Explore Official Dialogue Feedback

Shift To Healthy and Sustainable Consumption Patterns AT2 Oyo state What actions in next 3 years will have greatest impact on the Discussion Topic? (i) A sustained, institutionalised, content and context-specific education at each segment if the food system (ii) un-interrupted supply of electricity for processing, preservation And storage of food products (iii) Active participation of relevant regulatory Agencies (IV) Full involvement of electronic and print media What contributions will our organisations make? (i)Construction of rural road networks to improve access to farm settlement, to enh... Read moreance the transfer of food products to the markets. (ii)Improving storage facilities to increase food availability: Commissioning of 10,000 tons silos for grains to improve storage (iii)Creation of Farm estates from farm settlements to creating an enabling environment for those involved in food production and also as a means of making Agriculture attractive to the youths (iv)Regular education provided to the public to help them make healthy food choices How will it be possible to tell if these actions are being successful? Baseline evaluation and periodic evaluations with intent for necessary interventions Read less

Discussion Topic Southwest Food System for 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 1. Provision of rural infrastructure, including access roads, power and storage and processing facilities. 2. Implementation of policies to drive the attainment of access to safe and nutritious food for all. 3. Massive irrigation programme for year round farm production. 4. Encouragement of youth farming /agricultural business, as replacement for ageing farming population. 5. Facil... Read moreitation of access to farm land through the establishment of Land Banks. 6. Facilitation of land clearing with farm mechanisation as a critical requirement for youth and older, as well as women farmers. 7. Encouragement of urban farming, particularly for women-led production and processing of food. 8. Robust Agricultural Extension Services to support the agriculture value chains. 9. Formation of Smallholder farmers’ cooperatives, for financing and agro-processing. Strand 2: Increasing availability and affordability of nutritious foods 1. Re-establishment of agricultural commodity boards for good, stable prices for agricultural commodities, and regional farm produce markets for access to cheaper fresh food. 2. Promotion of wholesome indigenous foods and livestock and apiculture. 3. Sustenance of National Home Grown School Feeding programme. 4. Promotion of biofortified foods, for provision of vitamin and mineral-enriched staples. Strand 3: Ensuring safe food 1. Adoption of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and safe food handling practices. 2. Establishment of public health laboratories, to support Nutrition Units in ensuring food safety compliance. 3. Collaboration between state food safety agencies and Federal regulatory agencies, to curb food adulteration. Cross-cutting 1. Mainstreaming of agriculture into elementary and secondary education. 2. Promotion of local production of agricultural implements and processing machines. 3. Enhancement of rural security network by formation of farm clusters and deployment of Joint Task Forces of State and Non-state security entities. What contributions will our organisations make? 1. Outcomes of researches by Federal, state and private universities and institutes, need to be streamed into the private sector, for greater efficiency and productivity in food production. 2. Some Southwest states’ initiatives like Start Them Early Programme (STEP) for sustainable food production and Youth in Commercial Agriculture Development (YCAD) should be adopted by other Southwest states. 3. There is a need to ensure the support of development partners and multilateral organizations, particularly for provision of technology and market development. How will it be possible to tell if these actions are being successful? 1. Provision of robust Monitoring and Evaluation system in line with global best practices where key performance indicators could be monitored. 2. The Southwest States’ Committees on Food and Nutrition will, with timely and adequate funding, be effective in project assurance. Read less

