Explore Official Dialogue Feedback

Member State Dialogues: 487 Intergovernmental Dialogues: 6 Independent Dialogues: 671 Global Summit Dialogues: 10

This page allows anyone to explore responses from Dialogue Convenors to section 4 of the Food Systems Summit Dialogues Official Feedback Form. Section 4 is organised into 4 sub-sections that allow Convenors to detail the “Major Focus” of their Dialogue as well as the outcomes including the “Main findings”, “Outcomes for each Discussion Topic” and “Areas of Divergence”. Anyone can use this information to develop their own synthesis of Dialogue Feedback. For this reason, results can also be filtered by Action Track or keyword. Syntheses of Official Feedback must respect the Food Systems Summit Principles of Engagement and used in the context of the Dialogue that took place.

For researchers and advanced synthesis, an XML export is available here (last updated ).

Cambodia - Stage 1

Introducing Food Systems at a technical level to the ministries and institutions of the Royal Government of Cambodia

Discussion topic outcome

THE VISION FOR SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS FOR 2030 The vision should centre on ensuring sufficient safe and nutritious food for local needs of all Cambodians and a surplus for export. The farm to table approach should be promoted to manage food safety and quality. The food system should also be adapted to climate change and to reduced environmental impacts. Use local and indigenous crops and varieties to develop greater resilience in food systems and to promote nutrition. Maintain emergency reserves of seed and other supplies to assist farmers in the event of disasters. The food system should be... Read more independent and autonomous in food production and distribution and the management of waste. As much as possible the Cambodian food system should be independent of food from other countries. Promote local production. The promotion of local produce should also emphasize organic production methods. Read less

Action Track(s): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Keywords: Environment and Climate, Governance, Innovation, Policy

Cambodia - Stage 1

Introducing Food Systems at a technical level to the ministries and institutions of the Royal Government of Cambodia

Main findings

There is much discussion with ministries required to explain food systems, to determine the legitimacy of any outputs of the dialogue and the relationship of the vision and the roadmap to existing strategic planning. The dialogue will help determine the need for changes in the food system to promote sustainability and allow government, civil society and the private sector to discuss these matters. The dialogues will encourage thinking beyond existing approaches and recognition of new challenges. All stakeholders must join hands and act to address the issues of increasing population and demand ... Read morefor food, malnutrition in all forms, natural resource degradation and food losses and waste. Improved production capabilities have created surpluses of commodities for export and production continues to increase. The agriculture sector will focus on increasing the competitiveness of value chains; improving the resilience of infrastructure and trade facilitation; sustainable management of land, forests and fisheries; and improving the institutional and legal framework and capacities of human resources. In relation to food processing, the Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation provides technical support for factories and for small and medium enterprises involved in food services. MISTI is focused on value creation, an area for great potential increases in the contribution of agriculture to the national economy. The Ministry of Commerce and the Cambodia Import Export Inspection and Fraud Repression Directorate in particular are deeply involved in issues relating to governance of the trade aspects of the food system. The Ministry of Commerce also provides a virtual food reserve system under management of Green Trade, monitors and responds to fluctuations in food prices in the markets, controls food losses and wastage, and regulates markets for food safety and for consumer protection. The Ministries recognise the multi-agency system is complex and requires cooperation along the value chain to ensure food quality and safety standards. Read less

Action Track(s): 1, 2, 5

Keywords: Governance, Innovation, Policy

Cambodia - Stage 1

Introducing Food Systems at a technical level to the ministries and institutions of the Royal Government of Cambodia

Major focus

The focus of this event was to introduce the food systems dialogues to technical staff from the line ministries and relevant institutions, to provide a basic explanation for the food system and to give key ministries an opportunity to describe their role in food systems. The dialogue was very broad and designed to serve as an entry point for many government staff who are likely to be involved in the in-depth dialogues over coming months.

