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Boost Nature-Positive Food Production What actions in next 3 years will have greatest impact on the Discussion Topic? Governments of States in the South East Region and other stakeholders should play vital roles in the following areas: • Encourage mixed farming; Eco friendly system of land development; use of improved varieties of seedlings; increased innovation in digital agricultural practices to link producers, buyers and sellers. • Encourage recycling of waste products ( eg. Cassava peels used to feed pigs, etc). • Creation of awareness on the nutritional values of local products/enc... Read moreourage stake holders in the dissemination of information regarding patronage of locally produced foods( stakeholders such as churches, community leaders, etc). • Discourage excess use of inorganic manures in production. • Legislation to govern land development. • Soil scientists to play vital role in social development. • Chemicals use to be in comformity to international standards. • Development of infrastructure to aid food preservation and storage. • Diversification of production ( introduce crops grown outside the South East region to our local economy, eg carrot, cucumber,etc. • Intensification of activities in livestock and other areas of production- e.g local cow, goat, sheep, carrot, piggery, fishery, snail, honey, etc. Cooperative societies should be encouraged. • Immediate implementation of existing agricultural policies/programmes. • South Eastern farmers should additionally be encouraged to see agriculture as business. • Form security network to protect farms, farmers and their products. • Need to improve access to production inputs. • Provision of soft credits to farmers by governments. • Collaboration with agricultural departments in institutions of higher learning. • Encourage research through grants, among others. What contributions will our organisations make?  We will ask our government to enunciate policies and implement them within the context of recommendations made above.  Stake holders to invest in agriculture.  Encourage staff to embark on any form of agricultural activity no matter how rudimentary.  Encourage private sector collaborations as well as private-public arrangements. How will it be possible to tell if these actions are being successful? Through monitoring. Read less

Shift to Sustainable Consumption Patterns What actions in next 3 years will have greatest impact on the Discussion Topic? 1. Advocacy and awareness creation to promote consumption of micronutrients rich and bio-fortified foods. 2. Improved availability and accessibility of safe and nutritious foods in markets, schools, places of work and public places. This would enable consumers to make better food choices 3. Wide scale consumer education using resources such as the Food Composition Table and food based dietary guidelines, to help in adjusting consumption pattern 4. Teaching households on loc... Read moreal ways of processing and preserving fruits and vegetables to elongate their shelf life and minimize wastage 5. Encouraging positive food use behaviours such as “first in first use” (sorting), eating foods that look ugly (because they contain the same nutritional content)in using foods 6. Practicing good food and hygiene practices to reduce food-bourne diseases. What contributions will our organisations make? 1. Development agencies and allied organizations should put in place equipment funding and lease facilities to stimulate establishment of food processing plants. 2. Capacity of food processors should be built by relevant bodies, to be able to sustain production of assorted shelf stable products for optimum consumption choices. 3. Research funding opportunities ought to be widened, to stimulate product development and quality characterization. 4. Assist in funding publication of research results as well as in creating adequate awareness, on the health benefits of food products for easy acceptance and consumption. 5. Training of youths on agriculture and entrepreneurial skills should be prioritized, to sustain food processing plants. How will it be possible to tell if these actions are being successful? 1. Improved health status of the general populace, due to right food choices. 2. Right consumption choices that would influence the environment positively. 3. Increased number and spread of food processing facilities 4. Prevalence of organically grown foods 5. Assorted local food products packaged in convenient forms and sizes. 6. Enhanced food composition knowledge. Read less

Ensuring access to safe and nutritious food for all What actions in next 3 years will have greatest impact on the Discussion Topic? Strand 1: Reducing hunger and inequality  Encourage people to engage in crop production and animal husbandry  Improve access road to agrarian communities  Inclusion of women and youth in aricultural programmes  New innovations and modern technologies in tackling post-harvest losses  Make innovation on preservation techniques and value addition to Agric commodities  Disseminate information on Agric credit and programmes to profiled farmers  Nee... Read mored for Public Private Partnership  Address and prevent malnutrition Strand 2: Increasing availability and affordability of nutritious foods  Encourage value addition through processing of the produce  Provide inputs for production and provide access/link farmers to off-takers  Public-Private partnership to sustain uptake and processing of the produce  Improved research for the production of improved high yielding varieties of produce  Create awareness on the nutritional benefits of bio-fortified crops and encourage farmers to cultivate the different varieties of the bio-fortified crops  Address the menace of herders that leads to no harvest  Mainstream nutrition into agriculture so that farmers can appreciate the need for producing nutritious foods Strand 3: Ensuring safe food  Consumer awareness and demand for safer food  Set-up quality assurance laboratory for crop and animal produce  Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON) should be strengthened on its oversight and regulatory role  Restrict production of crops in mining areas, industrial areas and dumping sites to avoid contamination by heavy metals  Encourage waste recycling and give incentives to household for waste separation and proper disposal. This would reduce the level of crop contamination What contributions will our organisations make?  Relevant Government Agency will sensitize the public  Ministry of Agriculture will encourage the use of compost manure to reduce the risk posed by the use of inorganic fertilizer  Local Governments should provide cottage processing plants in communities  Civil Society Scaling Up Nutrition (CS-SUN) network increase advocacy to MDAs for improved budgetary provision for agriculture and health  SON should introduce fine for food related offenders  Academia to pass information on current research findings on farming methods to farmers. How will it be possible to tell if these actions are being successful?  Frequent data gathering and analysis will be used to determine improved food production  Health records from community health center to monitor nutrition related complaints  Establish Crop production database to see progression in food production  Nutrition surveillance data will be used to check for progress in stunting, wasting and micro-nutrient deficiencies Read less

