Explore Official Dialogue Feedback

Discussion Topic Shift to healthy and sustainable consumption patterns What actions in next 3 years will have greatest impact on the Discussion Topic? • Create awareness, advocate for, and educate on safe and healthy food consumption • Farmers to embrace market-driven production to enhance income and purchasing power • Dry season farming to ensure all year-round availability • Revisit neglected and underutilised foods • Scale up school feeding programme • Promote integrated farming and backyard farming and work into primary and secondary school curriculum • Promote high yielding ... Read morecrop varieties • Strengthen linkages between research, policy, and practice • Improve rural infrastructure • Adaptation indigenous processing and storage methods, and explore modern technologies • Price control and regulation of activities of middlemen • Provide incentives for healthy consumption and production of healthy food by food and beverage companies • Use community-based extension volunteers for food demonstrations using locally sourced healthy foods • Identify other sources for agricultural financing • Strengthen farmer-groups and other rural associations for community development • Encourage contract farming with buy-back arrangements • Perfect recycling process for agricultural waste • Reposition and strengthen agricultural research institutes. • Create awareness and educate on dangers of unhealthy environment • Enforce existing regulation and sanction for environmental degradation • Regulate chemical use in all aspects of agricultural production • Intensify consumer protection activities What contributions will our organisations make? • Religious and traditional leaders, opinion moulders, local leaders and the media will contribute to awareness creation and education on need for healthy food consumption and environmental sustainability • Ministries of Health and Environment will enforce regulations on environmental degradation • Agriculture research institutes with mandates for processing and storage will develop technologies for processing and storage • Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN) will review and revise mandates of Research Institutes in line with current realities. • Regulatory agencies will enforce existing regulations to prevent the nefarious activities of some food and beverage companies • Federal and state Ministries of Agriculture, through the Agricultural Development Projects, will ensure prompt dissemination of information on safe and healthy food consumption, and on environmental sustainability. • The federal and states Ministries of Education will mainstream integrated and backyard farming into primary and secondary school curriculum. • Farmer groups, other rural associations and banking institutions will provide farm credit How will it be possible to tell if these actions are being successful? • Reduction in the current rates of malnutrition indices and related deaths • Reduction diet related illnesses such as type 2 diabetes, cancer, obesity etc. • Reduction in percentage annual food loss • Increase in demand for safe and healthy foods • Increase in production and utilisation of neglected and underutilised crops • Reduction in environmental degradation • Increased alternative uses of agricultural waste Read less

Challenges and possible solutions to providing quality, safe and nutritious foods for all along the food systems What actions in next 3 years will have greatest impact on the Discussion Topic? Strand 1: Reducing hunger and inequality • Preponderance of smallholder farmers in agricultural agriculture. • High cost of land preparation. • Low agricultural productivity. • Politics in the distribution of farm inputs. • Lack of awareness and capacity for farmers to uptake production technology. • Lack of nutritious food for human consumption. • Low level dry season farming. Strand 2: In... Read morecreasing availability and affordability of nutritious foods • Increased postharvest loss. • Food price anomalies due to poor linkages between production and distribution. • Lack of adequate storage facilities. • Poor uptake of research outputs. • Lack of farmers education/capacity. • Poor linkages to markets. • Poor rural infrastructure. • Lack of modern farming and processing equipment. • Shocks and stresses to the agricultural production systems. • Widespread insecurity. Strand 3: Ensuring safe food • Lack of quality planting materials. • High import duties on materials for construction of food processing machines. • Sale of deteriorated perishable crops in the markets as a result of poor access to efficient storage and transportation. • Indiscriminate use of agrochemicals. • Poor awareness on the need to consume nutritious and safe food. • Lack modern processing machines. • Lack of proper vaccination of animals. • Use of woods consisting of carcinogenic compounds for the roasting of fish/meat. • Lack of sensitization on proper packaging of processed foods. Cross-Cutting • Problem of insecurity of farmers and their produce. • Problem of natural disaster. • Lack of farmers education/capacity development. • Lack of awareness and capacity development of the farmers in terms of technology demonstration and adoption. • Lack of community sensitization. What contributions will our organisations make? • Small-Scale Women Farmers Organization of Nigeria to produce more nutritious food • Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) to implement policies. • Ministry of Health to engage in sensitization and promotion of healthy living and consumption of safe foods. • Civil Society Organizations to advocate for increase in private extension systems and increase allocation to Agriculture. • MARD/ ADPs for awareness creation to strengthen extension services. • MARD to encourage use of improved crop varieties and good manufacturing practices (GAP). • MARD to encourage organic farming. • MARD to encourage production of organic fertilizer to reduce environmental pollution. • CBN to expand anchor borrower program to cover more value chains. How will it be possible to tell if these actions are being successful? • Higher crop productivity. • Biofortified crops available in the market. • Increased number of extension agents. • Production inputs are subsidized for small holder farmers. • Farmers have easy access to credit and insurance facilities. • Improved market linkages. • Increased youth engagement in the agricultural sector. • Improved access to land for cluster farming, credit, and insurance for women farmers. • Availability of affordable gender friendly farming and processing equipment/machines. • Easy access to irrigation and storage facilities. • Improved rural roads. • Reduced tariffs on materials for equipment fabrication. • Increased number of agro-processing zones. • Absence of deteriorated crops in markets Read less