To ensure that the food production systems produce good quality and nutritionally adequate food commodities, stakeholders recommended the that there is need to change the face of agriculture in South West in favour of agribusiness and mechanized farming to avert the risk of famine and starvation. It is suggested that crop farming in the region should be revolutionize to incorporate efficient irrigation system as against the usual rain-fed agriculture in order to encourage an all year-round food production. An associated recommendation is that there is need to have adequate data on farming popu... Read morelation, food production, comparative advantage of different crops and other produce and reposition agriculture as a career in the region. To conserve the environment, stakeholders was of opined that the region should conduct environmental audit of various interventions that have been done in times past, especially those on smart agricultural practices, national fadama and critical ecosystem management projects, national erosion and watershed management projects, and do a modelling of impact, scale-up where necessary, and strategize on the way forward for a sustainable food system by 2030. Stakeholders believe that a Modern technology such as IT and GIS should be deployed into soil and nutrient mapping, land banking and weather modelling as means to control poor farming system. There was a call by the stakeholders to encourage organic farming and the planting of biofortified crops through community sensitization as a means of protecting the environment. Stakeholders called for improvement of the infrastructure and create incentives in the rural areas such as the creation of farm estates to stem the rural – urban migration. It was also suggested to put in place policies action to reduce women vulnerability and protect their livelihoods to bridge gender gap for them to contribute more to the food systems Stakeholders concluded that post-harvest losses can be drastically reduced through provision of rural infrastructure, including access (feeder) roads, power and facilities for storage and processing, including cold chains, perishables and cereals. Improvements in these areas will have an immediate and dramatic positive effect on the volume of food reaching the market (consumers) in good condition. This will increase food availability and reduce food inflation. Improving storage facilities to increase food availability such as silos for grains to improve storage; Creation of Farm estates from farm settlements to creating an enabling environment for those involved in food production and also as a means of making Agriculture attractive to the youths and Regular education provided to the public to help them make healthy food choices. Stakeholders recommended the urgent implementation of the following actions to kick start the process of repairing the SW geopolitical zone food systems. i. Crop farming in the region should be revolutionize to incorporate efficient irrigation system as against the usual rain-fed agriculture in order to encourage an all year-round food production; ii. Extension services should be improved to include environmental extension which should incorporate environment friendly farming systems; iii. There should be capacity building for farmers on new farming techniques climate smart Agriculture, aqua-ponics, wildlife domestication, intensive vegetable gardening, & aquaculture in order to improve food supply; iv. There should be a well-established storage facilities located in strategic places across the States to prevent post-harvest losses; v. Development of good and efficient road and rail networks to ensure effective transportation of farm produce, so as to bridge the gap between farm gate and markets and reduce post-harvest losses; vi. Strengthening of the security system by the government so as to to secure our lands and forests and recover farmlands from bandits in order to build the confidence of farmers back to the farm; vii. Provision of well-structured credit facilities which are farmer friendly, accessible and sustainable will help to cope with stresses from poverty; viii. Development of a robust commodity market system that will absorb market glut and hence ensure price stability; ix. Collaborating with research institutes and various higher institutions of learning and investing more in demand-driver research activities by the government, as well utilizing research findings that can help in building resilience to vulnerabilities, shocks and stresses; x. Develop traditional foods like wild vegetables, wild fruits, condiments, spices, organics like mushrooms, to feature more in the national food system. xi. Establishing effective monitoring and evaluation strategy. Read less

The major focus of the exploratory dialogues at the geopolitical level was to create an opportunity in guiding governments and other stakeholders to identify for implementation of reforms that would transform food systems towards achieving the SDGs; identify game changing ideas that would transform the food systems of various sub-populations in the Country; help develop the future direction for Global Food Systems and inspire necessary action; and promote potentials and understanding the challenges that arise from food systems by collaboration and consensus among all stakeholders. The major ch... Read moreallenges facing the Nigeria Food Systems were identified by stakeholders to include - gaps in food insecurity and malnutrition across Nigeria and populations, forests and deforestation is a serious challenge in the region; No land space in the South West and population is increasing; There are other several critical issues that challenge food system performance: rapid urbanisation and the growth of megacities, requirements for agro-food systems upgrading, and management of food access, distribution and price through rural-urban linkages. 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 Divergences revealed include: 1. Continuous use of traditional methods of farming because some farmers trust the methods they are used to 2. Lack of modern farming implements and improved varieties from Research Institutes 3. Different levels of government attempting to do the same thing in favour of households and farmers thereby duplicating efforts and resources that could be channelled into other uses 4. Considering some farmers more important than others in the provisions inputs How to manage them: 1. Team Work 2. Policy formulation 3. Synergy 4. Partnership 5. Nutrition education ... Read moreand awareness GROUP 2  Sensitization and media activities should not be prioritized over primary production and processing  Conversations and brainstorming should be replicated at grassroot levels  Sincerity and political will on the part of government is key GROUP 3 The divergences are ‘healthy diet’ and ‘sustainable diet’. The members of the Global Panel (2016) recognize that “While there is no universal ‘diet quality index’, there is general agreement on what a healthy or high-quality diet should include”, [that is] “a diversity of foods that are safe and provide levels of energy appropriate to age, sex, disease status and physical activity as well as essential micronutrients.” The answer is clearly: not necessarily. It is dangerous, therefore, to unconditionally associate a healthy diet with a sustainable diet and promoting too broadly win-win scenarios. While evidence suggests that synergies can, in principle, be identified (e.g., such as reducing animal protein in meat-based diets), these are often very difficult to achieve. On the other hand, completely decoupling healthy diets from the sustainability of value chains that deliver them would also not be desirable from a food system’s, environmental and climate change perspective. In sum while synergies are feasible if we capitalize on innovations, trade-offs and hard choices are more likely to characterize the near future of food systems and it is important to understand how diets (as proxy for health) and sustainability interactions play out at different scales and in different contexts. Read less