Action Track(s): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Keywords: Environment and Climate, Governance, Innovation, Policy

Independent Dialogue

UNFSS: Grassroots Perspectives from Asia & Africa

Geographical focus: No borders

Area of divergence

Despite the presence of diverse stakeholders from diverse geographies, there were no major areas of divergence during the Dialogue. There was a broad consensus on the main issues with our food systems and the direction of their transformation. All participants were in agreement on the main findings of the Dialogue, especially on the urgent need to shift to regenerative agriculture, to empower small producers and women through collectivization, to conserve and promote traditional knowledge and to improve access to resources for marginalized communities. There was also consensus on the ideal vis... Read moreion of a sustainable, equitable food system: which regenerates the environment, ensures decent incomes and livelihoods for producers, and facilitates access to and consumption of nutritious, safe food. Read less

Action Track(s): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Keywords: Environment and Climate, Finance, Governance, Policy, Women & Youth Empowerment

Independent Dialogue

UNFSS: Grassroots Perspectives from Asia & Africa

Geographical focus: No borders

Discussion topic outcome

The discussion prompts for Discussion Group 3 are given below: Action Track 4 - Advance Equitable Livelihoods • How do we increase employment and incomes for farm-centric, sustainable rural livelihoods? o Repurposed agricultural supports and subsidies? • How do farmers realise better prices? o Market reforms, infrastructure and linkages? o Support prices? o Strengthened local food value chains, wet markets? o Individual and collective enterprises? • Should this be complemented by a welfare approach? o Universal Basic Income or Direct Benefit Transfers? o Interest subvention? • Any othe... Read morer suggestions that AT4 or the other Action Tracks must include in their mandate? Action Track 5 - Build Resilience to Vulnerabilities, Shocks, and Stress • How do we prevent, cope with and mitigate the effects of shocks on vulnerable food systems actors (farmers, fishers, livestock owners)? o Social protection and safety net programmes? o Government level, community level? • Can we have food value chains resilient to economic and environmental shocks such as the recession or global pandemics? o Production-to-consumption? o Local food value chains? • How do we ensure food security for ecologically vulnerable and socially marginalised communities (such as indigenous farmers, coastal communities and nomadic pastoralists)? o Specific strategies? o Roles of communities, civil society, Governments? • Any other suggestions that AT5 or the other Action Tracks must include in their mandate? What are the synergies and trade-offs between ATs 4 and 5? What can be done to maximise synergies and minimise trade-offs? This group began the discussion by recognizing the complexity of the interconnections between various aspects of food systems. The importance of learning from nature, linking indigenous knowledge to modern science and disseminating it with the help of digitalization were also acknowledged. The participants then discussed the benefits of knowledge intensive and regenerative agriculture. This kind of agriculture encourages carbon sequestration, which in turn increases the groundwater table (for every gram of carbon sequestered, the soil can hold 8 grams more water). Regenerative agriculture also improves the soil microbiome. These can lead to greater resilience of farming to climate change and also decrease the chance of zoonosis like Covid-19. The practicalities of promoting and implementing regenerative agriculture were then discussed. A crucial question was how these schemes would be funded. Participants suggested linking grassroots organisations in need of funding with financial/donor institutions that are looking to finance green initiatives. An example was Microsoft, which recently gave 1 billion US dollars to companies that were showing long-term carbon sequestration, to help them achieve their net zero carbon goals. It was also necessary to empower communities and facilitate development that spreads from farmer to farmer. Women’s SHGs and farmers could be considered as the unit of knowledge transfer. Universities could be enlisted to provide financial and capacity building training to these communities. The idea that farming is a business that has to provide financial as well as ecological returns should be mainstreamed. Read less

Action Track(s): 4, 5

Keywords: Environment and Climate, Finance, Governance, Policy, Women & Youth Empowerment