To ensure that the food production systems produce good quality and nutritionally adequate food commodities, stakeholders recommended the promotion and encouragement of the use of improved high yielding varieties of crops and livestock to increase productivity, and the provision of incentives to farmers in form of subsidy. An associated recommendation is the reduction of dependence on rainfed agriculture and the promotion of irrigation methods that will shift focus to dry season production to ensure all year-round availability and affordability of nutritious foods, and the adoption of climate ... Read moresmart and nutrition responsive agricultural practices across the zone. To conserve the environment, stakeholders believe that a gradual shift from the use of inorganic fertilizers to the use of organic fertilizers, and the proper use of herbicides and pesticides will protect the environment and support efforts towards ensuring the safety of agricultural produce and prevent food borne illnesses related to food safety issues. . Stakeholders also called for the enforcement of existing laws and regulations that prevent environmental degradation, and for the protection of the ecosystem against new conversions for food and feed production. The efficient recycling of waste, and the use of solar smoking kiln for fish and as against the traditional smoking method that uses wood smoke was also suggested as a means to protecting the health of the environment and of the people. Stakeholders called for the promotion of urban agriculture particularly for the production of vegetables and fruits for household consumption and the sale of the excess production for income generation. The enhancement of access to land for female farmers was also suggested as a way to ensuring household food access. Stakeholders opined that the provision of basic rural infrastructure will facilitate access of farmers to the market so as to reduce wastage, and curb the rising rate of rural urban migration, which in itself is a major underlying cause for household food insecurity and the rising levels of malnutrition in the country. Stakeholders concluded that post-harvest losses can be drastically reduced through the encouragement of on-farm processing activities and the provision of gender appropriate processing equipment, and the associated linkages to off takers. The creation and revival of commodity boards was proposed as a means of addressing the issue of waste and linkages to off takers. The rehabilitation of, and the use of silos in each of the Local Government areas was also put forward as a means to reducing food post-harvest loses. To ensure the consumption of nutritious, safe, and diverse foods, stakeholders suggested a massive public enlightenment programme because they believe that a large proportion of the population do not have the information to be able to make informed decisions about what they should or should not eat. They also believe that there should be awareness creation on the benefits of consuming healthy, nutritious, and diverse foods. Stakeholders recommended the urgent implementation of the following actions to kick start the process of repairing the NC geopolitical zone food systems. 1) Promotion of private sector agricultural extension systems to complement the public sector system for providing extension service to farmers along with awareness creation on the consumption of healthy diets. 2) Promotion of efficient storage techniques for various commodities and facilitating access to such. 3) Provision of basic rural infrastructure by government or through PPP. 4) Positioning & strengthening of research institutes to engage in demand driven research, clarifying their mandates, and monitoring their performances. 5) Setting out regulations and sanctions for environmental degradation from Agro-processing waste. 6) Government to work in partnership with private extension service providers, CSOs/NGOs to build capacity and strengthen extension service delivery. 7) Ensure that farmers have access to early maturing & disease resistant varieties of crops and livestock. 8) Massive enlightenment and sensitization of the general public on the benefits of afforestation and the challenges associated with deforestation. 9) Conflict management and reforms aimed at moderating clashes between farmers and herders. 10) Creating and maintaining a database of farmers to ensure that productive inputs reach practising farmers. 11) Strengthening the agricultural insurance scheme and breaking the monopoly of NAIC in this area. 12) Put in place a monitoring framework to ensure implementation of all recommendations for the improvement of food systems by all actors. Read less

The major focus of the exploratory dialogues at the geopolitical level was to create an opportunity for engagement and interconnection among a broader set of stakeholders than was possible at the Inception dialogue at the National level - to explore food systems from a wide variety of perspectives, identify promising options for their improvement and consider ways in which different the groups of stakeholders can advance these options as contributions to the national pathway towards sustainable food systems. It was clear from discussions that there was very little understanding, even among pol... Read moreicy makers that the excessive focus on agriculture and food security resulted in creating a less diverse food environment that is unable to provide an adequate variety and affordable, safe, and nutrient dense food. It was also very clear that more dialogues focussed on specific areas are still needed to harvest suggestions of game changers among various stakeholder groups. The major challenges facing the Nigeria Food Systems were identified by stakeholders to include - low public investments in the Agricultural sector resulting in underdeveloped rural infrastructure such as roads, storage facilities and processing facilities, as well as a lack of agricultural extension services, and access to inputs and finance. Other challenges identified are inconsistent, uncoordinated, and inappropriate policies, coupled with inappropriate philosophy of agricultural sector development; land tenure system limiting new entrants into commercial agriculture; low technology for food production and processing; improper disposal of agricultural waste and waste from food transformation activities leading to land degradation and water pollution; loss of land and water resources, and increased deforestation, and loss of biodiversity. Other issues identified as militating against sustainable and resilient food systems are social norms leading to gender inequality and limited access to productive assets and weak integration of youth and women in agriculture. Poverty was also cited as limiting the access of majority of the population to diverse and nutritious diets. Efforts were made by the facilitators to get the stakeholders to suggest ways they think the challenges they have identified could be addressed. Read less

