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Agribulk commodities, such as wheat, maize, oilseeds and rice, represent more than 80% of the energy uptake for human consumption. The current five-year supply and demand projections for these commodities show an increase in demand, mainly due to demographic trends and consequently a growth in trade as there is very little new land available. Climate change will enhance the role of international trade as a central component of global food security, including the movement of calories from food-surplus to food-deficit countries in the wake of natural calamities. Throughout history, international... Read more trade has helped to reduce food insecurity by connecting regions with large populations and limited agricultural potential to regions with comparative advantages in agriculture, while also providing access to a more diverse and nutritious food basket. In the grains sector, the major exporters of these commodities are playing a crucial role in enhancing the resilience of the global food system. However, increased exports can put pressure on their domestic market (such as inflation of domestic food prices,) while the risks associated with climate change, such as rising sea-levels may threaten their logistical supply chains. These risks also impact importing regions, which may look to source their supplies from alternative suppliers or stimulate local value chains. The global market can play a significant role in supporting a nation’s food security not only when the local production capacity fails. However, many countries which rely on international supplies are also concerned about sudden increases in import costs, as well as shipping and logistical disruptions. These concerns may encourage countries to seek self-sufficiency, including increased domestic stocking requirements. Furthermore, restrictive import/export policies, spanning both tariffs and NTMs, as well as distortive subsidies for both the agricultural and the transportation sector, can hinder the free-flow of global trade. In the long run, less exposure to global trade would result in markets becoming less liquid, likely increasing price volatility and consequently increasing the risk for importers, including those countries unable to seek self-sufficiency due to generally unfavourable climatic conditions or a lack of arable land. Furthermore, there are also considerable fiscal costs associated with achieving self-sufficiency and, while local consumption may reduce food-miles, any calculation of emissions throughout the transportation process has to be offset against emissions from farming processes, which vary from producer to producer. And consumers will also continue to expect a varied diet. Read less

On the question of funding for the development of smart villages, some speakers called for more public funding whereas Mr. Pinto Antunes pointed out that investment could also come from the private sector.

Panel n°2 : Concrete ideas to make Smart Villages a reality Speaker n°1 : Birgit Grauvogel, Managing Director of the Saarland Tourist Office and DTV (German Tourism Association) and member of the DTV board - Digital solutions offer great opportunities for touristic services such as booking platforms - Necessity for smart villages to participate in such platforms - Rural areas can support short food chain by using local and regional food products --> need to create incentives for rural areas and SMEs in rural areas to use local products - Need to promote local markets - Need to promote cul... Read moreture in rural areas - Need of funding and resources Speaker n°2 : Peter De Franceschi, Head of ICLEI Brussels Office Global Food Program Coordinator - After Covid-19, authenticity and sustainability will be at the heart of tourism - With the rise of remote working = opportunities for small villages. - Importance of strong internet infrastructures - Need of a good connection between big cities and small villages - Increase interest in short food supply chains = digital platforms will contribute to shorten these food supply chains - Need to clarify the rules of public procurement Speaker n°3 : Marco Caprai, Owner of “Arnarldo Caprai” Winery. Member of the board of Confagricoltura and Chair of the R&I WG - Example of the development of tourism around agriculture in a small village - Need to develop infrastructures in rural areas : digital technologies, transports, building facilities Read less