Independent Dialogue

UNFSS: Grassroots Perspectives from Asia & Africa

Geographical focus: No borders

Discussion topic outcome

The discussion prompts for Discussion Group 2a are given below: Action Track 3 - Boost Nature-Positive Production • Can we improve crop intensity and productivity while protecting and restoring the environment? How? • Can we have production practices that help create resilience to climate change while also restoring degraded ecosystems? Examples? • What needs to be done to shift to nature-positive production? o Government steps to reduce the use of chemicals in agriculture and incentivise ecosystem services? o Local input-output shops, Champion Farmers, women’s SHGs, Farmers’ Collect... Read moreives, digital platforms? • Can we have nature-positive integrated production with sustainable, decent incomes and livelihoods to producers? Examples? • Any other suggestions that AT3 or the other Action Tracks must include in their mandate? The participants began by addressing the question of whether it was possible to shift to nature-positive production while maintaining productivity. The example of regenerative agriculture was brought up, which can be undertaken even in dryland ecologies. This type of production is environment friendly while also increasing productivity and profitability. A few participants spoke of their personal experience as farmers practicing conservation agriculture in India. They had seen improved yields, soil health and fertility and increased incomes. Another participant illustrated the experience of Thailand in implementing integrated land and water management in agriculture. The participants noted that traditional farming practices are also regenerative and scientific concepts such as permaculture and agroecology validate their significance. Thus, communities should be empowered to revive their indigenous knowledge to improve both human and planetary health. The participants then discussed the implementation and scaling challenges for nature-positive approaches. Currently, the commercialization of agriculture has led to chemical intensive mono-cropping. This can make communities more vulnerable to shocks such as drought and famine, as history has often demonstrated (for instance, the Irish potato famine). It was agreed that the first requirement for the transition was the empowerment of small farmers. This would require support through policy instruments and collectivizing institutions such as cooperatives and FPOs. The lack of access or affordability of organic inputs was another constraint preventing the large-scale adoption of nature-based production. The setting up of Bio-input shops at the local level (as in Andhra Pradesh) could be a policy instrument to encourage natural farming and boost the village economy. The involvement of youth was also considered crucial in facilitating the shift. The participants also recognised the importance of creating solutions that are sensitive to local contexts and ecologies. Read less

Action Track(s): 3

Keywords: Environment and Climate, Governance, Policy, Women & Youth Empowerment

Independent Dialogue

UNFSS: Grassroots Perspectives from Asia & Africa

Geographical focus: No borders

Discussion topic outcome

The discussion prompts for Discussion Group 2a are given below: Action Track 3 - Boost Nature-Positive Production • Can we improve crop intensity and productivity while protecting and restoring the environment? How? • Can we have production practices that help create resilience to climate change while also restoring degraded ecosystems? Examples? • What needs to be done to shift to nature-positive production? o Government steps to reduce the use of chemicals in agriculture and incentivise ecosystem services? o Local input-output shops, Champion Farmers, women’s SHGs, Farmers’ Collect... Read moreives, digital platforms? • Can we have nature-positive integrated production with sustainable, decent incomes and livelihoods to producers? Examples? • Any other suggestions that AT3 or the other Action Tracks must include in their mandate? In this discussion, participants concurred on the need to change the narrative around farming such that parents can actually encourage their children to pursue it. In most parts of Asia and Africa, farming is associated with pain and poverty. Moving away from conventional farming practices could help change this narrative to one of hope and productivity. Participants pointed out that current farming policy often incentivizes chemically intensive agriculture, and concrete actions need to be taken to encourage nature-positive approaches, such as minimum tillage and conservation agriculture. Rwanda’s Green Growers initiative was brought up as an example of such a policy action. Policy that incentivized funding for non-conventional agriculture was also crucial. The importance of indigenous knowledge was also recognised in this transition, as traditional farming practices were more ecologically sensitive and sustainable. There is an urgent need to actively conserve and promote such indigenous knowledge, which is rapidly dying out due to the pressures of food security and commercialization. The discussants then brought up the many implementation challenges that they had observed at the ground level. In the African context, smallholder farmers lack access to resources and policy support to make the transition to sustainable production. Intensive capacity building (such as educating farmers on effective farming practices) and providing access to resources (such as markets and value chains) were required to overcome these hurdles. Technology was also considered as a tool to increase access to resources, and to reduce the gender gap in agriculture. The participants agreed that any change had to be community-driven to be sustainable over time. Thus, communities needed to be empowered to take ownership of this transition through FPOs, women's SHGs and other collectivizing schemes. Informal/formal networks for resource and equipment sharing would also help make this transition sustainable over time. Read less

Action Track(s): 3

Keywords: Environment and Climate, Finance, Governance, Policy, Women & Youth Empowerment

