers. An example from East-West Seed Knowledge Transfer 1. We (East-West Seed Knowledge Transfer: https://kt.eastwestseed.com) are already doing knowledge transfer work in the vegetable sector in Uganda, Tanzania and Nigeria (in addition to similar work in Asia). We also intend to do so in other African countries in future. Our Knowledge Transfer centers around building skills on profitable and sustainable agricultural technologies and practices. Leveraging a peer learning approach, local Technical Field Officers support key farmers to manage hands-on demonstrations showcasing improved production practices. These are used as ‘hubs of good practices’ to train neighboring farmers on key stages of crop production: ● Improved land preparation (including optimal layout and raised beds). ● Sustainable soil management (understanding soil as a living system) ● Improved seedling production (showcasing different systems of seedling production from improved open bed nurseries to the use of leaf pots and seedling trays). ● Effective pest and disease management (including safe and judicious use of pesticides). ● Effective nutrient management (correct type, placement and timing of fertilisers). 3 East-West Seed Knowledge Transfer Background information ● Use of trellising ● Use of mulching (rice straw and plastic) ● Water management ● Business management (variety selection, crop planning and farm record keeping). 2. We train agro-input suppliers for better product knowledge and increased access to inputs by farmers. 3. We carry out weekly market surveys that capture price trends. 4. We use an advanced monitoring app that is used to capture field and market data and also calculate rate of return that can be shared with farmers and other stakeholders. 5. We provide learning materials in hard copies and online (https://growhow.eastwestseed.com/) 6. We utilise the radio. For example, our weekly broadcast in Kaduna, Nigeria, reaches over 12 million listeners in 19 states. 7. Our special attention to youth and women will remain at the forefront of our work. 8. We are backed by our commercial company (East-West Seed) that produces and sells quality vegetables seeds. 9. We leverage our resources with those of like-minded organisations in order to have bigger impact and we will continue to do so. 10. This work is replicable by other organisations and can include all production systems/crops. The success of these actions can be measured by: 1. The sustainability of increased food production and marketing 2. Food and nutrition security in communities/countries 3. Increase in household incomes. 4. Increase in youth participation in agriculture 5. Increase in women decision making in agriculture. 6. Digital media use becomes widespread in agriculture. 7. Climate smart practices become the norm. Read less

Trade policies (import and export) to facilitate access to affordable, safe and nutritious food for consumers while contributing to EAC/COMESA/SADC countries economic and commercial objectives Recommendations: The need for/to: a) regional trade policies harmonisation to deal with the issues on Tariff and Non-Tariff Barriers/Technical Barriers to regional market access and trade; b) boost productivity and provide incentives to nurturing innovation for the development of priority regional agri-food value chains; c) regional harmonisation of food standards and quality assurance; d) foster strateg... Read moreic cooperation between private and public actors and among domestic producers, exporters, and policymakers; and e) create enabling environment for potential value chain actors (in terms of infrastructures, regulation, access to finance, insurance). Who should take these actions: a) EAC/COMESA/SADC Ways in which progress could be assessed:• a) Volumes and values of intra-regional trade in nutritious agri-foods; b) Reduced food imports from outside the region; c) Level of private sector investments in agri-food systems in the region; d) Level of small producers/SMEs integration into the agri-food value chains. Who should take these actions: a) Treat everyone as a stakeholder in food systems and final key stakeholder are CONSUMERS The call is for everyone to be involved; b) Value diversity and Engage inclusively An extension of treating everyone as a stakeholder is valuing diversity and engaging inclusively which are essential to achieve equity. c) Government responsible and accountability is critically National governments were most often identified as the primary actor to drive transformation. d) Engagement collaboratively in partnerships and CONSUMERS ARE KEY The Dialogues call for transformative partnerships, synergies, and alliances supported by multi-stakeholder platforms and networks and a need for all sectors and stakeholders to work together with governments toward food system transformation. Power imbalances will have to be acknowledged and managed. e) Empower excluded voices Women, Indigenous Peoples, smallholder farmers and other small-scale producers, and youth as needing and deserving special attention and engagement. Read less