GROUP 1 • Gender equity :Dialogues with stakeholders on gender equity due to religion and cultural beliefs • Diverse views :on householdfood and nutritious diet allocation- education and dialogues with men on gender disparity • Communal crisis: Several silent communal crises, conflict resolution committee should be set up to investigate remote causes and provide prompt solutions before is escalated. • Natural disaster: National Emergency Management Agency should be strengthened to forecast (early warning signal) GROUP 2 1. The exploit by the middlemen-the re-adoption of off-takers 2. G... Read moreender disparity in-terms of land allocation 3. Divergence on the change in the role of gender especially in areas grossly affected by insurgency where women are becoming the household head Equitable control of the resources-continuous education and dialogues with men on gender equity GROUP 3  The members of this group though from different backgrounds, were able to dialogues amicable to foster a way forward to achieve the goal of zero hunger by the year 2030. Read less

Discussion Topic [Action Track 5: Build Resilience to Vulnerabilities, Shocks and Stresses] What actions in next 3 years will have greatest impact on the Discussion Topic?  Educating the farmers on the use of alternative inputs e.g. use of organic manure, compost, etc.  Use of briquette, solar, cooking gas etc. as an alternative fuel to replace wood and charcoals.  Sensitization of farmers on right farming practices.  Afforestation – tree planting campaign, woodlots establishment, etc  Planting of improved seeds to tackle short rainfall period.  Irrigation system to supplem... Read moreent rainfall.  Timely release of NIMET reports to farmers plan their farm operations.  Strong community policing (civilian JTF) to complement government effort.  Settle the nomadic herdsmen on good grazing areas to avoid clashes with farmers.  Public enlightenment to sensitize people on communal efforts, such as group farming.  Appropriate storage facilities to store food and preserve vegetable for future use.  Encourage home farming and gardening.  Empower women to embark on petty trading.  Capacity building of health workers on the basic food required by our body system.  Enrich food with soybean and essential micro and macro nutrients to supply the necessary amino acid and vitamins required by the body. What contributions will our organisations make?  Regular radio program to enlighten farmers on the market situation, and involve farmers in the design of government policy.  Avoid multiple taxation via evidence of first payment.  Enact/enforce laws to protect environment.  Establish irrigation systems to supplement rainfall.  Timely distribution of NIMET reports.  Public enlightenment on communal efforts, such as group farming.  Strengthened public schools to provide qualitative education.  Provision of greenhouses (cheaper and simply constructed) to produce food during shocks.  Provide appropriate storage facilities to store food.  Capacity building of the health workers on the basic food required by our body system.  Strengthened School feeding program using appropriate food formulation. How will it be possible to tell if these actions are being successful? • Reduction in the cost of inputs hence cost of production which lead to increase in output. • Reduction in massive tree felling and the consequent land degradation, erosion, environmental pollution, excessive heat among others. • General public and farmers will be aware hence will desist from bad farming practices, adopt new technologies and benefit from better production, processing and marketing systems. • More job opportunities will be created through engagement in the food value chain. • Reduction in postharvest losses and increase in buffer stock thus measures against shocks and stresses • Modification of consumption pattern hence better nutrition for children, women and vulnerable groups. • As people have livelihood activities: less hunger, less restiveness and all other vices Read less

ADVANCE EQUITY LIVELIHOOD AND VALUE CHAIN DISTRIBUTION What actions in next 3 years will have greatest impact on the Discussion Topic? S/N PRIORITY AREAS ACTIVITTIES 1 How can agricultural livelihood be sustainable • By educating the farmers and empowering them to be in charge of their affairs • There should be community involvement at all stages (Planning and execution stages) • Agricultural extension services should be strengthen • Data base of real farmers should be establish/ identified 2 How can this smallholder actors be well coordinated to harness their full potential and capaci... Read morety • Through the formation of groups and association in various groups and values chain and enlightenment of groups dynamics • Establishment of cluster market and identification of off takers 3 How can government through our various establishment work more effectively in a coordinated manner to deliver the goals • There should be synergy and collaboration between relevant government agencies and various farmers organization • There should be policy formation and implementation 4. How can support from intervention agencies be leverage upon for food system transformation and delivery of SDG goals • Public Partners Partnership should be encouraged • Private intervention should be encourage • De-politicize the intervention proves • Ease the accessibility of fund to real farmers 5 How can women be supported to overcome the challenges limiting their participation and more productivity contributed in the Nigeria food system • Institutional support through our religions and traditional institutions • Monitoring • Capacity building of women and children/youth • Establishment of women CBOs, He for She to provide support and enlightenment • Adaptation of climate smart agriculture What contributions will our organizations make? • The various organizations will support government agencies and line ministries in executing most of the identified activities listed above • Also, the organizations and development partners will create awareness and sensitize the women and children, including people with special needs on appropriate skill acquisition and empowerment How will it be possible to tell if these actions are being successful? • Increase in farm produce through adaptation of climate smart agriculture • Reduction in dependency on imported food and improved storage facilities across the nation • Farmers accessibility to farming equipment, improved seedling, credit facilities and availability of cluster markets • Establishment of women support group and empowering the women and children • Existence of enabling legally support policies with implementation Read less