Independent Dialogue

UNFSS: Grassroots Perspectives from Asia & Africa

Geographical focus: No borders

Discussion topic outcome

The discussion prompts for Discussion Group 1 are given below: Action Track 1 - Ensure access to safe and nutritious food for all • Is this feasible or a utopian wish? Can we do something towards this: o For all involved in food production (as farmers, agricultural labourers) o For rural communities? • What are the options to increase marginalised communities’ access to affordable, nutritious food? Would this be through food stamps, public distribution programmes, direct benefit transfers, or other measures? • How can we identify the major food safety issues (such as adulteration, cont... Read moreamination and antibiotic resistance) at production and post-production level? What are some of the low-hanging fruits that can be targeted to improve food safety? • Any other suggestions that AT1 or the other Action Tracks must include in their mandate? Action Track 2 - Shift to Sustainable Consumption Patterns • What constitutes Sustainable Consumption Patterns? How can we move towards them? o Stricter governmental regulations? Or awareness campaigns and corporate volunteerism? o Taxing foods that have an adverse impact on health (such as ultra-processed food and food high in salt, sugar and fat) o How do we understand the role of advertising in encouraging consumption of unhealthy foods? Can we employ advertising to also discourage unhealthy food consumption? • How do we tackle food waste at various levels – post-production stage, supply chain, consumer, and retail? • Is the circular economy approach feasible? Roles of community organizations, civil society? • Any other suggestions that AT2 or the other Action Tracks must include in their mandate? What are the synergies and trade-offs between ATs 1 and 2? How can they be maximized/minimised? Concerning AT1, the participants agreed that providing access to safe, nutritious food to all was achievable, but required significant policy shifts and ground level changes. One of the most important steps towards this is to localize food value chains and public distribution programmes. This would lead to less food loss, sustainable, nutrition-sensitive agriculture, and a more resilient food system. The participants highlighted the importance of building resilience in light of the Covid-19 pandemic, which severely undermined nutrition security for millions in Asia and Africa. Regarding the issue of food safety, the participants emphasized the importance of incorporating traditional, indigenous knowledge with scientific knowledge. This information should be disseminated to consumers through food safety awareness campaigns. The food safety polices and implementing bodies (such as FSSAI in India ) need to be strengthened to tackle systemic issues such as adulteration and chemical residues in food. Along with this, the safety of air and water should also be ensured, as they can affect the health benefits accrued from safe, nutritious food. The participants then addressed the issue of transitioning to sustainable and nutritious consumption patterns. Diversifying and localizing diets was seen as the way forward. Globalization and industrialization have resulted in increased consumption of processed foods in both Asia and Africa. This results in processed food being more affordable than fresh, organic produce, disproportionately affecting the health of the marginalized poor. Thus, governments should encourage the production and consumption of locally sourced foods. The group suggested producers and consumers should be organized into institutional collectives, which need to work together to better our food systems. Read less

Action Track(s): 1, 2

Keywords: Environment and Climate, Governance, Policy

Independent Dialogue

UNFSS: Grassroots Perspectives from Asia & Africa

Geographical focus: No borders

Main findings

The major findings from the Dialogue are detailed below: • Nature-positive Production - The shift to agro ecological approaches and nature-positive production systems (such as regenerative or conservation agriculture) needs to be taken up on a priority basis. This transition needs to go hand in hand with a change in the narrative around farming in the Global South. Agriculture is often associated with poverty, and adopting nature-based approaches could help change this to one of pride and joy. • Traditional Knowledge - Indigenous knowledge and traditional production practices should be con... Read moreserved and promoted, as they are nature-friendly and sensitive to local ecologies. This is often validated by modern science as well. Thus, indigenous and scientific knowledge should be considered equally important in research and policymaking. • Empowerment of Stakeholders – Any transition has to be community-driven to be sustainable over time. Thus, communities should be empowered to take ownership of this transition. This could be facilitated through capacity building and collectivizing schemes for specific stakeholders such as farmers, women, youth and consumers (such as women Self-Help Groups (SHGs), Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) and consumer co-operatives). • Improving Access and Affordability – One of the major challenges in implementing and scaling food systems initiatives is the lack of access or affordability of resources. On the consumption side, this manifests in lack of affordability/availability of safe, nutritious foods. On the production side, this could manifest in smallholder producers’ lack of access to knowledge or quality organic inputs. Thus, efforts should be directed towards improving access to resources for marginalized communities, through initiatives such as fair price shops or facilitating local production and sale of organic inputs. • Role of Technology – Digital technology can be a useful tool in disseminating information, improving access to resources, and reducing the gender gap in agriculture. • Funding – Funding for non-conventional food systems initiatives, such as regenerative agriculture, is often difficult to source. Linking grassroots organizations with donors or financial institutions that work in sustainable finance could be a solution. Banks and NBFCs should also be incentivized to provide credit to small farmers, for use in nature-positive production. • Need for continuous engagement - The engagement of relevant stakeholders on food systems issues should not be limited to the Dialogues or end with the Food Systems Summit, but continue as an essential part of food systems transformation. Read less