Main findings that emerged from our Dialogue a) Food access and nutrition as a universal right to all human beings and the need to protect vulnerable groups in the food chain; b) Need for sustainable and resilient policies/strategies on food production, distribution, storage, processing, quality control among others; c) Need for efficient transport and logistics systems to ensure affordable cost of food, stemming post-harvest losses and stabilize food market supplies; d) Need for preferential and targeted tax regimes and low-cost financing (or subsidies) for food production inputs to cushion f... Read moreood producers from cost spikes that lead to high cost of food; e) Need to deepen food production value chains to make the activity viable and attractive to investors; f) Need to address climatic and environment degradation, enhance water conservation, and increase investments in research to enable the development of resilient food crops and relook at the current policies on GMOs going forward; g) There is a need to educate producers on climate smart agriculture and to incentivize its uptake; h) Involvement of stakeholders in the development of effective food access policies, plans and strategies; i) Mapping of food consumption patterns to ensure alignment with the needs of consumers and policy effectiveness in food access; j) Addressing food quality standards and disposal of the food waste to ensure nutritional aspects and sanitary disposal of the food waste including strengthening the regulatory and inspection frameworks; k) Integrating developments in IT as they impact several aspects of access to food including logistics, marketing, pricing, demand and supply dynamics among others specifically adopting a value chain/systems approach to increase efficiencies from farm to fork; l) The space for Regional Economic Communities in the development of harmonized regional policies, strategies, plans, legal frameworks that streamline production, transportation, distribution, and access to food in wider markets within their respective member states; and the m) Need to address other challenges including border closures, peace and security issues, and non-tariff barriers among others that stifle food distribution and hence access. Read less

Major Focus: What Eastern and Southern Africans Consumers Need for future food systems The problems of agriculture and food production in Eastern and Southern Africa have been there for a longtime. These problems have been brought about partly by the ensuing food systems in these parts of Africa. In these regions, farmers and consumers are disconnected. The distance between food production to the consumers' table is getting longer. Consumers are not sure where the foods come from nor by whom their foods are grown. In order to solve these problems, the transition from the global food system to ... Read morea local food system is imperative. In a local food system, farmers and consumers are connected and they can help each other through easier flow of information. The global challenges of current food systems are fairly well known, including intensification of farming systems, leading to significant erosion of ecosystems, soil quality and biodiversity. As a result, roughly 850 million people have been rendered food insecure. Food waste is high in the farms, storage, retail and consumers kitchens. Diets in many countries are moving towards high a proportion of livestock products due to reduced number of crops as a result of dwindling genetic diversity. Add to this climate change and water scarcity. It means the need for change towards more sustainable and equitable food systems, greater collaboration between different sectors and stakeholders will be key. Their collaboration will strengthen consumer protection, the right to adequate food, securing better nutrition, better production, better environment and better lives, leaving no-one behind. East African Community Think Tank Association (EACTTA) is a critical player in achieving SDG1 (No Poverty), 2 (Zero Hunger) and 3 (Good Health and Well-being) which is independently of national authorities but with the opportunity to formally connect into the Summit process through an official feedback mechanism. EACTTA will offer opportunities for all East and Southern Africans citizens to engage directly in proposing pathways towards sustainable food systems, exploring new ways of working together and encouraging collaborative action. EACTTA invited a broad range of stakeholders, including: • Those who work in roles that enable people to access food by growing, harvesting, packing, processing, distributing, selling, storing, marketing, consuming or disposing of food. • Those who work in sectors that shape food systems, including infrastructure, transport, financial services, information and technology. • Those who work in areas that influence or are affected by food system policies, including specialists in natural resources, the environment, the economy, culture, indigenous knowledge, policies, politics, trade, regulations and beyond. EACTTA Independent Dialogue sought to: (i) Mobilize policy makers, technocrats, academicians, development partners (local & international), farmers, transporters, food processors, hotel owners, food retailers and all stakeholders who are involved in the whole food supply chain within Eastern and Southern Africa to generate perspectives and pathways recommendations to improve food safety systems from the farmers to the consumers. (ii) Contribute to the realization of the EAC Food and Nutrition Security Strategy 2018-2022 and implementation of the Action Plan 2018-2023. (iii) Contribute to the AU Agenda 2063 and CAADP & AfCTA. (iv) Contribute to the attainment of the SDG 2 (end hunger, achieve food security and improve nutrition by promoting sustainable agriculture). Read less