Discussion Topic Building Resilience to Vulnerability Shock and Stress What actions in next 3 years will have greatest impact on the Discussion Topic? • Preservation and Storage Facilities ; improving the storage facilities in the SE zones to modern and standard storing system, to accommodate more perishable food items . government should go into partnership with cooperative societies, and individuals to build storage facilities in all communities in the south east zone Government should partners with society in providing solar panel cold rooms • Climate- the government should cooperative ... Read morewith the metrological unit (NMETS) to monitor forecast and plan with farmers association on climatic emergencies and response such as drought and flooding, • Urban Agriculture planning; government policies should be consistence on school gardening ensuring that all schools have a garden . government to allot land in urban areas on urban agricultural farms • Agro- processing zones – making agriculture more accessible, govt should make aggregate or cluster for processing zones which will have most aspect of the food system such as production processing , storage • Off – takers a system a community-based initiative in which small and medium scale farmers produce will easily be bought by involving other stakeholders and multisector • Food distribution and Marketing strategy – govt interventions on Agriculture produce group who tax farmers heavily, and also curtail the security issues of curfew to allow identified farmers to easily distribute their goods curfew. • Home gardening sensitizing the people on the importance of home gardening for sustainable food chain • Hydroponics systems of agriculture to be encouraged such as hydro phonics, Aero phonics farming especially in urban areas with limited land • Gender mainstreaming in all policies formulation and removal of gender baise or determinants in accessing agricultural loans and land acquisitions. Gender sensitive policies in Agriculture. • SMART AGRICULTURE by farmers planting plants with shorter duration of maturity in flood prone areas or drought resistance crops in drought areas. Sensitizing farmers on climate smart practices such as cover cropping, mulching. Food tracking system – food surveillance and equitable distribution of food supplies and food data base for evidence-based intervention and policy formulation • Cooperative societies expanding registration in the cooperative societies and encouraging transparency in seedlings distribution, loans tax exemption, and price regulation of food produce by biodiversification and comparative competitions among farmers • Mechanized farming through government support to cooperative to expand farming. What contributions will our organisations make? • Supporting the Government of the South east zones on developing a Agro-processing zones • Financially supporting small and medium scale farmers through cooperatives by giving incentives and soft loans • Building up a data based to track progress in the food system of the South east zones How will it be possible to tell if these actions are being successful? Through simple indicators such as tracking food supply, malnutrition indices in the south east, and agricultural indigenous innovations Read less

Discussion Topic Action Track 4: Advanced Equitable Livelihoods What actions in next 3 years will have greatest impact on the Discussion Topic? Address insecurity Resolve the difficulty in assessing land and the land tenure system Use of poor implements and farm inputs Inclusion of vulnerable population into social investment programmes What actions can be taken within the next 3 years in other to improve livelihoods? Improved security in rural areas Improvement of infrastructure at rural areas Reorientation from local to a more modern way of agriculture Credit facilities for agriculture finan... Read morecing Social Investment programs Revitalization of primary health care facilities Monitoring budgetary allocations to agriculture Timely release of counterpart funding from government Modern agricultural practices and maintenance of standards Reduction of postharvest losses What contributions will our organisations make? Contribution we will provide is in the area of advocacy to government and local/traditional authorities on the issues such as: 1. Land leasing for poor families and women. 2. Empowerment of government agencies like ministry of agric. to provide farm inputs and implements as well as information dissemination to farmers. 3. Provisions of starter packs and support to trained young generation farmers. 4. There should be non-governmental agencies/civil society organizations set for the monitoring of budgets from the source of release and implementation of budgetary allocation to agriculture. How will it be possible to tell if these actions are being successful? The indicators of the success of the action will be 1. Quarterly or yearly assessment of livelihood status of the poor families and poor widows in South east Nigeria. 2. Proactive monitoring and evaluation of the extent of implementation of the inputs from various organisations in advancing and equitable livelihood supports. 3. Generating base line data of the status of livelihoods at the moment to enable build-up of strategies to advance and ensure equitable distribution of livelihood supports. 4. Training of individuals for the data collection, records and statistics on the trending of livelihood supports Read less