Panel n°1 : What is the essence of Smart Villages in support of a sustainable food system and rural tourism development? The European and International Long-Term vision for Rural Areas Speaker n°1: Jorge Pinto Antunes, Member of the cabinet EU Commissioner Wojciechowski - While rural areas are key to achieving EU goals as they cover 80% of the EU territory and are home to 137 millions people, we need to address the challenges these areas face : rapid population decline + low GDP per capita - Preparatory action on smart rural areas in the 21st century of the European Commission = a real-life ... Read moretest in Europe on how to implement concretely smart villages. - Publication by the EU Commission of a communication on the long term vision for rural areas = very comprehensive approach - Innovation is key for the future of rural areas - Close cooperation between all levels of government is needed Speaker n°2 : Andrej Čuš, State Secretary of the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology of Slovenia - Tourism is key to the economy of Slovenia: - Covid-19 crisis helped further the transition to eco-tourism in Slovenia : an important number of measures has been implemented to support tourism stakeholders in the country and to emphasize the green dimension of tourism in the country - Efforts to develop the gastronomic sector in Slovenia: - Strengthen the tourism economy - Contributes to the local food supply - Promotes entrepreneurship - Contributes to the employment in many sectors Speaker n°3 : Radim Sršeň, European Committee of the Regions - Covid-19 crisis helped realizing that digital transformation of rural areas is much closer than it was before - More funding and resources are needed to develop smart villages - Smart villages should be part of horizontal policies - Need to develop the connection between urban and rural areas - It is not only with technologies that smart villages will develop but also with smart ideas, with social innovation - Necessity to make the food chain as short as possible Speaker n°4 : Maximo Torero, FAO Chief Economist - Need to address the issue of digital gap in all its dimensions : accessibility and capabilities - 4 accelerators to develop digital villages : real time data, innovation, technologies and complements - 3 dimensions are needed to build digital villages : - E-agriculture = improving productivity by using digital technologies - Digital farmer services = enhance farmers accessibility to different kind of social and economic services - Rural transformation = diversify the source of income from only agriculture for rural population Read less

Conclusion n°1 : Rural areas suffer from a digital gap that need to be fulfilled to develop smart villages Conclusion n°2 : Digitalization in rural areas will be key in the future of rural areas Conclusion n°3 : Smart villages need to be part of horizontal policies and need more coordination from all levels of government Conclusion n°4 : In order to implement smart villages, adequate resources and funding are needed Conclusion n°5 : Strategies to develop smart villages need to take into account the specificities of rural areas Conclusion n°6 : Connection and transport between rural areas... Read more and urban areas need to be developed to contribute enhancing smart villages Read less

Our discussion focused on the concept of smart villages and how they contribute to the food industry, to the bio-economy, and to the promotion of rural tourism. During our discussion, we tried to answer to these four questions : 1. How important it is, for the development of smart villages, the combination of solid agricultural policies of promoting diversified rural economy with the provision of adequate rural infrastructure, and how is it possible to reach it? 2. How can we promote rural tourism in the EU? 3. What measures are needed to better protect and strengthen the housing and catering ... Read moresector in rural areas? 4. Explore the role of rural tourism in the fight against rural exodus but also as an alternative source of income on the farm. Read less

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The youth group provided recommendations on young people's actions: 1 - Actions that young people can take to advocate for the use of space technologies in agriculture The group discussed education, and the need to raise awareness within the general public on how space technologies can benefit farmers. The concrete example of Central Europe was discussed, where the farming industry underwent major changes in recent years and more technology-savvy young farmers, who are very well educated in agricultural institutes, bring innovations to their daily work. In this region, technology is perceived ... Read morepositively, and the discussion focuses on how to incorporate new technology compared to old ones. Participants noted that, in Africa, many young women work in agriculture and would need better access to education and capacity-building opportunities to empower them. Most people have mobile phones but have no access to higher levels of technology such as computers or internet. Until government support can broaden accessibility of information and communication technology in the region, people need easy to use and accessible technology. In regions were advanced technology is available, such as autonomous agriculture machines or data integrated watering systems, food production systems and technical infrastructure need to be integrated, with a user interface easy to use such as apps on mobile phones. Regarding how to raise awareness, "Story-telling" is an effective way to convey information from farmers to policy makers and it would be important to strengthen scientific networks locally in addition. 2 - How can young people get involved themselves? An effective way to sharing information with and between young persons is to use mobile phones, who are seen as the most convenient and most ubiquitous interface. Beyond accessibility, the content needs however to be tailored to farmers or fishers in their local context, for instance provided in a local language. Many young people do not have access to land, to be in a position to influence of new space-based technologies could be adopted, young people would first need to be integrated into decision processed about how the land is managed. To do so, they need to integrate themselves into the community, with immersion into the local food systems eco-system; they can bridge the gap between people who are familiar with technology and those who are not. Young people are keen to be the interface that engages with local groups and users to understand their real needs and communicate in their language. Young people who study have been promoting the take-up of new technologies thanks to student organizations and scientific communities focusing on space applications, that are supported by professionals such as the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs acting as advisor. Young people are keen to use digital technologies but also to direct their energy into hands-on activities locally that do not require technology and might be resource-intensive, for instance conducting field research and having direct conversations with remote farmers to better understand what is needed. Read less