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Although progress has been made and many solutions are available and already adopted, there is still a lot that can be done to achieve a truly sustainable and inclusive food supply chain. First of all, climate change is changing natural balances and ecosystems so rapidly that mitigation is no longer the only solution; adaptation should become a top priority. In order to make the agri-food sector more resilient and healthier - both for planet and for people - regenerative agricultural practices should be more widespread, by means of higher investments, rewarding policies for farmers, access to ... Read moreland, technical assistance, research on the importance of soil health, and education of the general public to raise awareness about the complexity of agronomy and nutrition. Indeed consumers play an important role in creating a sustainable, fair and inclusive marketplace. This marketplace is based on 6 pillars: food affordability, food safety, healthy food, sustainability and regeneration by supporting local food systems, transparent labelling and protection of personal date for online purchases. To be the tipping point of this marketplace, they need to be empowered to do so by making sustainability easier to understand and to reach through trust. Trust in companies to focus on real and responsible value creation, to respect the environment and human rights, to ensure living incomes are available for all producers and actors in the value chain, to stop engaging in lobbying, litigation and tax activities which make the work of government and civil society more difficult. On the other hand, local, regional and national governments should provide incentives which facilitate companies and investors in taking steps which might not pay off in the quarterly term but will protect people and the planet in the long term. They should also set in place clear targets on reducing food waste and ensure there is public and private collaboration to scale available solutions. Read less

The Dialogue provided solutions to some current problems and challenges of the food supply chain and, in particular, in the agri-food sector. Currently, the agri-food sector is responsible for 28% of total GHG emissions and 80% of deforestation is a result of agricultural production. Moreover, climate change is putting a strain on natural resources: a higher volatility of crops and yields goes hand in hand with the loss of 10 million hectares of arable land every year, limiting the availability of natural resources. On the other hand, the world population is expected to grow by 25% by 2050, ma... Read moreking increasingly harder to feed a larger population with few natural resources. At present 800 million people suffer from hunger and malnutrition and yet 1/3 of the food production (40%, 2.5 tons) is wasted along the supply chain every year, with an enormous effect not only on food safety and the environment, but also on the economy: wasting food means wasting money and the resources - land, labour, fertilisers, electricity, water and fuel - used to produce it. Food safety, rising food price and the need for a more sustainable lifestyle are the top concerns and priorities for consumers all around the world. Luckily, some solutions to such challenges are already at hand. Generally speaking, there is not a unique solution or only one step in the food supply chain to take, rather a systemic, holistic approach must and can be adopted all along the food supply chain, in order to involve all stakeholders in the decision-making process and in the realisation of such process. For example, companies' sustainable strategies are proven to be rewarding and profitable for the companies themselves, especially when they go hand in hand with high quality products. A value proposition based on these two pillars can be achieved by adopting a long-term vision based on solid scientific-based solutions and innovation, by "walking the talk", by rewarding farmers who adopt best practices and by creating value for the consumers. At the same time, agricultural practices pursuing a double benefit of healing the environment and people's health are on the rise. An example is regenerative organic agriculture, which has found that increasing soil health means also increasing human health, thanks to higher nutritional qualities of food. Other advantages are: healthier waterways, +40% carbon sequestration, - 40% GHG emissions, -45% energy use, from 3-6 times more profitable than compared to conventional agriculture, higher levels of animal welfare and lower healthcare costs thanks to a reduced exposure to toxic chemicals. All along the food supply chain, adopting a science-based approach is key: companies cannot follow a sustainable path and take the right decisions without the support of data and metrics. These help companies to set science-based targets, to identify hotspots, measure progress, measure their impact on the supply chain. Once all data are collected, the company's path towards sustainability can be communicated, in order to create a strong engagement from the public through storytelling. Engagement is key also in other steps of the supply chain, such as food waste, which has been identified the no.1 solution against climate change. By creating a marketplace for food surplus, where oversupply and demand meet, companies and consumers are inspired and empowered to combat food waste, with impressive results. In the five years since the creation of such a marketplace, more than 90 million meals have been saved. This shows once again that cooperation among all players in the food supply chain, from fork to farm back to fork, is the only effective solution. Read less