Discussion Topic BOOSTING NATURE POSITIVE FOOD PRODUCTION What actions in next 3 years will have greatest impact on the Discussion Topic? 1. Infrastructural development. 2. Establishment of Agricultural Processing Zones. 3. Strengthening of policy advocacy for a mind, policy and practice change to take place, from the traditional notion of food as a mere human need to the contemporary notion of food as a fundamental human right in Nigeria. 4. The quick passage of the Right to Food Bill (SB 240) pending before the National Assembly. 5. Intensification of Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) practice... Read mores and reforestation 6. Guaranteeing of the regeneration of our ecosystems and nature and to substantial reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. 7. Creation of National Agricultural Development Fund. 8. Creation of effective relationship between the federal and state governments for agricultural development. What contributions will our organisations make? Our organisations will help in: i. Policy formulations and implementations. ii. Putting Legislation and enforcements. iii. Ensuring compliance: through improved budget oversight by National Assembly iv. Strengthening the policy process (Policy framework) v. Investing in new farming technology (biotechnology, Tissue Culture and Genome editing)—from better seeds to digital tools to machinery How will it be possible to tell if these actions are being successful? • Operationalized transformative and smart partnerships. • Improvement in the Functionality and effectiveness of Food System. • Improved security-ability of farmers moving freely to their farms • Ability of Nigeria participating in global trade without challenge Read less

Discussion Topic Shift to Healthy and Sustainable Consumption Patterns What actions in next 3 years will have greatest impact on the Discussion Topic? Strand 1: Reducing hunger and inequality  Reduction of post-harvest losses through enhanced and improved storage and processing mechanisms.  Productivity should be targeted at specific crops with comparative advantage in the state. Some of them are; maize, cassava, oil palm, cashew nuts, poultry, udara, vegetables etc  Provision of hard and soft Infrastructure such as Power, Road networks, Transportation, Security, Processing Facilities... Read more, etc. Strand 2: Increasing availability and affordability of nutritious foods  Enhanced productivity through provision of mechanization by government and with the assistance of fabricators, partners and investors.  Offtake through the Home-grown School Feeding Programme (HGSFP) of the Federal Government and other programmes. Strand 3: Ensuring safe food  Efficient preservation of available foods, as well as value addition though processing for extended shelf life Cross-Cutting NIL What contributions will our organisations make?  Researchers and research organizations should uncover and validate new and hidden varieties  Government and the organized private sector should empower scientists and monitor their activities  Government should improve on Imo State’s research and development base through inter-ministerial collaboration and partnerships  Government should prioritize public-private partnerships. At the present time, the private sector and its private capital is looking to invest its resources in profitable ventures.  Government and relevant agencies should sensitize farmers and other stakeholders on nutritional benefits of healthy food, as well as consequences of unhealthy diets. This sensitization should be targeted specifically at youths and women through appropriate channels like periodic town hall meetings  The legislature should lock in policies to ensure continuity  Government should support and fund technological advancements through targeted policies. How will it be possible to tell if these actions are being successful?  The Imo State government has kick-started the process of developing its rural infrastructure through the Special Agro-Industrialization Processing Zones Project (SAPZ)  Underscoring of key performance indicators (KPIs) and critical players  Evolving of targeted timelines  Periodic monitoring and evaluation which can be formal and informal Some of these indicators are; Increased production Targeted Processing and Value Addition Sensitization through workshops, town-hall meetings, adverts, tv programmes Infrastructural and rural development Nutrition Security Read less