The Financing group considered the constraints facing innovators and farmers in accessing financing and concluded that mobilising both public and private funds is critical to bridging the current financing gap and to scale-up the adoption of space-based technologies in agriculture. The group arrived at the following three recommendations: 1. Crowd-in private investments a. Capacity building is critical to provide necessary skill transfer to financial institutions in order to better understand the space-technology for agriculture, analyze risks, and develop appropriate lending and other financi... Read moreal products. This also includes encouraging a shift in perception from viewing space start-ups as capital-expenditure intensive “deep space technology” to a digital firms where value creation lies in data collection and data analytics. b. Space-based technology is able to optimize use of resources to increase farm yield, forecast yield and monitor crop growth. The aggregated data and higher transparency would allow credit providers to mitigate the risk of non-repayment of loans and improve lending quantity and interest rates to farmers. The data is also useful for other downstream players such as insurance companies, financial institutions and agricultural companies. Investments in such “one-stop” technology should be boosted. c. A demand-driven business model for space start-ups that is sustainable and profitable should be promoted as it will attract private investment naturally. 2. Increase collaborations to optimize use of public and private funds a. To reduce transaction costs and risks, blended finance could be encouraged where concessional funds catalyze investments by other private investors. Also, support for first loss/guarantee funds for agriculture focusing on smallholder farmers could be promoted. b. Promote private-public partnerships by which governments could leverage private sector funding and management. c. Space agencies could cooperate with multi-lateral development banks to bring space-technology to the field. Space agencies would bring in the technical know-how while multi-lateral development banks could bring in funds and organize capacity building activities on the ground. An example is the European Space Agency Global Development Assistance (GDA) 3. Investments in enabling environment a. The policy and regulatory environment on data collection, analysis and usage of data (how will the data be used; who can use what data?) should be improved to enable the growth of data-driven space-technologies. b. Last but not least, there is a crucial need for public resources to finance essential public goods and services such as human capital, agricultural research, and enabling public infrastructure such as in internet connectivity. Read less

The awareness, user requirements and technology transfer groups raised the same four main recommendations: 1 – availability of funding for new initiatives. In some countries, aversion to risk and lack of financial support for technical start-ups eager to develop applications of space technologies for food systems hampers their development. There is a role for government agencies in charge of space activities to support the development of their applications with pilot projects of new technologies that directly involve users. Afterwards, the incubation phase towards a sustainable business stil... Read morel needs support. It would be beneficial if, for instance, more space agencies, institutions and private entities had strategy funds for start-ups in the field of space applications, with low levels of bureaucracy to obtain access to such funding. Obtaining these conditions would require to raise awareness at government and policy level, but also to raise awareness towards consumers about how their food has been produced, so that consumers can choose more sustainable food and, thereby, impact the way it is produced in a demand-driven process. 2 – understanding of users needs Participants referred to the need for better communication between end users and those who develop technical solutions, as it is difficult to make information easy to understand for users of every sector of food systems, who are all different. Technology developers need to understand the environment and the conditions in which their users work. In this context, it is essential to develop prototypes and iterate with users throughout the development process, building partnerships with early adopters and champions for adoption of the new techniques. These early adopters are not necessarily young people, rather individuals with a mindset open to change, who can act as a bridge between technical experts and their own community. Overall, it takes time to build knowledge and local academic institutions need to develop capacity-building opportunities, with support from international organisations if required. Incentives need to be available for farmers to adopt a new technology, as adaptation to new techniques will require additional work; in some cases users see a direct, quantifiable and short-term benefit, but in other cases improvements are less straightforward and a subsidy might be required. It is essential to understand users’ motivation for new technology to be adopted. 3 – understanding of technical limitations of what can be provided In cases where satellite data is provided for free, interpretation of these satellite images into actionable information for food system stakeholders might still require specific expertise that is not readily available locally. In such cases, users do not have the ownership of the whole data processing process and depend on others; they need to be able to rely upon partners in their own country and not only organisations outside. A local eco-system around users of the technology needs to be built locally to make the use of that technology sustainable. In some cases, technical limitations remain the main obstacle to broader adoption of new techniques: although information might be provided to farmers at no cost, the data precision (for instance, when assessing nitrogen content in the soil) might still be inadequate, due to spatial and temporal limitations of the satellite imagery, to be directly applicable to improve agricultural yield. 4 – keeping the user interface simple The device or the information used by actors of food systems need to be as simple and as familiar as possible. It needs to be adapted to the conditions where the person works (e.g. outside, with a small screen, without access to electrical power). The solution developer needs to adapt this user segment to the need of the community. Reducing its cost would reduce the financial barrier to take-up of the technology; using mobile phones as user device is successful in several domains. Youth is very familiar with such a device and mobile phones are the most pervasive technology in many countries. Design of the user interface needs to remain simple to be successful. Read less