Discussion Topic Boost Nature-Positive Food Production What actions in next 3 years will have greatest impact on the Discussion Topic? Strand 1: Deploying food production systems that are ecofriendly, sustainable and resilient.  The major impediments to achieving this is our farming practices which includes indiscriminate cutting of trees, bush burning, use of agrochemicals and over grazing.  Their effect includes increased carbon dioxide emission, climate change, desert encroachment in extreme north, perennial floods in parts of Bauchi state, soil erosion, shrinkage of the lake chad bas... Read morein etc. Apart from affecting the ecosystem, all this have also adversely affected food production and livelihood of the people.  The team recommended afforestation, reclaiming the Lake Chad basin, providing alternative sources of cooking energy, enacting good government policy on land classification, change to organic fertilizer and ecofriendly chemical fertilizers and water harvesting for dry season farming. Strand 2: Improving on existing food production system to benefit both people and the ecosystem.  The use of Agrochemicals (fertilizer, herbicide and pesticide) has adverse effects on the ecosystem and human wellbeing.  We advocate engaging breeders to produce pest resistant and higher yielding crop varieties.  More extension agent will also need to be engaged to disseminate the improved farming systems to the farmers.  State governments in the region should also collaborate to provide farm lands to farmers displaced by the insurgency. Strand 3: Ensuring improvement in nutrition and provision of safe food for the people.  High level of poverty, inadequate production and poor awareness on what constitute a healthy diet is a serious problem in the sub region.  The solution is ensuring sustainable production of crop and livestock.  Encouraging youths in the house holds to engage in back yard gardening, rearing of small live stocks and planting of economic trees.  Also enlightening the women on what constitutes a healthy meal. This would go along way in improving family nutrition, health, income and reducing poverty. Cross-Cutting: What contributions will our organisations make?  The organization will contribute by co-creating and sharing knowledge with the communities on improved systems of farming that are ecofriendly and impact positively on the populace.  By providing financial support to government to improve livelihood of the people and resettle the internally displaced peoples in the region. How will it be possible to tell if these actions are being successful?  The performance of these actions can be accessed by improvement in standard of living of the populace, higher life expectancy and lower expenditure on health.  Sustainable food production to reflect in better security and less crime rates because they are linked to resource control. Read less

• What actions in the next 3 years will have greatest impact on Shifting to Sustainable Consumption Patterns? The actions identified are; 1. Improved animal protein in the household food consumption 2. Commercialization of soyabeans farming to increase the consumption of plant protein 3. Homestead cultivation and consumption of Moringa Oleifera 4. Adoption of the cultivation of biofortified food such as orange flesh sweet potato 5. Improve the purchasing power of the people by encouraging economic enterprising 6. Adequate handling of postharvest food loss and storage 7. Less dependable on ca... Read moresh crop 8. Encourage and empower people to venture into agriculture for family consumption 9. Prioritize animal husbandry at home 10. Adoption of community-led farm extension system 11. Extensive training of the youth on modern and sustainable agricultural system 12. Establishment of market information system 13. Creation of grazing land to enable farmer diversified their agricultural practices What contributions will our [participants] organisations make? 1. Provision of awareness and food education 2. Revival of farm extension system 3. Introduction of improved varieties 4. Incorporation of agricultural in school curriculum 5. Proper education 6. Subsidizing the production of pick bags (double bagging for storage) 7. Support farmers’ cooperative to increase purchasing power 8. Legislation against the use of chemicals 9. Effective conflict management How will it be possible to tell if these actions are being successful? 1. Behaviour change towards healthy food consumption pattern 2. Implementation of appropriate policy 3. Continuous policy implementation 4. Sustainability of the actions 5. Monitoring and evaluation 6. Creation of a coordinating body 7. Define measurable indicators to know if progress is being made Read less

Discussion Topic Ensuring Access to Safe and Nutritious Food for All What actions in the next 3 years will have greatest impact on Shifting to Sustainable Consumption Patterns? The actions key out are; Strand 1:Reducing Hunger and Inequality • Action on insecurity in relation to farming activities. • Provision of alternative farm land in other states to diversify agricultural practices due to insecurity. • Quality control of farm input e.g. Improved varieties. • Provision of designated centers for procuring farm input and ensure timely supply of farm input • Research into sustainable... Read more and location specific technology • Strengthening agricultural extension services • Women development, empowerment and self -reliance Strand 2: Increasing Availability and Affordability of Nutritious Food. • Farmers should be trained in modern method of harvesting, handling and storage. • Provision of storage facilities and strengthen processing procedures • Enhanced nutritional value • Provision of good road network • Nutrition Education awareness • Organization and promotion of community food fair Strand 3: Ensuring safe food • Strict control of use of agro-chemical • Encourage the use of organic manure • Use of Botanical insecticide. • Control of micro-organism, insects and rodents • Enlightening farmers on proper storage and processing practices • Demonstration of nutritious food during maternal and child health activities What contributions will our organisations make? • Promotion of science and research for combating hunger and malnutrition. • Disseminating outcome of researches. • Encourage fundamental transformation of the food chain to full nutrition with an initiative linking human wellbeing, agriculture, and the environment. • Promote agricultural innovation and attract investment to agricultural development projects. • Legislation against the use of inappropriate farming activities e.g. Chemicals • Connecting researchers with industry and enhancing supply chain systems to allow farmers to bring their products to market. • Introduction of improved varieties. • Creation of sustainable sources of income and local networks that farmer to share resources with one another. How will it be possible to tell if these actions are being successful? • Improvement in the livelihood of the farmers, herders and the people • Behaviour change towards sustainable farming system • Improvement in security issues, education and agricultural practices • Sustainability of appropriate policy and implementation • Effective monitoring and evaluation of policies • Improvement in the nutritional status , availability of food and nutritious diets Read less

