Explore Official Dialogue Feedback

Our first four Bites of Transfoodmation workshops showed us the need for a change of narrative, with a greater emphasis on espousing diversity, whilst nurturing a culture of empowerment, reconsidering our habitats and reassessing the value of food through the lens of a true cost approach. We acknowledged that shifting the status of food from a commodity to a public good can help in contemplating its true cost and value and we recognized that a new perspective in the way to produce, process and distribute food, orientated towards achieving healthy and sustainable diets for all, will lead to pro... Read morefound systemic changes. Existing inequalities both in terms of access to knowledge and income often result in affordability and accessibility issues, with the risk of strengthening divisive narratives and limiting space for drawing useful lessons out of food systems in complex environments. During this Independent Dialogue, we decided to focus on the Manifesto and on some concrete projects and project ideas developed by the participants. After a short introduction, in which we recalled the journey already made together as well as the future path of this series of workshops, we created three groups around the following topics that have emerged since the beginning of the process: a) Narratives and advocacy & connectivity, knowledge, and digitalisation; b) Habitats and proximity & diversity and food systems; c) Renewed traditions and empowered culture & affordability and true value. Based on a draft version of the Manifesto, the goal was to find an inclusive, common and unifying language suitable for the whole group. After the group discussions, participants had the opportunity to present their projects to the plenary, in order to show possible future pathways and provide concrete lines of action. Read less

The areas of divergence are listed under outcome 2 above in the list of trade-offs identified. To summarize these two key areas of divergence were noted. It was also noted that participants felt that both of these 'divergences' could be explored further and that solutions could be found. 1. Local v Global The majority of economic output from Irish farms is for the export market, yet there was a recognition that local production of safe and nutritious food for local consumption also needs to be addressed. Balancing trade-offs in the local v. global debate is a real challenge for Irish stakehold... Read moreers. 2. Cost v. Value of sustainable food Does sustainable food need to be more expensive? What do we need to do to ensure producers get a fair price? What value do consumers place on food and will they be willing to pay more for sustainable food? Will the cost of sustainable food place unfair barriers to access for less well off households? Read less

First Steps These are the immediate actions identified by participants in moving towards Sustainable Food Systems • Establish a fully representative Food Systems Council • Create a framework that captures what we know, engages stakeholders and addresses gaps, aiming for incremental improvement. • Develop education/awareness/behaviour change programmes for consumers as a whole (not just schools) that explain sustainable food systems from production through to consumption. • Develop a process to manage the trade-offs to ensure progress and avoid unintended consequences. • Identify the ... Read morebiggest problems and target those with ambition to tackle them first. • Invest in research on how we can deliver affordable sustainable food • Implement transparency in the supply chain to ensure equity to all stakeholders • Address the issue of food waste. • Sense of urgency is required, but we must bring all stakeholders along the journey. • Invest in local food systems development • Use taxation of unhealthy and unsustainable foods to finance sustainable food system initiatives • Increase funding to horticulture and other underrepresented sectors. • Raise awareness, educate and empower consumers on the 'value' of food • Greater regulation of marketing and promotion of 'sustainable' foods. • Greater investment in emerging technologies and foods to assess their sustainability credentials. • Budgets for research need to be aligned with a vision for where our food system will be in 10 years. • Refocus investment on nutrient content, quality (nutrition) and value addition and away from volume of production. • Increase the production of more nutrient dense foods by exploiting new plant varieties, better animal genetics and better crop husbandry to deliver better outcomes with minimal additional cost. Read less

Barriers / Trade-Offs The following are paraphrased from the Dialogues • “The current absence of hard scientific evidence and baselines for sustainability makes it difficult to understand sustainability. This leaves room for ambiguity in what is ‘sustainable’ which erodes trust between food system actors” • “Does sustainable food have to mean more expensive food?” • “With only 37% of Irish farmers being economically viable, what might be the impact on the rural economy if food prices don’t increase? • “Terms like green, natural and sustainable have become hijacked, ho... Read morew can we build credibility for consumers?” • “We shouldn’t assume that all fresh and locally produced foods have the same nutritional benefit” • “Most Irish produce is targeted at the export market. What effect is Irish produce having on consumers and producers in our target markets?” • “Will promoting local and organic provide the economic returns for Irish farmers who rely on exporting 90% of what they produce”. • “How is animal welfare reflected in our measures of sustainability, if at all?” • “Are the voices of Irish farmers being engaged effectively in policy discussions and are they being given equal weight to other stakeholders”. • “What is the real price of sustainable food and will consumers be willing to pay it? If not, who will?” • “What value do consumers place on food and is this really reflected in the cost?” • “Should we tax highly processed low nutrient foods and if so, would this disproportionately affect consumers with lower incomes? Is this equitable?” • “Cheap food is a driver of food waste.” • “Ireland is taking a piecemeal approach to the Food System with multiple separate strategies and institutions doing disparate things. Do we need to take a different approach and develop a Food Systems Policy?” • “The EU’s and Ireland’s policy debate needs more input from individuals, farmers and consumers, but policy and its jargon make participation unattractive for effective engagement”. • “Is CAP a potential catalyst for more sustainable production practices or is it a barrier to them? What measures could be included in CAP (or other policies) to support farmers to engage in more sustainable practices at farm level?” • “Is decreasing the national herd the only way to simultaneously reduce emissions, increase biodiversity, improve water quality and ensure food security, both in Ireland and globally and if so, how can this be reconciled with the current agri-food growth strategy?” • “Most funding goes towards the ‘traditional’ sectors of dairy and meat. Building expertise and capacity in other sectors will take time and money.” • “Can legislation and regulation stay ahead of new product development?” Read less