The user requirements and technology transfer groups raised the same four main recommendations: 1 – technology development would benefit from improved availability of funding for new initiatives, to reduce their risk. 2 – technology developers need first to understand users' needs, the context in which they operate, and what motivation they would have to adopt new techniques in their work. Agriculture schools and colleges have a role to play in raising awareness at all levels. 3 – the specific technical limitations of what can be provided need to be clearly communicated to users, and loc... Read moreal capacity developed to use the technology autonomously. 4 – it is essential to keep the user interface simple The Financing group concluded that mobilising both public and private funds is critical to bridging the current financing gap and to scale-up the adoption of space-based technologies in agriculture, with three recommendations: 1 - Crowd-in private investments 2 - Increase collaborations to optimize use of public and private funds 3 - Investments in an enabling environment The youth group considers that the role of youth is to bridge the gap between people who are familiar with technology and those who are not, with two complementary approaches: 1 - Young people can take advantage of the multiple social media platforms, networks, and applications on mobile phones already available to promote and educate, not only users of the technology but also people active with the development of policy and legislation related to space technology and to agriculture. 2 - Beyond digital means, young people are also eager to be active directly, for instance conducting field research and having direct conversations with food producers, strengthening existing communities for more collaboration between educational institutions and cross-sector innovation. Outcomes of the Dialogue will be reported to the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space in 2022, as part of the formal report on the UN/Austria Symposium on space applications for food systems. Read less

The Dialogue was focused on five topics that were directly relevant to the audience of the UN/Austria Symposium on space applications for food systems. For each of the five topics, specific open questions were made available to participants well-ahead of the Dialogue, so they could prepare their contribution. Out of 333 persons registered to attend the Symposium, 30 chose to actively participate in one or more discussion topics. The five discussion topics were as follows: (1) Raising awareness - How to raise awareness of what space solutions can bring to farming/fishing communities? - What act... Read moreions have worked in the past at national or regional level? - What information channels are used by the farming/fishing communities? (2) User requirements - How can academia and R&D institutes better understand the real needs of the user community and translate these needs into technical requirements? - What are the difficulties in moving from pilot projects to sustainable deployments of solutions? - How do users want to be more involved? (3) Financing for development - What are the difficulties faced by farmers seeking financing for adoption of technology to improve agricultural productivity? - What incentives and funding mechanisms could be put in place to mobilize resources (both public and private) in support of the deployment of technology in agriculture? - How to promote innovative financing solutions for investment in agricultural technology? What can we learn from successful examples? (4) Technology transfer - How can technologies used to produce food in space be brought to solve Earth-based problems in food systems? - What is required for spin-off initiatives to succeed? (5) Youth engagement - What actions can young people take to advocate for the use of space technologies in agriculture? - How can young people get involved themselves? Each group was in a position to discuss what had been presented during the sessions and panel discussions of the Symposium during the previous two days, as well as explore the participants' own experience. Read less

