Explore Official Dialogue Feedback

The pork sector plays a fundamental role to achieve healthier, more resilient, equitable, inclusive and sustainable food systems and, therefore, to achieve the 2030 Agenda and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, which is why the meeting was convened the Food Systems Summit in 2021. With this Dialogue, the pork sector wants to contribute to the achievement of these objectives, transferring to society its commitment to the creation of more sustainable and resilient Food Systems, and to continue feeding the world while protecting the planet. Therefore, with this INTERPORC Dialogue, it seeks to ... Read moregive continuity to the first Dialogue organized in 2021, entitled "The livestock-meat chain and its compliance with the SDGs: future challenges." On this occasion, however, the topics covered are delved into and go further, based on the current state of the sector and the progress made to achieve a climate-neutral sector by 2050 and even more committed to sustainability in its triple aspect: environmental, economic and social. Nowadays, there is a complex food system made up of a wide variety of elements that we must take into account: social, economic, environmental, consumer demands... In this sense, the dialogue also analyzes the role that meat must play in any balanced diet, environmental requirements, the role of pig farming in rural areas, the progress made in areas such as innovation, food safety, traceability and the way in which these are strengthened through the support of new technologies. The Dialogue promoted by INTERPORC in 2022 takes place within a framework of very profound changes in the approach to global Agrifood Systems as a consequence of the successive crises that have been occurring, and have made the governance of food systems more difficult. But it is still essential to ensure the supply of food to a population in a strong growth process, in optimal conditions of price, quality and affordability. The COVID-19 Pandemic has led to a growth in hunger, malnutrition, inequality and poverty in the world. This has been intensified even more as a result of Russia's war against Ukraine, which has caused serious negative impacts on the availability of raw materials, fertilizers and energy, and the consequent increase in production costs and prices. Added to this are climate change, African swine fever, migratory tensions, transformations in geopolitical environments, etc. In this context, world trade constitutes a fundamental element to ensure the provision of affordable food in all types of markets; so that, in the future, it will be essential to reconcile food sovereignty with global agri-food chains, sustainability with production, agroscience with information and collective intelligence, etc. In summary, the need for strong food systems has become evident during the COVID-19 pandemic, in which the Spanish pork sector has maintained its commitment to providing the world with a healthy source of protein, despite the restrictions of the pandemic. The tragedy of the war in Ukraine has made the need for food security even more relevant. With this Dialogue, therefore, we want to encourage the sector's capacity to contribute to continue feeding the world, but also to protect the planet. Read less

Contemporary Western relationships with food systems no longer celebrate the food itself. Historically, food systems were a spiritual and cultural part of nearly all humans’ daily lives. As agricultural technology upgrades local productions to advance seed-saving and improve high yields, we must focus on socio-economic yet culturally sensitive approaches to ensure that traditional foods are not being genetically altered. COVID-19 Recovery Plans must address the distinct needs of Indigenous peoples, particularly Indigenous women, related to land rights, food security, and community production... Read more. Thus, land tenure issues for Indigenous women in Africa are crucial, as Indigenous women can lead to the growth of sustainable, organic, and climate-resilient agriculture. Although Indigenous women hold crucial knowledge and are critical stakeholders in preserving ecosystems, they are left behind. Women are key knowledge holders in our food systems, from production to transformation. Indigenous people, and Indigenous women, in particular, must be included as early stakeholders in the decision-making process -- from the planning to design to implementation and supported economically and socially. To implement these recommendations to the UN Summit on Food Systems, participants in the women's thematic dialogue called for programs designed by Indigenous peoples, particularly women, and a dedicated funding mechanism to implement the programs. The lack of recognition for communal land drives many Indigenous farmers to production methods with adverse environmental and health outcomes. It also accelerates deforestation by contributing to the marginalization of Indigenous farmers -- stakeholders with a traditional role in protecting ecosystems. As 90% of meat in Kenya and Tanzania still comes from Indigenous peoples, traditional methods are stressed and must adapt in a way that allows them to sustainably expand production. Must ensure that (1) there is enough livestock to provide for the community before (2) selling on external markets. Traditional consumption practices leave no one hungry. Among pastoralists and hunter gatherers, food production has been communal rather than individual. Thus, sharing with neighbors and other community members during times of surplus and receiving during times of deficit has been traditionally conductive to ensuring that everyone has equal access to food. Governments must recognize sustainable pastoral systems and their social, economic, and environmental contributions to regional food systems, ensure knowledge transfers to the next generation, and prioritize Indigenous peoples' organic food and traditional seed bank. As a part of this recognition, the voices of Indigenous pastoral farmers must be included in decision-making. Read less

Youth Recommendations: ● Improving Indigenous people's products and food value chains to enhance livelihoods; creating direct market linkages between farmers and consumers. ● As agricultural technology upgrades local productions to advance seed-saving and improve high yields, we must focus on socio-economic yet culturally sensitive approaches to ensure that traditional foods are not being genetically altered.