Discussion Topic [ENSURING ACCESS TO SAFER AND NUTRITIONAL FOOD FOR ALL] What actions in next 3 years will have greatest impact on the Discussion Topic? Strand 1: Reducing hunger and inequality;  Addressing the inequalities around access to agricultural inputs by • Ensuring women and vulnerable populations have access to inputs • Land Tenure System improvement. • Provision of fertilizers and loans to rural, small holder farmers. • Access to loans for small holder farmers. • Improvement of Social Services in the rural communities and equitable distribution of farm implements and in... Read moreputs  Using modern technologies to scale agricultural production  Preservation and processing of farm produce to make sure that they stand the test of time through the provision of silos and food processing factories at the local government areas.  Improved security for the farmers to curtail the Farmer/Herder clashes Strand 2: Increasing availability and affordability of nutritious foods: - Creation of public awareness on improved varieties that will yield more nutritious content e.g fortified foods and biofortified varieties - Increase in income through increased employment opportunities leading to poverty reduction - Increase in Nutrition Education and awareness to teach the importance of eating adequately - Family support for exclusive breastfeeding and complementary feeding - Planting of improved near-extinct varieties of food trees - Guidelines to advice and educate individuals on what to consume Strand 3: Ensuring Safe food: - Avoid the use of insecticides and pesticides in the cultivation and preservation of crops. - Encourage the use of organic fertilizers /manure. - Avoid the consumption of sick or dead animals. - Ensure the adherence of food safety compliance at abattoirs and markets - Consumer protection Agency should look into what food manufacturers claim. - The food outlets/vendors should be trained and retrained on best food practices - Exclusive Breast feeding which is safe for children under 6-months should be encouraged. - Provision of safe water. Strand 1: Reducing hunger and inequality;  Addressing the inequalities around access to agricultural inputs by • Ensuring women and vulnerable populations have access to inputs • Land Tenure System improvement. • Provision of fertilizers and loans to rural, small holder farmers. • Access to loans for small holder farmers. • Improvement of Social Services in the rural communities and equitable distribution of farm implements and inputs  Using modern technologies to scale agricultural production  Preservation and processing of farm produce to make sure that they stand the test of time through the provision of silos and food processing factories at the local government areas.  Improved security for the farmers to curtail the Farmer/Herder clashes Strand 2: Increasing availability and affordability of nutritious foods: - Creation of public awareness on improved varieties that will yield more nutritious content e.g fortified foods and biofortified varieties - Increase in income through increased employment opportunities leading to poverty reduction - Increase in Nutrition Education and awareness to teach the importance of eating adequately - Family support for exclusive breastfeeding and complementary feeding - Planting of improved near-extinct varieties of food trees - Guidelines to advice and educate individuals on what to consume Strand 3: Ensuring Safe food: - Avoid the use of insecticides and pesticides in the cultivation and preservation of crops. - Encourage the Read less

• South East experience shocks and stresses such as flooding, soil erosion and more recently bouts of insecurity • Diets consumed in the south east is laden with starchy staples and needs to be diversified • Over 60% of the farmers in the South-East are women who are disproportionately limited in terms of access to productive resources • Consumption of healthy diets needs focus on production and availability of healthy and safe foods • Consumer education is important to instruct and inform consumers • Budgetary release of funds for capital projects is low • The South east needs t... Read moreo develop and implement Social Investment Programmes that take into consideration the vulnerable groups and are wide spread. • The region has active Agro-Processing Zones which farmers are encouraged to take advantage While these transformations will be a journey, we must start by taking some strategic and immediate transition steps – the suggested steps include • Development of agro processing zones and Institution of cooperatives and off taker systems for communities • Collaboration across sectors • Addressing vulnerabilities through social investment programmes • Innovation in agricultural processing e.g. hydroponics, drip irrigation and mechanization of agriculture, biotechnology and genome editing • Review of existing policies limiting access to resources e.g. the Land Tenure System/Land Use Act. Enforcement of court rulings which grants women right to inherit land • The Food supply chain needs to be shortened to reduce middlemen and ensure that farmers have adequate value for agricultural products • Improved Nutrition Education in schools, hospitals and marketplaces • Promotion of exclusive breastfeeding and appropriate complementary feeding practices • Promotion of Good Agricultural Practices including conservative use of chemicals and processing methods • Strengthen local regulatory agencies to enforce and monitor food production, processing and packaging for safer food consumption • Reduction of food losses and wastes through innovative food storage and processing methods from the point of harvest to the point of consumption • Home gardening to ensure increased access to nutritious foods all year round • Linking farmers with large markets in existing initiatives of the government such as HGSFP, Prisons and large institutions • Development of robust M&E systems that also highlights the key indicators to track development and programme implementation • Improving access to health care for all through strengthening of the primary health care system • Advocacy to government, religious leaders, key stakeholders 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 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 livelih... Read moreood 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 Imo and Abia States and also making outcomes and recommendations for the advancement of the Food System in the South East and Nigeria as a whole. The focus of this meeting was achieved by an exploration of the five (5) action tracks as they pertained to the South-East. Five facilitators who are skilled in the action tracks led participants on discussions on the 5 action tracks as they relate to the South-East. Read less