In general, participants to the dialogue concurred on the challenges and solutions to promoting nutrition and gender equality. However divergences of views emerged between countries and contexts given these issues are very context-specific and dependent on local/national policies and traditional/cultural practices. For instance, maternity and breastfeeding policies differ from one country to another and therefore require a different response. The same applies to local regulations and cultural practices affecting women and girls’ nutrition (e.g. child marriage, education accessible to boys on... Read morely or banned for pregnant girls, access to land policies, etc.) Read less

Recommendations: 1 Women and the 1,000 days window Educating women and youth on micro-enterprise opportunities in the food systems, technology and access to microfinance with educative resources Establishing climate-smart agro hubs that assist women smallholder farmers and women/youth food system entrepreneurs to produce high-quality foods for their local community ; and increase their own incomes and agency Enhancing nutrition education for women, including on the 1,000 days window, regardless of their level of education, as a way to sustain nutrition gains and supporting them to address the ... Read morechallenges they may face during this crucial time Promoting and providing breastfeeding support Strengthening collaboration between health systems and social protection interventions; and aligning nutrition health and social protection policies with food systems transformation to promote adequate nutrition Maintaining a balance between information from public health and commercial channels by involving women in the development of public health interventions at the community level Foreign aid and donors should always ensure that their interventions have the best possible understanding of the needs and cultural contexts of communities they work with Engaging men and boys in conversations addressing social and cultural norms preventing women to achieve a good nutrition status, and in the co-design of programs Learn from successful behaviour change campaigns to effectively address perceptions, and invest in formative research 2 Human right and accountability Government’s food system policies should make nutritious food more affordable and available to everyone instead of focusing only on ending hunger Governments should ensure that nutrition education is implemented at a national level Adolescent girls’ access to key nutrition information and services should be considered in the UNFSS The rights of land owners should be addressed as part of the Summit’s game changing solutions Commitments at the UNFSS should come with an accountability mechanism allowing civil societies to track progress made by governments, especially on human rights The private sector should respect the right to adequate food, by providing more transparent information on the content of their products More precise international legal instruments should be established to ensure that countries understand hunger and malnutrition, and what policy and interventions are needed to tackle them Existing accountability mechanisms, such as the Universal Periodic Review, should be adapted to country level and should ensure that countries are held accountable to report progress against fundamental rights in food systems 3 Women as economic actors Create a safe and meaningful space for women and girls to engage in policy discussions and demand their rights through platforms at national and decentralised levels, including in governments and parliaments Protect children from entering the workforce. Most child labor happens in the agriculture sector so it is vital that children, particulalry girls, are protected from exploitative labor practices and incentivised to go to school Create viable career opportunities for young people, especially girls, including in the agriculture sector, to ensure sustainable food systems offer fair living incomes Raise awareness among men and boys for them to challenge social norms and champion gender justice Back gender-transformative awareness raising activities with accurate scientific research and data Promote traditional agricultural practices, with women at the heart of decision making, in the face of undue influence from large agricultural companies selling seeds and GMOs at competitive prices to the detriment of traditional agro-ecological practices Put the policy and legal systems in place to enable women farmers to access land, to safely sell their products, to access capital for investment in agriculture, and to challenge cultural norms. This would in turn encourage sustainable investments benefiting the economy at large. Provide a meaningful space for civil society to represent the voices of the most vulnerable groups Read less