Traditional Knowledge Holders Recommendations: ● Loosen restrictions on the use of medicinal herbs among Indigenous peoples as they are central to Maasai health and nutrition in Kenya and Tanzania, alike. Indeed, these herbs are often used as substitutes for lost nutrients when people lack diverse foods. Traditionally, these are soul foods that, in African food heritage, are significant to cultural values. ● Traditional consumption practices leave no one hungry. Among pastoralists and hunter-gatherers, food production has been communal rather than individual. Thus, sharing with neighbors a... Read morend other community members during times of surplus and receiving during times of deficit has been traditionally conducive to ensuring that everyone has equal access to food. ● Pastoralism is one of the most sustainable modes of farming – and food systems – on the planet. Indeed, it is traditionally the extensive herding of livestock over rangelands. ● Hunter-gatherers managed their forests areas to ensure the availability of roots, fruits, leaves, barks of trees, and wildlife life. Recognition and strengthening of these systems would be critical. They practiced seasonal, vertical migration in forests areas year-round. During warmer months, they move up the montane forests and during colder months they moved to the lower grounds. The migrations were informed by the abundance of flowers for honey and wildlife which also followed the seasons. Recognition of traditional knowledge on food would therefore be key to safeguarding food and nutrition. Read less

Women Thematic Group Recommendations: ● The health crisis stems from our lack of living in harmony with nature. We need capacity building and upscaling for smallholder agricultural practices in line with Indigenous traditional knowledge to protect our food and identity at the grassroots level. ● Many communities around the world do not embrace traditional food systems and Indigenous technology in Indigenous food systems. As a tool to fight food insecurity and hunger, acknowledging the traditional food production system is crucial. Despite including various traditional practices for environ... Read moremental preservation, pastoralism, and seasonal food production, for example, are not meaningfully recognized or included in curricula. Read less

The Dialogue revealed constituent-specific concerns such as land rights for women and cross-cutting matters that emerged in each independent thematic dialogue, such as intergenerational issues and the importance of preserving ancestral knowledge. The White Wiphala Paper Indigenous Peoples Food Systems supports the distinct yet converging nature of the food crises for Indigenous peoples, calling for the Summit to use an intersectionality lens. In real terms, Dialogue participants across the thematic sessions expressed collective interests while calling for land rights regimes, enhanced and targ... Read moreeted funding mechanisms, and governance that recognizes the needs of Indigenous women and pastoralists as groups with distinct challenges. In developing the global Indigenous Peoples’ position to the Summit Secretariat, policymakers must also consider the distinct regional barriers to implementing international and national provisions for the protection of Indigenous food systems in Africa. In particular, participants in the thematic dialogue on women called for governments to recognize the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), specifically provisions relevant to the food systems of Indigenous people such as Articles 3, 18, 20, and 26 that acknowledge the collective rights of Indigenous Peoples to lands, territories, and resources, the rights of Indigenous Peoples to maintain and strengthen their own institutions, and to pursue their self-determined development. The women’s thematic dialogue session, in particular, called on the Kenyan government to recognize the ruling by the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights in 2017 on the evictions of Ogiek people from their ancestral lands in the Mao Forest and implement remedial action, as outlined in the judgment. Read less

i) The Dialogue served as a platform to encourage new modalities for collaborative action for Indigenous Peoples across and within the African Region. ii) Concretize the right to food and food systems in the continent by presenting perspectives related to food systems that reflect the distinct experiences of Indigenous people from various regions of Africa iii) Clearly articulate the dynamics of the food crisis in the African region, identifying challenges and opportunities for Indigenous Peoples. iv) Aim to develop collective and regionally responsive recommendations ahead of the summit.

Please see our IAFSD Summary Report March 2022.