Independent Dialogue
Geographical focus:
No borders
Major focus
To feed its growing population amid climate change and other challenges, Africa needs a flourishing food system that is nutrition-sensitive, efficient, safe, healthy, and environmentally sustainable. This requires bringing modern technologies to local communities, helping stakeholders to acquire the relevant technical know-how, and building strong partnerships and institutions. Developed countries around the world, including Japan, can play important roles in these efforts. Disseminating modern technologies and enhancing knowledge and skills among Food Systems Actors are important components o
... Read moref these efforts. Different models exist for agricultural extension and advisory services (AEAS). Considering these challenges in today’s global food systems, it is paramount that more consideration is given to the important role of AEAS as the primary enablers of enhancing knowledge and skills of food systems actors. Enhancing the effectiveness of AEAS, and providing relevant research and field evidence will require bold actions and new mindsets directed at enhancing human capital among food system actors to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. The Independent Dialogue was convened in partnership between the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and Sasakawa Africa Association (SAA) to discuss the role of AEAS for Food Systems Transformation in developing countries including Africa. Insights emerging from this multistakeholder dialogue will be presented to contribute to the United Nations Food System Summit (UNFSS) in September 2021. Transforming #foodsystems is among the most powerful ways to make progress toward all 17 #SDGS. The dialogue discussed the importance of enhancing knowledge and skills for a diverse set of actors for all aspects of food systems, with a focus on achieving sustainable, nutrition-sensitive, and market-oriented agriculture. The dialogue also highlighted measures related to AEAS that ensure equity, inclusion, capacity, innovation and sustainability, including insights on how food systems need to change to achieve no poverty (SDG 1), zero hunger (SDG 2), good health and well-being (SDG 3) through nutrition-sensitive agriculture, reduced inequalities (SDG 10) through enhanced human capital formation among vulnerable smallholder farmers, responsible production and consumption (SDG 12) through relevant knowledge and technology disseminations, climate action (SDG 13) through climate-smart agriculture. This pre-UNFSS2021 session therefore sought to achieve the following goals: • Explore how extension can best contribute to promoting climate-resilient sustainability, nutrition-sensitive agriculture, and market access; answering the following questions: what knowledge and skills do farmers require in these areas? What are the priority actions for countries, funders, managers, and implementers to improve extension for these areas? • Share what SAA and IFPRI are learning, as implementers and researchers, in these areas • Highlight ongoing IFPRI-Japan collaboration in the areas of AEAS applications • Prepare for a virtual summit side event for the Food Summit (by bringing recommendations from the dialogue to the Summit for action) Read less
Action Track(s): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Keywords: Data & Evidence, Environment and Climate, Finance, Governance, Innovation, Policy, Women & Youth Empowerment