The Vision This is what a Sustainable Food System should include according to participants • A definition of Sustainable Food based on science, that recognizes natural production and is clear and unambiguous. • Healthy and nutritious food available at affordable prices that delivers safe and nutritious outcomes for all consumers • A food system that is equitable to all actors (in terms of economic returns, decision making power and onus to change) • Zero emissions and waste through a functioning circular economy • A food system that enhances biodiversity and improves soil and water q... Read moreuality. • A food system that supports socially sustainable communities • Strong Animal welfare systems • Increased consumption of healthy, nutrient rich foods • Consumption of meat and dairy (animal products) linked to nutritional guidelines • Consumers who understand the real value of food • Clear, user friendly food labelling and credible marketing claims • Proactive consumers demanding clarity on what they are eating, prioritising their health and safety. • We need to have the capacity to manage and respond to the unknown, unknowns as the food system changes rapidly. • Knowledge of the risks associated with new foods • Moving focus from “Farm to Fork” to “Soil to Gut” Read less

The main findings are detailed in the outcomes section. Discussions were facilitated using the design thinking approach and the outcomes reflect this. There was an initial component on participant's vision of what a sustainable and equitable food system might look like. This was followed with a discussion on what the barriers/trade/offs might be in achieving this vision. Finally we asked participants what might be the first steps we could take to achieve the vision.

Firstly we decided to focus on trade-offs as these are a great way of getting people to think about the consequences of what they are advocating for, decisions made and who they might effect rather than focusing on problems and solutions. Secondly, we split our Dialogues into two with one focused on sustainable and equitable consumption and one on sustainable and equitable production. These two topics were deliberately very broad to enable as much dialogue as possible. By having a very structured facilitation process we were able to manage the discussions without predetermining the topics.

There was broad consensus across the Dialogue participants on many priorities. The areas of divergence often were centred around differences in regional contexts and needs rather than significant ideological differences. Participants also noted a range of tensions that exist amongst different actors within a food system. These included: • Rising consumer expectations vs. farmers’ ‘on-the-ground’ realities (and need for secure livelihoods) • The promise of technologies (especially digitalisation) vs. the need to support farmers to be able to access them • The promise of mechanisatio... Read moren vs. its effect on employment opportunities for large rural populations • The need to respect local/traditional knowledge vs. the need to adapt practices in the face of climate change • Growing expectations for farm level management of landscapes vs. the need for farmers’ incentives and capacity to implement them • The need to acknowledge (and even celebrate) progress vs. the need for continued urgency in further innovation Read less

Action Track 5: Build resilience to vulnerabilities, shocks and stress The participants noted: • COVID-19 has revealed the interdependence of actors across food systems. • The pandemic has also revealed how innovations across the value chain have supported on-going production, from basic social distancing measures to shorter supply chains. • Sustaining market access and trade is key in supporting resilience – with access to information across the supply chain essential for anticipating bottlenecks or addressing overlaps. • Ensuring better and more consistently applied standards for p... Read morelanet and human health is also key. • Climate variability and change makes it harder to bounce back and also to adapt and transform when necessary. • Farmer needs resources and incentives to handle the additional responsibilities they are being tasked to deliver, for instance insurance, social safety nets and financing. Read less

Action Track 4: Advance equitable livelihoods The participants noted: • Farmer livelihoods must be considered in balance with the demands of purchasers and their consumers. • Farmers need access to markets, innovation, training and finance. • Farmers must collaborate more effectively (e.g. via cooperatives) to have a larger voice in policy discussions and to be able to access bigger markets or partnerships • There is an urgent need for metrics that make it easier to measure progress and outcomes.