Action Track(s): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Keywords: Environment and Climate, Finance, Governance, Policy, Women & Youth Empowerment

Independent Dialogue

UNFSS: Grassroots Perspectives from Asia & Africa

Geographical focus: No borders

Major focus

As organizations that advocate for and work towards the interests of farmers and producers in India, we believed it necessary to organize an Independent Dialogue that would represent the farmers’ stakes in our food systems. The problems of unsustainable production, producer’s livelihoods, consumer welfare and the environment are often seen at odds with one another. However, these issues intersect for the farmer, who is both a producer and a consumer, and depends on the environment for his/her livelihood. This is especially important in the context of the Global South, where large populatio... Read morens depend on agriculture for their livelihood. Keeping this in mind, the focus of our dialogue was on ‘Building synergies between seemingly competing interests of production, consumption, livelihoods and the ecosystem’. The geographical scope of our dialogue was Asia and Africa. Although the two continents comprise diverse ecologies and cultures, there are many similarities in our food systems that made our discussion a rich source of insights and learning. As the focus encompassed several major aspects of our food systems, it was decided to have discussions organized around the five Action Track Discussion Starter papers. The five Action Tracks of the UNFSS served as the basis for the discussion topics. The Dialogue participants were requested to indicate an Action Track of their preference. As most of our participants indicated their preference for Action Tracks 1, 3 and 5, we decided to coalesce the Action Tracks into 4 Discussion groups: • Discussion Group 1 - AT1 (Ensure access to safe and nutritious food for all) and AT2 (Shift to sustainable consumption patterns) • Discussion Groups 2a and 2b - AT3 (Boost nature-positive production) • Discussion Group 3 - AT4 (Advance equitable livelihoods) and AT5 (Build resilience to vulnerabilities, shocks and stress) The Discussion Starter paper for their preferred Action Track was then shared with them, which formed the basis for the discussion. The objective of each group was to discuss the specific issues under the Action Tracks as well as the linkages (including trade-offs and synergies) with other Action Tracks. Each group also discussed the concrete actions/solutions that could be undertaken by different stakeholders in the food system, such as governments, producers, civil society and the food industry. Read less

Action Track(s): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Keywords: Environment and Climate, Governance, Policy, Trade-offs

Independent Dialogue

UNFSS: Grassroots Perspectives from India

Geographical focus: India

Area of divergence

Despite the presence of diverse stakeholders, there were no major areas of divergence during the Dialogue. There was a broad consensus on the main issues with our food systems and the direction of their transformation. All participants were in agreement on the main findings of the Dialogue, especially on the urgent need to shift to regenerative agriculture, to empower small producers and women, to decentralize the implementation of government schemes and to build consumer awareness. There was also consensus on the ideal vision of a sustainable, equitable food system: which regenerates the envi... Read moreronment, ensures decent incomes and livelihoods for producers, and facilitates access to and consumption of nutritious, safe food. Read less

Action Track(s): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Keywords: Environment and Climate, Governance, Human rights, Policy, Women & Youth Empowerment