Overall, speakers and participants agreed to the need for elevating the role of nutrition and gender equality as key levers in the food systems transformation equation across the UNFSS agenda. Good nutrition requires a healthy and diverse diet that derives from healthy soils and biodiverse terrestrial and ocean ecosystems. Gender equality requires transformation in the power imbalances affecting women and girls, equitable service provision (food, health, education, etc.), and an end to harmful traditional and cultural practices, coupled with an enabling policy and legal environment where women... Read more and girls have agency of their choices and a space to exercise their rights. Orienting our food systems towards delivering good nutrition, and changing our mindsets in favour of women and girls, is thus healthier, more equitable and more sustainable for both people and the planet: a clear win-win across all agendas and a must-do to put all countries back on track to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. More specifically, breakout group discussions unearthed specific challenges and recommendations as summarised below: ​​1- Women and the 1,000 days window: The first breakout room discussed the importance of the 1,000 days window for women’s nutrition. They agreed on the health benefits of breastfeeding for women and children, and on the need to empower women, by making accessible all the information and scientific knowledge they need to make the best-informed decisions for themselves and their families, according to their own circumstances. The group also discussed social norms and behaviour change, and the common challenges, including the lack of accessibility of information at the community level, lack of translation, misinformation spread across social media and marketing that contradicts the value of breastfeeding in the 1,000-day window. The group specifically recommends governments to promote enabling environments for allowing women to make the best-informed decisions for their own health and for their families. 2- Human right and accountability: The second breakout group discussed the need for an effective accountability mechanism to track countries’ progress in the realisation of human rights, as part of their commitments to enhance food systems. It has been agreed that many countries have unfortunately not sufficiently promoted, fulfilled and realised the right to adequate food, and that nutrition interventions are often confused with tackling hunger. Malnutrition and hunger affect countries in many different ways: the groups discussed how overnutrition, undernutrition and anaemia affect populations differently. The group agreed that the existing accountability mechanisms, such as the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), are not sufficiently used to track progress on the right to adequate food, and are not adapted for being used at a country level. The lack of integration of human rights in the agenda of the UN Food System Summit was often mentioned. The group agreed that the affordability and availability of nutritious food, as well as the social and economic underlying causes of malnutrition and hunger, are the main issues to be solved, to achieve the realisation of the right to adequate food. The violation of farmers’ land rights and the issues of commercialisation and profits of nutritious food, which are not being shared appropriately with farmers and producers, have been raised as fundamental concerns that governments and the UN Food System Summit should address. 3 - Women as economic actors: The third breakout group discussed the barriers and solutions to women’s agency over their economic choices and perspectives, and the impact on nutrition. Participants covered issues faced by women when it comes to providing nutritious foods for their community and family, exacerbated by the impact of COVID-19. Women compose the majority of smallholder farmers and remain the most malnourished, which in turn affects their economic activity. In some contexts, women are not empowered or given the right to access income-generating activities or to manage household budgets. Cultural practices were also largely discussed as preventing women and girls playing a key role in decisions and productive assets. The other common challenge mentioned is the unequal access to education, disproportionately affecting girls who are still largely responsible for household chores and victims of harmful traditional practices such as child marriage. Lastly the lack of spaces for women to participate in decision-making processes at any level was also seen as a major barrier. The group agreed on common solutions and recommendations, to be tailored according to context. These can be found in section C. Read less

The UN Food System pre-Summit in July and Summit in September are key pledging moments along the N4G Year of Action and offer timely opportunities for Member States and other duty-bearers to announce new financial and policy commitments to help close the $8.7 billion annual gap that remains to drive progress against the 2025 World Health Assembly targets. The tragic consequences of malnutrition in women and girls are entirely preventable, and we have the evidence and tools to advance good health and nutrition in women and girls, and empower communities to prosper. The emerging solution proposa... Read morels coming out of the UN FSS action tracks 1 and 2 that support ending anaemia, breastfeeding support, and promoting women’s leadership in food systems must be coordinated through both health and food systems to deliver effective impact for women and girls who are the most at risk of being malnourished. The UN Food Systems pre-Summit represented a key milestone in generating momentum towards the upcoming major pledge-making moments. Yet, while civil society recognises the efforts made in bringing gender and nutrition on the agenda, the opportunity to reinforce the linkages between the two issues and how to effectively address them through integrated health and food systems, was greatly missing. This needs to be addressed at the UNFSS itself, with major commitments stemming from the discussions, and proper alignment to the Nutrition Accountability Framework and commitment mobilisation towards N4G. For that purpose, the International Coalition for Advocacy on Nutrition (ICAN) and the Scaling Up Nutrition Civil Society Network (SUN CSN) convened a multi-stakeholder dialogue welcoming duty-bearers and key stakeholders across health and food sectors representing governments, civil society, and donors to this UN FSS Independent Dialogue who presented the multi-sectoral and double-duty nutrition actions to support SMART commitments towards the 2021 Nutrition Year of Action. The event convened a panel of a range of experts, advocates, and commitment-makers to discuss the coordinated solutions for delivering better nutrition and health for women and girls to realize the human right to good health and nutrition. Each breakout room examined the relevant Action Tracks of the Summit and links between the levers of change. The discussions in breakout rooms specifically focused on the following points: 1- Women and the 1,000 days window, The role of good nutrition for women Building better political and social environments to support good nutrition Opportunity to link in game changing solutions around breastfeeding and anaemia 2- Human Rights accountability, Reporting and accountability frameworks Outcomes of UNFSS and delivering on commitments Links with right holders - e.g. Educating smallholder farmers on their rights 3- Women as economic actors. Good nutrition and empowering women Education/health outcomes of women and girls Opportunity to link game changing solution around women’s leadership in food systems Women smallholders - prioritising their nutritional needs, support them in growing, selling nutritious foods, and their agency Investing in women-run SMEs/cooperatives in the food systems Read less