Key Findings that emerged from the dialogue include: 1. Erosion and seasonal flooding in the south-east area reduces agricultural land for farmers to cultivate, leads to loss of livelihoods and disrupts the food systems in the region by creating food insecurity and loss of food productivity 2. The south-east is also plagued with recent bouts of insecurity in the region due to farmer-herder clashes. This clashes have led to destruction of farm crops, forced migration, death and forms of sexual violence perpetuated on women and children have resulted in reduced agricultural activity 3. Diets con... Read moresumed in the region are often monotonous and more recently, the increased proliferation of fast food and processed foods in the markets, restaurants and public places. Consumption of healthy diets needs focus on production and availability of healthy and safe foods. Consumer education is important to instruct and inform consumers 4. Food safety is an issue as widespread in the region and regulatory agencies have conflicting mandates which has led to difficulties in regulating foods pushed to the consumers at different levels 5. There are some innovations ongoing in the food systems such as zero interest loans to farmers. These innovations need to be up scaled across the region. Agricultural development in the region has some innovation ongoing but need to be up scaled and discussed 6. General consensus is that the region needs to move to self-sufficiency in terms of food production.  While these transformations will be a journey, we must start by taking some strategic and immediate transition steps – the suggested steps include: - Inclusiveness in the food system through improved access to productive input along the food system. Some challenges around access to inputs include land ownership and inheritance by women; low collateral/ high interest rates on agricultural loans limiting rural farmer’s access to loans for agricultural activities - Cattle ranching in the area and legislation against open grazing. - Social protection mechanisms and insurance of farms and agricultural goods to improve resilience to shock - Awareness creation and consumer engagement on improved consumption of nutritious local foods is needed. Neglected foods such as ukwa, ugba, fiofio and other forgotten vegetables need to be reintroduced into the diets of igbos. Research on and propagation of slowly dying/extinct foods is also needed - Infrastructural development for improved food systems. Agricultural process such as farm preparation, harvesting and processing would benefit from better access to land, water as well as improved technologies to scale up food production and improve the nutrition content of foods produced - Establish a criteria and procedure for determining vulnerability in the region to enable contextualization and solutions to the problems of the region. The south ease faces different shocks and stresses than other parts of the country so it is important for a localized approach to determine vulnerability - Use of old methods of preservation to improve the shelf-life of perishable foods - Strengthening of multi-level engagement of food safety regulatory agencies through improved capacity building and funding as well as prohibition against cultivation of foods near dump sites, industrial zones and mining areas - Development of some guidelines for food consumption such as food based dietary guidelines (FBDG) and Food Consumption Tables - Collaboration across sectors and governance including private-public partnerships - Widespread consumer education through schools, hospitals, markets etc. Consumers need to be better educated on the foods they consume and also make better choices to prevent food safety illnesses - Strengthening the market board to regulate food prices for consumer and producer protection - Collective agreement by the region to collaborate and share lessons - Food safety with regards to waste disposal should be done with the help of Private investors to incentivise properly separated wastes according to specifications. This will help in recycling and help reduce environmental hazards Read less

Before the meeting held in various regions of the country, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) commissioned a diagnostic study of the food system as it operates in the 6-geopolitical zones of the country. The diagnostic paper was explored the agricultural scene, nutrition and food safety, food trade and transportation as well as external factors that affect the food systems including environmental factors, policies and plans, insecurity amongst others in the country. The diagnostic paper revealed that the South-East food system is characterized by agricultural liv... Read moreelihood activities such as crop production and livestock production. Food waste and loss is also high in the region leading to food insecurity, hunger and loss of income for farmers. The South-East has actively processes cash and staple crops such as rice, cassava, oil palm. Food consumption is below recommendations and diets are not diversified in the same vein, malnutrition rates are slightly higher than international average. Adoption of climate smart agricultural practices is low and the region faces climate change effects such as seasonal flooding and soil erosion. Actors involved in the food system in the South-East States include farmers and farmer groups, trader associations, processors, government, private sector, nutrition and health workers and extension (community health and agriculture) workers. The major focus of the south-east dialogue was to drive discussion on reshaping the food systems in the south east to achieve the sustainable development goals (SDGs) by 2030 taking into consideration the challenges in the system. Identifying key drivers of the food systems particular to Enugu, Anambra and Ebonyi States and also making outcomes and recommendations for the advancement of the Food System in the South Est and Nigeria as a whole. The focus of this meeting was achieved by an exploration of the 5 action tracks as they pertained to the South-East. Five facilitators who are skilled in the 5 action tracks led participants on discussions on the 5 action tracks as they relate to the South-East. Read less