Independent Dialogue

UNFSS: Grassroots Perspectives from India

Geographical focus: India

Discussion topic outcome

The discussion prompts for Discussion Group 5 are given below: Action Track 5 - Build Resilience to Vulnerabilities, Shocks, and Stress • How do we prevent, cope with and mitigate the effects of shocks on vulnerable food systems actors (farmers, fishers, livestock owners)? o Social protection and safety net programmes? o Government level, community level? • Can we have food value chains resilient to economic and environmental shocks such as the recession or global pandemics? o Production-to-consumption? o Local food value chains? • How do we ensure food security for ecologically vulnerab... Read morele and socially marginalised communities (such as indigenous farmers, coastal communities and nomadic pastoralists)? o Specific strategies? o Roles of communities, civil society, Governments? • Any other suggestions that AT5 must include in its mandate? • Any suggestions for other Action Tracks? Resilience and sustainability were two important keywords that anchored this discussion. The challenges of ensuring both resilience and sustainability, especially for marginalized and indigenous people, were discussed. Two closely linked approaches, of diversification and decentralization, emerged from the discussion. Diversity involved acknowledging the diversity of agro-ecologies in India and the world, and recognizing that diverse, localized approaches needed to be taken. Transitioning away from the monoculture, rice-wheat model of the Green Revolution would require crop diversification according to the local environment. This would not only ensure carbon sequestration but also lead to increased diversity of foods consumed. There was a consensus among the participants that production and consumption systems needed to be decentralized. This was further emphasized by the pandemic, where local supply chains became important. National and state policies needed to focus more on the principles of action and the outcomes rather than the inputs. Investing in local capacity building and consumer education would also facilitate decentralization. Read less

Action Track(s): 5

Keywords: Environment and Climate, Governance, Policy, Trade-offs

Independent Dialogue

UNFSS: Grassroots Perspectives from India

Geographical focus: India

Discussion topic outcome

The discussion prompts for Discussion Group 4 are given below: Action Track 4 - Advance Equitable Livelihoods • How do we increase employment and incomes for farm-centric, sustainable rural livelihoods? o Repurposed agricultural supports and subsidies? • How do farmers realise better prices? o Market reforms, infrastructure and linkages? o Support prices? o Strengthened local food value chains, wet markets? o Individual and collective enterprises? • Should this be complemented by a welfare approach? o Universal Basic Income or Direct Benefit Transfers? o Interest subvention? • Any othe... Read morer suggestions that AT4 must include in its mandate? • Any suggestions for other Action Tracks? In this discussion, there were two main overarching concerns: that farmers are perceived as only ‘beneficiaries’ and not as producers, service providers and risk-taking entrepreneurs; and how should we value farmers’ contribution to the economy and ecology? The share of rural India in the national GDP is much smaller than the share of its population. This implies that, even if farmers were to get their fair portion of the consumer rupee, it might not amount to a substantial income redistribution. This calls for a more expansive understanding of the valuation of farmers’ contribution, to include ecosystem services as well as their produce. The solutions discussed for the above mentioned concerns included strengthening the local, circular economy, ensuring better price realization for farmers and creating equitable systems of production. This will involve knowledge generation at the grassroots level, enterprise development and infrastructure, all of which would require public investment. Crucial to such a transition would be farmers’ collectives and women’s SHGs, as a large proportion of small and marginal farmers are women. An appreciation for the ecological services provided by farmers should also be inculcated through mass consumer education, implemented through digital technologies. Finally, it should be remembered that the farmer is also a consumer and nutrition security should be ensured for farming households. Read less

Action Track(s): 1, 4

Keywords: Data & Evidence, Environment and Climate, Finance, Governance, Policy, Women & Youth Empowerment

Independent Dialogue

UNFSS: Grassroots Perspectives from India

Geographical focus: India

Discussion topic outcome

The discussion prompts for Discussion Group 3 are given below: Action Track 3 - Boost Nature-Positive Production • Can we improve crop intensity and productivity while protecting and restoring the environment? How? • Can we have production practices that help create resilience to climate change while also restoring degraded ecosystems? Examples? • What needs to be done to shift to nature-positive production? o Government steps to reduce the use of chemicals in agriculture and incentivise ecosystem services? o Local input-output shops, Champion Farmers, women’s SHGs, Farmers’ Collecti... Read moreves, digital platforms? • Any other suggestions that AT3 must include in its mandate? • Any suggestions for other Action Tracks? The discussion centred on the question of what measures should be taken to shift towards nature-positive production. Many discussants highlighted certain regenerative agriculture approaches such as Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF), which has been implemented in states like Andhra Pradesh and Kerala. It was agreed that there is a lack of proper scientific evidence and poor documentation of traditional natural farming practices. These should be taken up on a priority basis and disseminated to both farmers and policy makers. The importance of local level collectives such as FPOs, women's Self Help Groups (SHGs) and cooperatives in bringing about the transition to natural farming on the ground was acknowledged. The role of the government in this transition was also discussed, in terms of incentivizing and subsidizing natural farming (such as compensation for ecosystem services) instead of chemical intensive agriculture. Participants also spoke about the consumption side of the issue, as increasing the market demand for natural produce is equally important. This could be done through consumer awareness and increasing the affordability of such produce. At the same time, farmers’ incomes needed to be remunerative. Providing quality bio-inputs at low cost was also crucial to increasing farmers’ margins. Read less