 The region recognizes the need to rebuild and strengthen the regional food systems driven by radical thinking, smart partnerships, backed by strong political will and courage to advance the food systems transformation need of the region.  The envisaged food system will be development focused that prioritizes healthy diets and affordable nutrition, that is inclusive, efficient, resilient, and sustainable, while working for everyone, with ability to contribute to rebuild the economy of the region, create jobs, spur growth across sectors and sustain our ecosystems.  The regional food sy... Read morestem narrative will be to supportnourishing beyond feeding, that makes human health and nutrition a priority, emphasizing the primacy of diet quality, that would eliminate hunger while addressing all forms of malnutrition, considers planetary health, pro-growth while supporting job creationand livelihoods, and economic sustainability.  While these transformations will be a journey, we must start by taking some strategic and immediate transition steps – the suggested steps include • Transformative policy reviews rooted in a new and common narrative and anchored on philosophy of food as a human right in line with UN conventions. • Operationalize a coordinated Food Systems data transformation agenda • Scale/Democratize proven innovations that considers the common man at the common market • Ramp up investment in Food Systems research & development • Depoliticize, expand, and modernize social protection programs in Nigeria. • Promote optimum breastfeeding practices • Operationalize resilient financing mechanisms by leveraging domestic and international facilities • Ramp up investment in infrastructures that support critical innovations & opportunities with special focus on rural infrastructures • Build critical leadership, technical and human and organizational capacities • Operationalize key guidelines rooted in transformed policies, data & the new narrative • Engage in fair trade, taking relevant country and global contexts into consideration • Foster transformative and smart partnerships • Revise and implement the National Resilience framework • Redirect Policy – aim at getting youths engaged in the agriculture sector using technology and e-commerce. • Implement plans to mechanize agricultural production to enable innovation and increase resilience and productivity with a focus on nutrition • Scale up sustainable technologies including cold chain technologies to tackle post-harvest food losses • Pass the food quality and safety bill into law • Change the culture of adequate food consumption by concentrating on the new generation, e.g., children • Put in place a monitoring framework to ensure implementation of all recommendations for the improvement of food systems by all actors Read less

The North East regional dialogue was a comprehensive exploration of the regions’ Food Systems along the five action tracks and levers of the UN Food Systems Summit. Participants conducted a thorough diagnosis of the food systems, including its functionality, major stakeholders, potentials, vulnerabilities, as well as opportunities for its transformation so that it can deliver high quality diet that is affordable, healthy, nutritious, inclusive, efficient, resilient, and sustainable; as well as able to meet the need of all actors of the food system. The dialogue observedthat excessive focus o... Read moren agriculture value chain and food security resulted in anunintended consequenceof creating a less diverse food environment that is unable to provide needful food variety that are affordable, safe, and nutritious enough to meet the needs of all in the region. The region’s Food systems are noted to be under stress and shocks continually being disrupted as a result of the conflicts and insecurity. In addition, part of the region is threatened by climate change and stresses due to the impact of drought, flooding, erosion, inflation, the COVID-19pandemic, and conflict. Poverty, unemployment, and insufficient food reserves limit the capacity of the food systems to cope with shocks and stresses. The COVID pandemic has amplified the fragility, inequities and suboptimal functionality of the region’s food systems thus requiring significant transformations in polices, practices and business models that would make the food systems fit for purpose and enable the delivery of the most important functions rooted in robust evidence base, context and emerging regional, country global trends and realities. Most times, the vulnerable group in the region are the most affected by the challenge of food safety and the most nutritious foods are noted to have the most complicated challenge around safety. There are huge post-harvest losses in the region, where losses could be as high as over 50% of harvest and over 50% of waste generated in the region are classified as food waste within the food systems; we lose more than half of what we produce, and this comeswith significant impact on the environment. Inequality and power imbalances at the household, community, state and regional levels consistently constrainthe ability of the region’s food systems tosignificantly contribute to poverty reduction and sustainable, equitable livelihoods. Read less