The Global Dialogue on resilience demonstrated a high level of convergence and agreement among panelists and participants. There were no areas of divergences.

Breakout Group 6 Good practices: - Grassroots-level involvements with farmers are integrated in project delivery - Women’s network provides awareness and education on climate change and climate smart agriculture that can mitigate damage caused by climate extreme events. - Screening of local varieties and best performing seeds with local farmers and scientist together - Social/environmental/climate strategies integrate multiple risk management approaches across sectors - Ecosystem based adaptation as part of the broader set of Nature-based Solutions are critical multi-risk management tools or... Read more interventions Challenges: - Risk from chemical agriculture and GMO seeds and food safety with contamination of nutritious food along the value chain. - Issues on transhumance are not considered properly in the agri-food systems resilience - Farm-level adaptation practices have the potential to negatively impact the ecosystems - Centralisation of national meteorological agencies makes it a challenge to reach smallholder farmers on a sub-national level - Farmers are risk averse, the fear of failure is increased during current crisis and hindering opportunities for innovation. How to find ways to cushion and encourage the innovation process Opportunities: - Farmer organisations should communicate directly with other food value chain actors in order to allow local production to reach local markets - Improving access to technology - Ensuring that adaptation is always beneficial to the ecosystem - Improve access to climate finance, especially for those most at risk and vulnerable - Developing multi-stakeholder partnerships towards comprehensive risk management - Rise in legislative measures that promote both human rights and environmental due diligence. This is an opportunity to work with private sector to tackle risks from sourcing and productivity cycles Read less

Breakout Group 5 Good practices: Multiple examples confirm that a variety of good practices for food system resilience exist at local and national level. These include: - Using science, research and development to provide evidence-backed solutions to the needs of farmers - fostering public-private partnerships to build community resilience through: extension services, digital information solutions, business development, trainings and risk management interventions Challenges: - Environmental and climate considerations are often not incorporated in development projects and interventions - Farmer... Read mores should be seen as economic agents, with sound risk-coping strategies and ecosystem services form part of the essential solutions - Disaster response is prioritised over risk reduction Opportunities: Opportunities to build food systems resilience should focus on addressing the root causes of vulnerability, including: - Supporting women as key but vulnerable actors and exposed to different risks in agri-food production - Supporting peacebuilding as an essential component of resilience building - Moving from policy to implementation of comprehensive risk management actions - Bridging funding gaps and boosting absorptive capacities for comprehensive climate and disaster risk management projects/programmes Read less

Breakout Group 4 Challenges: - Emphasis on disaster risk management in a multi-risk context: coping with compound disasters and complex emergencies - Using comprehensive risk management to also tackle slow-onset disasters, such as desertification, sea-level rise, drought, etc. - Lack of DRR technical capacities of farmers and communities. - Lack of forums or platforms for discussions and exchanges of good/best practices - Lack of resilient varieties for crop production - Risk management practices do not cover the entire value chain, which poses limitations to farmers when dealing with risk and... Read more disaster impact - Poor land management practices pose a challenge in many Sub-Saharan African countries Opportunities: - COP26 presents a key opportunity for discussion around comprehensive risk management for resilient food systems; farmers need to have a seat at the table during climate discussions - Micro-insurance offers a viable solution for farmers; financial and micro-credit institutions need to be involved in discussions about dealing with risk for building resilient agri-food systems. Read less