Action Track(s): 2, 3, 4

Keywords: Data & Evidence, Environment and Climate, Finance, Governance, Policy

Independent Dialogue

UNFSS: Grassroots Perspectives from India

Geographical focus: India

Discussion topic outcome

The discussion prompts for Discussion Group 2 are given below: Action Track 2 - Shift to Sustainable Consumption Patterns • What constitutes Sustainable Consumption Patterns? How can we move towards them? o Stricter governmental regulations? Or awareness campaigns and corporate volunteerism? o Taxing foods that have an adverse impact on health (such as ultra-processed food and food high in salt, sugar and fat) o How do we understand the role of advertising in encouraging consumption of unhealthy foods? Can we employ advertising to also discourage unhealthy food consumption? • How do we tac... Read morekle food waste at various levels – post-production stage, supply chain, consumer, and retail? • Is the circular economy approach feasible? Roles of community organizations, civil society? • Any other suggestions that AT2 must include in its mandate? • Any suggestions for other Action Tracks? This discussion on AT2 revolved primarily around the question of how to define sustainable consumption and how can we move towards it. It was decided that sustainable consumption patterns would entail sustainability not just for the environment and the human body, but also over time. For this, changes needed to be made not just in production systems and government regulations but also in consumer behaviour. There was an understanding that our current food systems encourage the consumption of unhealthy, processed foods, which are not only more affordable than fresh, healthy food but also more aspirational. The role of advertising was debated in this context and the discussants agreed that punitive measures such as regulating advertisements or taxing unhealthy foods needed to be supplemented by constructive measures such as building awareness and providing affordable alternatives. Discussants also questioned the role of government in regulating food choices and consumption, as the Right to Food is recognized by the Indian constitution. The consensus was that the government’s role should involve providing information and awareness to consumers while also implementing behaviour change interventions such as removing sugary foods from checkout counters and promoting indigenous foods and kitchen gardens in schools. Government schemes and systems that are already in place, such as mid-day meals and Anganwadis, can be used to facilitate sustainable consumption at the local level. The discussants then returned to the question of who should decide the standards for healthy and sustainable diets. Everyone agreed that, while national frameworks are necessary, they need to be flexible to be adopted within local cultural and environmental contexts. Indigenous and traditional foods, wherever supported by science, should be promoted. The question of food waste was also discussed. The participants agreed that shorter value chains and the farm-to-fork approach would help in tackling food waste. Circular economy approaches should also be promoted, not just in terms of food but the overall capital of a community. The government could also play a role by regulating the food waste of food retail businesses, through certifications or ratings. Read less

Action Track(s): 2

Keywords: Data & Evidence, Environment and Climate, Governance, Human rights, Policy

Independent Dialogue

UNFSS: Grassroots Perspectives from India

Geographical focus: India

Discussion topic outcome

Action Track(s): 1

Keywords: Environment and Climate, Governance, Human rights, Policy

Independent Dialogue

UNFSS: Grassroots Perspectives from India

Geographical focus: India

Main findings

The major findings from the Dialogue are detailed below: • The shift to agro ecological approaches and nature-positive production systems needs to be taken up on a priority basis. Scientific evidence and documentation of regenerative production practices are essential to facilitating this shift in policymaking and governance. • Although there is a need for a national level policies that facilitate the shift towards sustainable production and consumption, their implementation should be decentralized. National policies need to be flexible to accommodate the needs of local communities and the... Read more specificities of regional ecologies. • For decentralized implementation to be effective, local institutions and human resources need to be mobilized. In consumption, this can be done through existing government schemes such as the Public Distribution System (PDS), Anganwadi and mid-day meal schemes. • Empowerment of the community, and specific stakeholders such as farmers, women and consumers, should be encouraged through women's Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) and consumer co-operatives. • Although there is a broad understanding of the problems in food systems, there is a strong need for workable, context specific solutions. The participants were requested to share breakthrough solutions that are already being implemented on the ground (some of these solutions are attached with this form). • Importance of diverse perspectives - The participants were also encouraged to hold similar dialogues with the stakeholder groups they work with, such as farmers, youth, indigenous people and women, so that these perspectives are also reflected in the Food Systems Summit. • Need for continuous engagement. It was also agreed that the engagement of relevant stakeholders on food systems issues should not be limited to the Dialogues or end with the Food Systems Summit, but continue as an essential part of food systems transformation. Read less