GROUP 1 • Gender equity : Empowering and strengthening of women groups and cooperatives • Diverse views : Intensive campaign and advocacy on gender disparity due to religion and cultural beliefs • Communal crisis: Effective conflict management, conflict resolution committee should be set up to prevent escalation of violence. • Natural disaster: National Emergency Management Agency should be strengthened to forecast and predict possibility of catastrophe GROUP 2 1. Women and decision making at the household level- with improved purchasing power, men will be able to play their leadership... Read more role at home and support the consumption of diversified diet 2. Cultural beliefs being difficult to address but through intensive campaign and advocacy, this can be managed effectively 3. Diverse views on the sustainability of the adoption of cold chain for perishable crops due to non-suitability of energy and power for cold storage-adoption of modular processing GROUP 3 Promotion of Agro-forestry should take cognizance of possible missuses by criminals and insurgents as hide outs. GROUP 4 • The role of religion on land inheritance by women in the sub-region. GROUP 5 • There were no divergent views in the issues raised and the approaches to ensure adequate food supply in conflict and disaster prone areas in the North East Zone. • AT5 members were unanimous in their submission. Read less

Discussion Topic Building Resilience to Vulnerabilities, shocks and Stresses What actions in next 3 years will have greatest impact on the Discussion Topic? Strand 1 • Enact laws, strengthen security, extension services, insurances and invest in mechanization. • Provision of low interest loans, improved seeds and incentives to attract youth into agriculture. • Conduct credible livestock census to link livestock production with value chains. • Work with livestock producer associations and professionals to address issues of livestock movement as well as enforcement of ECOWAS protocol. St... Read morerand 2 • Incentivize the youth to become engaged in agriculture through knowledge sharing within the sector and improve extension services delivery. • Linking environmental policies and programmes to food security. • Provide infrastructures such as access to water and link afforestation to cattle routes. Strand 3 • Support the North East States to establish Strategic Food Reserves and Agriculture Trust Fund. • Support displaced people to have access to land and low/no interest loans. • Enhance security through peace committees and community policing. Strand 4 • Establishment of Strategic Food Reserves by Federal, States and Local governments to absorb sudden shocks and stressors occasioned by factors such pandemics, floods, rainstorms and fire disasters. • Establishment of viable Commodity Exchange and Marketing Boards with policies that will discourage price manipulations. Strand 5 • Enlighten the populace on available local nutritious foods and in right combinations. • Intensify advocacy and sensitization on the nutritive values of local food ingredients. • Capacity building on the production and packaging of dairy and meat products. Strand 6 • Establishment of women and youth empowerment interventions such as skill acquisition centres. • Intensify advocacy on value chain addition of our local foods and farm produce. • Establishment of loan schemes in animal and domestic poultry to enhance income generation and nutritional status. What contributions will our organisations make? • Construction of earth dams, herder data capture facilities and provision of livestock vaccines. • Establishment of modern Strategic Food Reserves. • Provision of modern facilities/gadgets for tackling insecurity such as terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and animal rustling. • Provision of modern agricultural implements and improved seeds/livestock. • Establishment of standard skill acquisition centres for capacity building. • Advocacy and sensitization on the fortification of local foods for adequate nutrient supply through UN agencies. How will it be possible to tell if these actions are being successful? • The success of these actions will be reflected in increased population of healthy animals, adequate food production, improved living standard, improved human productivity, secure and peaceful communities. • Enlightened farming population, improved environmental conditions, increased productivity of crops and animals. Read less

Discussion Topic Advance Equitable Livelihoods What actions in next 3 years will have greatest impact on the Discussion Topic? Strand 1 Trade laws and its impact on agriculture and food systems  Effective enlightenment on farming and food chain activities.  Provision policies that will have greatest impact on local food chain  Demarcation of statutory mandates between *MANR and *MOWR  Review Land tenure system to eliminate discrimination against women  Massive support on irrigation.  Subsidizing agricultural inputs for the marginalized and rural people.  Creation of an age... Read morency to advance the equitable livelihoods. Strand 2 Environmental problems  Protection of forest reserves  Introduction of climate smart agriculture.  Government to resuscitate the services of extension workers in the region.  Encourage the use of cooking gas in the rural areas. Strand 3 Insecurity  Creation of community policing.  Introduction of advanced technology in agriculture to reduce conflicts.  Provision of basic necessities of life in the rural areas.  Integration of IDPs in their respective host communities.  Women and youths empowerment. Strand 4 Shocks  Replicate food storages in the LGAs.  Be proactive during emergencies  Establishment of emergency agencies in the LGAs.  Strand 5 Agriculture, food and nutrition policies  Create adequate advocacy and sensitization in harnessing local foodstuffs.  Comprehensive database of farmers and the type of products cultivated.  Women and marginalized people should have access to loans at a minimum interest.  Land tenure system should favour the women especially in land inheritance. 1.12 GENDER ROLE IN THE CURRENT FOOD SYSTEMS IN THE NORTH-EAST ZONE  Empower the women in agricultural value addition chain.  Small scale cottage industries to employ more women  Promote the aggregation of women into civil societies.  Provide credit facilities for land ownership to women at a 0% interest. What contributions will our organisations make?  Support on infrastructural development of the rural and marginalized population.  Establishment of small scale industries to the local and the most vulnerable populations  Capacity building.  Developing and funding an agency to protect the social needs of the poor, women, youths and the most vulnerable in the society. How will it be possible to tell if these actions are being successful? • Elimination of all root causes of inequality, poverty, food and nutritional insecurity amongst the poor and most vulnerable populace of the North East. • Everyone should have equal access to economic opportunities. • Protection of our environment and the natural eco-systems with efforts on tackling climate change, environmental degradation. Read less