Action Track 3: Boosting nature-positive production The participants noted: • Agriculture is not the enemy; it is a solutions provider. There are win-win solutions that exist. • It is challenging to identify clear recommendations that are scalable globally yet adaptable to local conditions. • Access to technology does not need to be regulated globally: different technology will be beneficial in different locations. • Farmers are not getting sufficient recognition for the continual improvements being made. • New technologies are already helping farmers ‘grow more from less’, from ... Read moredisease detectors and moisture sensors to plant breeding innovations that increase productivity and lower the carbon footprint. • Climate change is making it harder for farmers to know how to manage their production reliably and efficiently, for instance late rains washing away seeds that have just been planted. • Farmers need support, in terms of incentives and research support, if they are to be tasked with carbon sequestration on their farms. • Digital solutions are driving progress in precision agriculture. Read less

Action Track 2: Shift to sustainable consumption patterns The participants noted: • Farmers and consumers need to be better connected, not only in terms of market access but also in terms of mutual understanding, which in turn informs consumer behaviour and expectations. • Climate change is requiring more urgent and diverse need for innovation in terms of inputs, extension and access to information and finance. The policy environment must enable this. • Farmers need to be incentivised to adopt various practices, especially in terms of consumer demand. • To engage young people, it’s e... Read moressential to level the playing field. This is especially true for smallholder farmers struggling to access resources. Read less

Action Track 1: Ensure access to safe and nutritious food for all The participants noted: • Farmers need support (and a rationale) to grow and sell more nutritious varieties of crops. It’s a big risk to many farmers to change what they’re currently growing, and it’s not necessarily more profitable to do so. • Different regions experience different realities, both in terms of the agroecological and also the socioeconomic conditions where they operate. • Technology and innovation are key to helping farmers be more productive and also to reduce food loss and waste. • Educating consu... Read moremers from a young age about nutrition and food systems is key. • Support is needed not only at the farm level but across the entire agri-food value chain. Read less

The opening and closing sessions found broad consensus across the group around several key areas: • Young people will be most affected and will be most relevant in driving future progress across food systems. • Farmers will face heightened pressure to deliver on consumer expectations and also to compete with non-traditional productions systems like laboratories and urban facilities. • There is an urgent and continued need for robust data and innovation, and for food systems policies to be informed by and formulated based on science. • The connection between farmers and consumers needs ... Read moreto be strengthened so that we all understand better how and where our food comes from and the conditions that farmers navigate to produce our food each day. Read less

The theme of the Farming First Independent Dialogue was ‘What Farmers Need in Future Food Systems'. Five breakout sessions were organised, one for each of the Action Tracks. Farming First supporters, including farmers from four continents, were asked to select which of the five breakout sessions they would like to participate in, and facilitators were selected to run each of the breakout sessions. They were asked to first allow participants to introduce themselves, then to discuss specific challenges experienced by the participants in their work and the solutions they offer in support of far... Read moremers, then to discuss how these overlap into synergies or trade-offs (either by theme or by region) moving forward. Read less

•Our dialogue highlighted the existing tradeoffs which present 'sticking points' in the progress of food systems transformation. One such issue is finding the balance between the desire to reduce trade restricting non-tariff barriers (such as SPS and TBT measures) to allow developing countries greater access to more lucrative export markets and the need for such barriers to safeguard against harmful foods and prioritize food safety. •Most of the worlds farmers are smallholder farmers and through this dialogue, it was found that they needed a stronger voice at the negotiating table. Their i... Read morenterests should be prioritized moving forward in the discussions on food system transformation. Read less

•The repurposing of agricultural subsidies: It was agreed that a major overhaul of the current system of agricultural subsidies is needed to stop subsidizing “business-as-usual” which encourages unsustainable practices and start subsidizing “food system transformation”. •The internalization of negative environmental externalities in international food and agricultural trade. •The liberalization of agricultural trade, which will only become more important in light of the climate crisis and the inability of certain parts of the world to feed themselves.

• The main findings included that: (1) international trade in food and agricultural products is absolutely vital for global food security, and that its role would rise in importance in light of the climate crisis and the inability of some regions to feed themselves; (2) to “enable agricultural trade” it would be important to de-risk participation of smallholder farmers in GVCs, deploying adequate trade finance, technical support to meet standards in export markets, increased investment in infrastructure to support smallholder farmers with low rates of commercialization; (3) although inte... Read morernational food trade is a fundamental part of the food security puzzle a better understanding of the 'political economy of trade' is needed so that negotiations on the transformation of agricultural trade policy can progress. Read less

•The dialogue theme was 'Enabling Food Trade'. The discussion examined the role of trade policy in ensuring access to safe and nutritious food that is produced and consumed sustainably. The role of international trade in food will only rise in importance with the onset of greater climate change, where many more parts of the world will have to rely on trade for their food security.

Some areas of divergence stemmed from: • Agreeing on a suitable approach for the implementation of the Rights of Nature in Africa in view to achieving resilient and inclusive food systems in Africa. Some participants proposed a Top – Bottom approach while other insisted that a Bottom to Top approach will work best. • Controversies on which group should take leading role as an agent of change; individuals, women, youth, indigenous groups or community-based Organizations.