Action Track(s): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Keywords: Environment and Climate, Governance, Policy, Women & Youth Empowerment

Independent Dialogue

UNFSS: Grassroots Perspectives from India

Geographical focus: India

Major focus

As organizations that advocate for and work towards the interests of farmers and producers, we decided to organize an Independent Dialogue that would represent the farmers’ stakes in our food systems. In India, while there are separate policies on agriculture, food security and nutrition, the food systems approach is lacking. The problems of unsustainable production, producer's livelihoods, consumer welfare and the environment are often seen at odds with one another. However, these issues intersect for the farmer, who is both a producer and a consumer, and depends on the environment for thei... Read morer livelihood. Keeping this in mind, the focus of our dialogue was on ‘Building synergies between seemingly competing interests of production, consumption, livelihoods and the ecosystem’, in the Indian context. As the focus encompassed several major aspects of our food systems, it was decided to have discussions organized around the five Action Track Discussion Starter papers. The participants were assigned to five discussion groups based on their preference, which would each explore an Action Track. The objective of each group was to discuss the specific issues under each Action Track as well as the linkages (including trade-offs and synergies) with other Action Tracks. Each group also discussed the concrete actions/solutions that could be undertaken by different stakeholders in the food system, such as governments, producers, civil society and the food industry. Read less

Action Track(s): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Keywords: Environment and Climate, Governance, Policy, Trade-offs

Independent Dialogue

Arab Regional Food Systems Dialogue

Geographical focus: Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon

Area of divergence

The participants were knowledgeable of the main challenges in the region and stressed on the need to have urgent action and implementation.

Action Track(s): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Independent Dialogue

Arab Regional Food Systems Dialogue

Geographical focus: Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon

Discussion topic outcome

• Provision of financing mechanisms • Focus specializations in universities based on qualifications and available resources • Create youth leadership positions • Encourage self-production and educating consumers about the importance of supporting local products • Improving practical education on agriculture in communities, homes and buildings so that everyone can produce food • Strengthen effective social protection networks based on sustainable financial resources and enhance the concept of social security through the preparation and support of the food basket and food banks • I... Read morentegrate social justice in the distribution and allocation of agricultural resources (land and water) • Implement digital solutions such as e-commerce platforms, digital payments and simple digital technologies to enable smallholders to access data and knowledge to make timely and informed decisions and to connect them directly with markets and finance • Focus on vulnerable groups, especially small farmers through providing support and financing and introducing modern technologies that increase productivity and production and improve their income. • Integrate disaster risk reduction considerations into sustainable development strategies and policies to mitigate losses. • Support animal breeders • Activate the role of food cooperatives • Resolve local and regional conflicts and alleviate the effects of wars, disasters and political sanctions to shift focus on productivity rather than conflicts • Provide basic services in the countryside and enhance the methods and tools of rural finance so that the rural producers can enter the countryside and engage in production • Support agri-food microfinance projects such as microfinance banks • Facilitate access to agricultural lands for young women • Promote and support women and youth participation in value chains by providing capital and financing mechanisms to invest in agriculture, as well as creating job opportunities and developing needed skills such as negotiation and project management. • Use of modern technology, creating appropriate conditions for rural employment, and ensuring the sustainability of supply chains for various agricultural products. • Review national legislations and regulations and integrate environmental protection policies adapting to climate change and limiting its effects, in line with the economic and social conditions of each Arab country. Read less

Action Track(s): 4

Keywords: Data & Evidence, Environment and Climate, Finance, Human rights, Innovation, Policy, Women & Youth Empowerment

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