Discussion Topic Boost Nature - Positive Production What actions in next 3 years will have greatest impact on the Discussion Topic? Strand 1 ▪ Promote skill acquisition and encourage Youth to embrace food entrepreneurship ▪ Government should build capacity of citizens on environmentally friendly agriculture ▪ Government should encourage alternative green energy sources for households to curb deforestation ▪ Strengthen the capacities of relevant Institutions in the region to respond to natural disasters ▪ Land allocations, tenure and use acts should support investment in agroforestry ... Read moreStrand 2 ▪ Enforcement of laws and policies to protect forest reserves ▪ Government should provide incentives to famers to adopt climate smart crops, irrigation and sustainable fishing ▪ Encourage skill acquisition and massive environmental education Strand 3 ▪ Diversify agricultural production by investing in high valued crops, vegetables, fruits, pasture, animals and fisheries ▪ Develop policies and best practices on use of agrochemicals and mechanised farming Strand 4 ▪ Encourage cluster farming and processing ▪ Promote alley and legume cropping to revitalize soil health ▪ Develop early warning system to alert communities prone to seasonal floods ▪ Map the current food systems in the region and build capacities of producers to be globally competitive. ▪ Curb out seasonal food wastage by value addition ▪ Ensure proper solid waste disposal Strand 5 ▪ Create adequate sensitization for the production and consumption of micro livestock ▪ There should be premium pricing for environmentally friendly agricultural products What contributions will our organisations make? ▪ Support the enactment of laws and practices that will promote sustainable environment, boost nature production and strengthen the food system in the North East, Nigeria ▪ Build famers capacities to adopt climate smart agriculture ▪ Promote the use of weather forecasting for farming operations planning ▪ Strengthen extension services and access to markets ▪ Promote Innovative technologies especially for grading, storage, processing and value addition for both crop and livestock ▪ Promotion of formal and informal education that encourages agriculture of both crops and livestock ▪ Encourage cluster farming and cottage processing of produce ▪ Support the utilisation of nutrient rich foods and fortification ▪ Promote tree planting How will it be possible to tell if these actions are being successful? Increased awareness on anthropogenic impacts of climate change and adoption environmentally friendly actions. This means an improvement in our environment and the natural eco-systems, reduced environmental degradation and improved biodiversity. • improved biodiversity especially plants, insects (eg honey bees),fish and animals( wildlife inclusive). • Reduction in erosion and floods • Increased crops and animals’ productivity • Improve water quality for both human and agricultural purposes • Reduction in indiscriminate cutting of trees and resource based conflicts Read less

• What actions in the next 3 years will have greatest impact on Shifting to Sustainable Consumption Patterns? The following specific actions stood out; 1. Boost income and purchasing power at the household level 2. Address state of insecurity 3. Advocate for the consumption of diversified, safe and nutritious foods that can be sustained 4. Intensive advocacy for behavioural change to address foods with low consumption patterns 5. More investment in road infrastructure 6. Promote the cultivation and consumption of improved varieties of crops 7. Promote diversification of food production throu... Read moregh mixed farming 8. Scaling up of fish farming to generate employment and increase the purchasing power as well as increase access to animal protein 9. Initiate modular processing within farm cluster to address wastage 10. Initiate industrialization of the region to boost purchasing power of the people 11. Active involvement of youth in food value chain What contributions will our [participants] organisations make? 1. Ensure proper multi-sectoral interphase 2. Strengthening the extension services 3. Push for policies that target food production, consumption and wastage 4. Prioritize consumption of healthy food 5. Encourage homestead gardening in the grassroot 6. Push for appropriate legislation 7. Ensure continuity in policy implementation irrespective of the government in power 8. Ensure the establishment of Information Management System 9. Advocacy to the traditional rulers and community influencers. 10. Strengthening of women groups and cooperatives How will it be possible to tell if these actions are being successful? 1. Defined indicators for assessment and evaluation 2. Setting of targets 3. Improvement in the state of health 4. Low level of malnutrition 5. Low mortality rate 6. Improved income 7. Better security 8. Early warning system Read less