The areas of divergence identified in the dialogue were : 1. Some participants stressed the importance of prioritizing the work and approach of local government as crucial for food systems, while others emphasized the need to involve the Central Government in decision-making and program implementation. 2. The second area of divergence identified was the issue of "production according to the producers' vocation" versus the vision of "production according to the productive zones". 3. One participant highlighted the need to focus not only on climate change but also on improving prices and incenti... Read moreves; on the other hand, the debate recorded the need to create protocols to prepare and build resilience in the face of possible climate risks. 4. Some participants argued that the identification and implementation of financial products and investment programs are essential to provide opportunities for small and medium-sized producers, while another participant stated that agricultural insurance has not worked for small producers because of their high level of risk, alternatives must be found to guarantee access to financing for these small producers. 5. One participant emphasized the importance of incorporating sustainable production that makes use of new innovations and technologies, as long as it is accompanied by a technical assistance program. Read less

The proposals for action to reduce inequalities were as follows: a) Promote productive diversification in rural areas for better use of natural resources, promoting family farming; b) Expand and strengthen community organization through cooperatives or other initiatives focused on competitiveness; c) Improve access routes for product mobilization, which is egalitarian and guarantees the quality and safety of products; d) Include or standardize the content of food and nutrition education and agricultural production in school education, rescuing the food culture of the population according to th... Read moree area of the country and promoting the culture of food security; e) Promote the food industry from collection centers to increase added value; f) Provide farmers with access to fair prices, recognizing their efforts to produce and reduce costs by teaching them to harvest according to their land and formalize markets; g) Nutrition action plans for vulnerable populations and school feeding programs; h) Equitable distribution of water, which is vital for farmers; i) Rehabilitation of crops and productive infrastructure affected by storms Eta and Iota; j) Agricultural extension programs and management of institutions that allow access to appropriate technology to generate subsistence food and income for small farmers; k) Streamlining processes to make them less bureaucratic in terms of promoting family farming; L) Creating school gardens to improve food quality and generate income for families. Read less

The proposals for action to build resilience in the face of vulnerabilities, shocks and stresses were: (a) Strengthening local capacities for the population to identify their needs and vulnerabilities; (b) Promoting the participation and role of local governments, organized groups and villagers in the design and management of plans aimed at meeting the demands of their needs; (c) Strengthening existing instruments such as emergency protocols, citizen training programs and provision of necessary equipment in the face of climatic, health or other events; d) Establish incentive programs for produ... Read morecers (access to financing, improvement of agricultural wages, technical assistance, market access), to create mechanisms for self-management and self-sustainability in these groups; e) Incorporate new sustainable and nutrition-sensitive production systems, linking economic, social, cultural and environmental aspects, with technologies for adaptation and mitigation of climate change, and accompanied by a program of technical assistance and capacity building at all levels; f) Establish production systems according to vocation, geographic position, and analysis of climate variability; g) Focus efforts on water production systems, with integrated watershed management, soil management, conservation and recovery, incorporation of agroforestry systems, prevention of forest fires, and strengthening of water resource governance; h) Generate strategies for solid waste and solid waste management; i) Strengthen strategies that generate behavioral change in producers and consumers so that they produce/consume traditional, safe, local products with high nutritional value; j) Strengthen mechanisms for the placement of strategic points of access to food in the event of crisis or emergencies; k) Establish constant monitoring of food prices, and l) Create support networks for the management and execution of risk and emergency management plans. Read less