The diversity of participants allowed a thorough and all-encompassing conversation about the challenges, positives, and opportunities for change within the Australian food system. Some participants felt that the movement is all too nice, and nothing is being disrupted, so long-term change cannot be achieved. The role of charity was felt to be always necessary by some participants and others felt big charities were unstable with supply and did not play enough of an advocacy role where they contributed to reproducing rather than addressing root causes. There was consensus among participants that... Read more had engaged in the discourse surrounding the UN Food Systems Summit that it may not in its entirety reflect the values, needs and opinions of smallholder farmers and producers. Instead, the summit is at risk of enclosing the conversation to technology-based solutions and intensification. Read less

Strongest players, addressing imbalances of power and working collaboratively to enact positive change. Some of the strongest players recognised included large food relief charities, supermarkets, governments of all levels, academic institutions and researchers, multinational food and agriculture companies, small businesses and community initiatives, consumers (especially those with buying power), fast food businesses, transport companies and water companies. It was recognised that some actors in the above list have created imbalances of power in Australia’s food system. As had been touched ... Read moreon previously, the Dialogue conversations revealed that if we are to address this inequitable distribution of power then we need to recognise the ecosystem of actors contributing to positively affecting different aspects of the food system. Food systems change currently occurs in silos with groups acting individually, there needs to be a shift to working strategically and in partnership. Read less

Strengths and challenges facing the Victorian and Australian food system. Community initiatives and local solutions are recognised as key strengths in Victoria. They provide examples of diverse programs, projects and activities across sectors. These programs demonstrate how the food movement can be interdisciplinary at the grassroots level. Needs to be a greater effort to collaboratively develop and define food systems language, therefore addressing the issue of different sectors holding different understandings of terms making it difficult to unify projects and initiatives. In food security d... Read moreiscussions the voices of those who have experienced it are often excluded. There is a vital need to incorporate and empower the stories of people who have lived through food insecurity and faced barriers to fair food access. At the Dialogue we were privileged to have participants who had experienced these challenges, providing invaluable insight. Local governments are often disempowered by state government policies, especially in regard to land use planning to prevent the over-representation of fast food outlets in both existing areas and new developments. Local governments lack time and capacity to conduct projects and actively address the food systems issues facing their community. State governments are considered to be a solution to issues facing local governments including providing more support, funding and commitment to addressing food systems challenges. They are most often absent from Victorian discussions of food systems policy and governance issues. A recognised gap in food education and literacy, children and young people are not provided with opportunities to engage meaningfully with food systems issues. A need for stronger advocacy for education programs that empower children and young people. Read less

From this Victorian Independent Dialogue there came a number of findings and further issues to explore. The differing perspectives of presenters and participants allowed for small group discussion sessions to diverge and converge. Most consistent across the Dialogue was a recognised need for greater attention to be paid to sharing knowledge among food systems actors and establishing a common language which all food systems discussions can be founded in. Made apparent by Uncle Ghillar and Lidia Thorpe is the importance of telling people’s stories, especially those from diverse backgrounds and... Read more communities, with a strong focus as noted on First Nations sovereignty. There was great interest amongst many participants in addressing the knowledge gaps in food literacy education as a means to empower young people and marginalised groups to join the food systems conversation. Contributing to this, was the outcome of needing to create spaces where actors and activists can come together more regularly to ensure Australia’s food system organisations, individuals and communities can continue to collaborate and share. Other findings included the importance of community-led initiatives, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic as these localised responses to food systems issues are more flexible than larger scale government and charity structures which often do not reach isolated communities. Among the attendees there was a recognised need to empower local governments to take a direct role in food systems governance issues. Presentations from the Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Project and the VicHealth initiative Strengthening Local Government Partnerships further contributed to the discussion of local councils. The ARC discovery project revealed a number of barriers and enablers to local governments contributing to healthy, fair and equitable food systems. The main obstacle for local governments is the lack of funding and guidance provided to address state government plans and objectives. Presenting a solution to this issue is the VicHealth Strengthening Local Government Partnerships program which has been developed to support the improvement of children’s and young people’s health and wellbeing through the planning and delivery of municipal plans. This program has a central focus of implementing realistic changes in Victorian councils by delivering actionable modules geared towards healthy eating, physical activity and social connection. The Dialogue provided an opportunity for an in-depth exploration of the above issues and space to brainstorm solutions. Positive food systems action is multifaceted and requires a diverse approach from a wide variety of actors. It is not possible for one Dialogue to produce all of the solutions necessary to enact change. What is needed are further opportunities for all food systems voices to come together, share their experiences and thoughtfully consider Australia’s food system and the challenges it presents. There needs to be increased attention paid to First Nations led solutions and authority as well as other marginalised communities whose perspectives are often not included. Read less