Discussion Topic Ensuring Access to Safe and Nutritious Food for All What actions in the next 3 years will have greatest impact on Shifting to Sustainable Consumption Patterns? The actions key out are; Strand 1: Reducing Hunger and Inequality • Maximum utilization of dams, rivers and water ways - Irrigation • Use of improved varieties of crops • Improvement of micro-climate of the zone • Increase security measures to protect farmers and herders • More investment in agricultural inputs and modern farming technology • Avails farming with agric credit facilities. • Gender mainstream... Read moreing and advocacy • Gender sensitive and responsive policies • Tracking mechanisms to curb corruption and allocation of facilities. Strand 2: Increasing Availability and Affordability of Nutritious Food. • Improve production, harvesting, preservation and processing of food produces • Eradicate food processing activities that reduces the quality and nutrients in food • Fortified foods due to losses during production • Robust extension service system • Demonstration of nutritious food during maternal and child health activities • Nutrition Education awareness • Organization and promotion of community food fair Strand 3: Ensuring safe food • Advocacy and proper training of farmers on standard operating procedures (SOP)in applying agrochemical • Good agricultural practices • Good storage facilities • Food produces testing facilities • Encourage the use of organic fertilizers and other forms of manure. What contributions will our organizations make? • Promotion of science and research for combating hunger and malnutrition. • Disseminating outcome of researches. • Encourage fundamental transformation of the food chain to full nutrition with an initiative linking human wellbeing, agriculture, and the environment. • Promote agricultural innovation and attract investment to agricultural development projects. • Legislation against the use of inappropriate farming activities e.g. agro-chemicals • Connecting researchers with industry and enhancing supply chain • Introduction of improved varieties. • Eliminate the injustices that cause hunger, working with social movements to amplify their voices and boost their efforts toward food justice and sovereignty. • Creation of sustainable sources of income and local networks for farmers to share resources with one another. How will it be possible to tell if these actions are being successful? • Implementation of appropriate policy and good monitoring system • Reduced morbidity and mortality rate • Improved standard of living • Sustainability of the goals and actions • Better warning signal and security support system • Improvement in education and sustainable agricultural practices Read less

 The region recognizes the need to rebuild and strengthen the regional food systems driven by radical thinking, smart partnerships, backed by strong political will and courage to advance the food systems transformation need of the region.  The envisaged food system will be development focused that prioritizes healthy diets and affordable nutrition, that is inclusive, efficient, resilient, and sustainable, while working for everyone, with ability to contribute to rebuild the economy of the region, create jobs, spur growth across sectors and sustain our ecosystems.  The regional food sy... Read morestem narrative will be to supportnourishing beyond feeding, that makes human health and nutrition a priority, emphasizing the primacy of diet quality, that would eliminate hunger while addressing all forms of malnutrition, considers planetary health, pro-growth while supporting job creationand livelihoods, and economic sustainability.  While these transformations will be a journey, we must start by taking some strategic and immediate transition steps – the suggested steps include - Transformative policy reviews rooted in a new and common narrative and anchored on philosophy of food as a human right in line with UN conventions. - Operationalize a coordinated Food Systems data transformation agenda - Scale/Democratize proven innovations that considers the common man at the common market - Ramp up investment in Food Systems research & development - Depoliticize, expand, and modernize social protection programs in Nigeria. - Promote optimum breastfeeding practices - Operationalize resilient financing mechanisms by leveraging domestic and international facilities - Ramp up investment in infrastructures that support critical innovations & opportunities with special focus on rural infrastructures - Build critical leadership, technical and human and organizational capacities - Operationalize key guidelines rooted in transformed policies, data & the new narrative - Engage in fair trade, taking relevant country and global contexts into consideration - Foster transformative and smart partnerships - Revise and implement the National Resilience framework - Redirect Policy – aim at getting youths engaged in the agriculture sector using technology and e-commerce. - Implement plans to mechanize agricultural production to enable innovation and increase resilience and productivity with a focus on nutrition - Scale up sustainable technologies including cold chain technologies to tackle post-harvest food losses - Pass the food quality and safety bill into law - Change the culture of adequate food consumption by concentrating on the new generation, e.g., children - Put in place a monitoring framework to ensure implementation of all recommendations for the improvement of food systems by all actors Read less

The North East regional dialogue was a comprehensive exploration of the regions’ Food Systems along the five action tracks and levers of the UN Food Systems Summit. Participants conducted a thorough diagnosis of the food systems, including its functionality, major stakeholders, potentials, vulnerabilities, as well as opportunities for its transformation so that it can deliver high quality diet that is affordable, healthy, nutritious, inclusive, efficient, resilient, and sustainable; as well as able to meet the need of all actors of the food system. The dialogue observedthat the focus on agri... Read moreculture value chain and food security resulted in anunintended consequenceof creating a less diverse food environment that is unable to provide needful food variety that are affordable, safe, and nutritious enough to meet the needs of all in the region. The region’s Food systems are noted to be under stress and shocks continually being disrupted as a result of the conflicts and insecurity. In addition, part of the region is threatened by climate change and stresses due to the impact of drought, flooding, erosion, inflation, the COVID-19pandemic, and conflict. Poverty, unemployment, and insufficient food reserves limit the capacity of the food systems to cope with shocks and stresses. The COVID pandemic has amplified the fragility, inequities and suboptimal functionality of the region’s food systems thus requiring significant transformations in polices, practices and business models that would make the food systems fit for purpose and enable the delivery of the most important functions rooted in robust evidence base, context and emerging regional, country global trends and realities. Most times, the vulnerable group in the region are the most affected by the challenge of food safety and the most nutritious foods are noted to have the most complicated challenge around safety. There are huge post-harvest losses in the region, where losses could be as high as over 50% of harvest and over 50% of waste generated in the region are classified as food waste within the food systems; we lose more than half of what we produce, and this comeswith significant impact on the environment. Inequality and power imbalances at the household, community, state and regional levels consistently constrainthe ability of the region’s food systems tosignificantly contribute to poverty reduction and sustainable, equitable livelihoods. Read less