One of the conclusions expressed by the Ambassador of Honduras to Italy and Representative to FAO, IFAD, and WFP in his presentation during the protocol ceremony is that thanks to the Summit, the world will become aware that we must all work together to transform the way we produce, transform, and consume food. It is a Summit of solutions that will require all of us to take action to reshape the world's food systems. Guided by five Action Tracks, the Summit will bring together key players from the worlds of science, business, politics, health care, and academia, as well as farmers, indigenous ... Read morepeoples, youth organizations, consumer groups, environmental activists, and other key stakeholders. Before, during, and after the Summit, these actors will work together to bring about tangible, positive changes in the world's food systems. We need to be serious about healthy and sustainable food systems through aligned, evidence-based communication and policies," which should lead us at the summit to address the urgent need to combat all forms of malnutrition and environmental degradation. At the same time, as citizens, we must adopt healthier and more sustainable behaviors, increasing confidence in science. Looking ahead to the 2021 Food Systems Summit later this year, the ongoing Dialogues mark a crucial step in shaping the pathways for progress on the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals and should lead us to equitable and sustainable food systems by 2030. The 2030 Agenda stresses that there is no peace without sustainable development and no sustainable development without peace. Ending hunger and malnutrition, addressing humanitarian and protracted crises, preventing and resolving conflicts, and building peace, are not separate tasks but simply different aspects of the same challenge. We must focus our efforts, public, private, and otherwise, on working in the areas of food security and nutrition, agriculture, fisheries, forestry, technology, education, and research that will enable us to contribute to a safer, more sustainable, and more peaceful world. In many countries, including our own, efforts to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic have been affected by the effects of climate change and highlight very clearly the problems of food systems. It has increased the risks of greater food insecurity and malnutrition, particularly among the most vulnerable population groups. It is no longer just about transforming food systems but about guiding their recovery from the crisis to become more resilient and effective than what they were before. The Food Systems Summit dialogues are an incredible opportunity to participate in an effective, open, honest, and meaningful way, to collectively explore and emerge resilient, with proposals, agri-food policies, and actions that generate solutions towards sustainable, inclusive, resilient, secure, and diversified agri-food systems. One of the discussion sessions was based on the question "What do we expect from the Food Systems Summit?” The main conclusions were the following: a) that Honduras is a guideline taker and that the summit is an opportunity for the country to present its case to the international community, showing the human face of the consequences of both COVID-19 and the tropical storms. It is not only about transforming our food system but reshaping it to become more resilient than the one we had. b) The summit represents for Honduras the opportunity to design and implement policies that help to make the food supply chain, food environments and, the behavior of producers, processors, marketers and, consumers respectful of the environment and its surroundings, c) That the Summit brings technical support for the transfer of positive experiences and promotes research and technological innovation aimed at food and nutritional security, d) That the Summit brings financing opportunities for development in rural areas and favorable conditions for the reconstruction of the country, e) that efforts should be joined to solve problems that are not specific to a country, but rather to a region; therefore, the Summit becomes an opportunity to evaluate a review of these regional efforts, such as international treaties, for example. Read less

The Second National Dialogue to transform the Food System in Honduras had two objectives: 1) To identify actions and discuss proposals towards a sustainable food system in Honduras based on the analysis of the prioritized pathways, and 2) To determine how best to participate in and contribute to the Summit process. The dialogue focused on the analysis of action pathways 4: Promote equitable livelihoods, and pathway 5: Build resilience to vulnerabilities, shocks, and stresses. Following the methodology of the Manual on Member State Dialogues, generative questions were formulated. The first bloc... Read morek of questions included aspects related to inequalities in the food system in Honduras, starting from the following premise: Promoting equitable livelihoods implies eliminating poverty by promoting full and productive employment and decent work for all actors in the food value chain, reducing risks for the poorest, fostering entrepreneurship and addressing inequalities in access to resources and distribution of value. Reducing inequalities will improve resilience through social protection and seek to ensure that food systems "leave no one behind". The generative questions were: To reduce inequalities in the system: 1. what actions can we take in the next three years to improve the incomes and livelihoods of those who depend on the food system for their livelihoods (farmers, employees and MSMEs in the agriculture, food processing and associated sectors)?, 2. What actions can we take in the next three years to ensure that all socioeconomic strata and social groups have access to nutritious food, 3. What actions can we take in the next three years to guarantee access to food distribution points that offer quality food at affordable prices for the entire population, particularly different vulnerable groups? The second block of questions related to Resilience to vulnerabilities, shocks, and stresses was based on the following premise: Building resilience to vulnerabilities, shocks, and stresses to ensure the uninterrupted functionality of sustainable food systems in areas prone to conflict, natural disasters, or other types of social, economic, environmental or health shocks or stressors. Building resilience seeks to protect food supplies from the effects of pandemics and ensure that all people in a food system are empowered to prepare for, withstand and recover from instability. Strengthening resilience in food systems seeks to help people participate in food systems that, despite shocks and disruptors, provide food security, nutrition, and equitable livelihoods for all. The generating questions were: To strengthen the resilience of our food system: 1. What actions can we take in the next three years to strengthen the resilience of our food system in all its components in the face of extreme events that disrupt food production, distribution and/or consumption in the country 2. What actions can we take in the next three years to become more resilient in the face of climatic events such as hurricanes or droughts? 3. What actions can we take in the next three years to become more resilient to events such as the COVID-19 pandemic or social conflicts? 4. What actions can we take in the next three years to strengthen the resilience of the system on the production side? In food distribution? In processing? In consumer access routes? Read less