Fair and Healthy Food For All was executed with a focus of providing a comprehensive exploration of Australian food systems. Exploring areas of First Nations food sovereignty, food security, Victoria’s food system, and the role of local governments in enacting positive change, this Dialogue provided a well-rounded analysis of food systems issues, as well as an exploration of the concrete actions that need to be taken to move forward an agenda of progressive change. The Dialogue was opened with Euahlayi Elder Uncle Ghillar and Gunnai, Gunditjmara and Djab Wurrung Senator for Victoria, Lidia T... Read morehorpe. Uncle Ghillar and Senator Thorpe called for immediate recognition of First Nations culture and sovereignty as essential to address the serious disadvantage experienced by First Nations peoples as a result of dispossession and colonisation. Sen Thorpe commenced by stating that all participants are living and working on stolen land, and until there is a Treaty to address the issue of First Nations sovereignty the issues regarding health and food systems could not be truly addressed. She said that ‘My ancestors have lived sustainably on these lands for thousands and thousands of generations. Our country is a part of us, it’s in us, it’s who we are; and we rely on country for our basic survival needs.’ She noted that, as a result of living under a system imposed by colonisation ‘my people are the most likely in this country to run out of food. Aboriginal people experience food insecurity and go hungry in 2021, particularly those in remote communities’. Sen Thorpe called for decolonising the food system, and stated that ‘everyone can do their bit to decolonise.’ Uncle Michael Ghillar shared with attendees this story about the food cultures of First Nations peoples: “When the creators came and they created our society, we, the Euahlayi, the Gomeroi and the Wiradjeri, we were the same skin groups, and they all connected to an ecosystem and within that ecosystem, everything that lives within that single system, is family. In our case, we have the Nyungar, the Kurrajong tree - and that’s the mother of that ecosystem, and it grows on rocky ridges, on rocky soil. Within that system, we have all the food - not only do the humans have a relationship there, but all the different plants, and animals and birds down to the rivers.” Vivien Yii represented Australia’s Right to Food Coalition, formed in 2014, a civil society group that works towards integrated food policy that can ensure the right to food for all. The Coalition brings people together to challenge the norms perpetuating food insecurity and other inequities related to food and nutrition in Australia. Vivien also referred to important critiques of the UN Food Systems Summit, regarding the corporate-led agenda, the lack of transparency and appropriate accountability mechanisms; and that counter mobilisations were taking place foreground the vision of small-scale producers and workers for a ‘human rights-based and agroecological transformation of food systems’. Nick Rose from Sustain: The Australian Food Network, a national sustainable food systems organisation and health promotion charity, provided an overview of the work of the Victorian Food Systems and Food Security Working Group, which formed in 2020 and brought together representatives of over 15 leading organisations, facilitated by VicHealth. Nick shared an overview of the Working Group’s efforts on the development of a consensus statement for food systems reform in Victoria, focusing on the role of local government, land use planning, and governance. These presentations provided the context for participants to engage in the breakout rooms, exploring the food system’s current strengths. In the afternoon, both The Australian Research Council presenting research on a Strengthening Local Food Systems Governance Discovery Project, and VicHealth introducing the Local Government Partnership program, provided an opportunity for focus on system-level work. Thus, there was a focus on cross-sectorial food systems work which advocates for what is already functioning, as well as focusing on methods for improvement and knowledge sharing. Read less

In this dialogue there is no diverse views which is unique. All participants agreed on a common agenda i.e promotion of Good Food for all