Breakout Group 3 Good practices: There is a solid foundation of good practices for agricultural risk reduction and food systems resilience, that can be scaled-up and built on. These include: - Timely and reliable Early Warning Systems and dissemination of weather information to farmers - Holistic community-centred approaches that build resilience in a multi-disciplinary way through integrated technical, financial and social interventions - Risk-transfer mechanisms such as crop weather insurance - Multi-actor partnerships for agricultural risk management Challenges: The most notable challenges ... Read morefor building food systems resilience are centred around data, capacity, policy and fragility contexts. Most notably: - Insurance schemes need reliable, granular and timely data on loss and damage at household level, which is not readily available; gender-disaggregated data and geographical coverage present a particular challenge - Farmers lack capacity and need further support to implement disaster and climate risk management practices, environmental conservation, natural resource management techniques, etc. - Fragile contexts with chronic instability are particularly challenging and require tailored approaches for food security and safeguarding agri-food production. Opportunities: - Agroecology and approaches that value natural resources and local knowledge are key opportunities to scale-up food systems resilience - It is important to tackle the root causes of vulnerability to climate and disasters, which are often anthropogenic - Building partnerships and mainstreaming comprehensive climate and disaster risk management into all planning and policy processes, development interventions, NDC and SDG implementation, etc. - Having feedback mechanisms and impact assessments that involve farmers and other supply chain actors and allow for iterative improvements and adjustments of risk management measures. Read less

Breakout Group 2 Good practices: Multiple projects and initiatives exist that are already boosting food systems resilience: - Agronomic practices such as greening, crop rotation, agroforestry, etc. - COVID-19 response programmes that target and deliver information to farmers - Communication and awareness campaigns on disaster and climate risk management - Public-private tools such as crop insurance, market observatories, etc. - Integrating risk management in agricultural business planning Challenges: Some of the challenges that cripple risk management for food systems resilience include: - Lac... Read morek of coordination and inclusivity among farmers - Lack of adequate technology, training and financing for risk management - Costs of climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction can be too high for farmers, especially for young farmers; - Shift of mindset to see prevention as an investment not a cost Opportunities: - Investing in knowledge and skills to grow farmers’ policy leverage at national level - Using the potential of the digital and online age to not leave anyone behind - Leveraging on the youth dividend for DRR solutions - Employing risk management practices to improve market stability - Acknowledging farmers’ central and active role in co-building resilient and sustainable food value chains Read less

Breakout Group 1 Good practices: There is a wealth of risk management, prevention, mitigation and reduction practices employed at farm, food value chain, local, country or regional level. Some examples are: - providing fortification of seed varieties - promoting diversification of livelihoods, agroforestry and value addition for better returns on investment - promoting consumer awareness for sustainable and climate-neutral production - targeting rural women - promoting natural infrastructure that conserves and enhances ecosystem functions Challenges: Food systems resilience is challenged by mu... Read moreltiple factors: - resource constraints for targeted action - lack of dedicated policies - an overall gap in the understanding of risk along the food value chains and entire food system. - lack of functional safety nets or dedicated schemes such as climate insurance, land management practices or risk proofing of infrastructure - farmers’ risk-aversion Opportunities: There is a unique opportunity for the Food Systems Summit outcomes to be translated into practical actions. What is needed to strengthen food systems resilience is a package of actions that include: - scaling-up insurance, mentorship and longer-term engagement with farmers - promoting consumer awareness on safe, fair, climate friendly, nature positive and healthy food - risk-proofing of agricultural production and value chains - policy is paramount: need to improve local-level policy making and integrate it at the national, regional and global level - legislative measures are needed to promote human rights and environmental due diligence - engaging with the private sector to tackle risks in food systems - using climate funding to build a comprehensive risk management approach Read less