Nepal - Stage 2
Major focus
Government of Nepal, National Planning Commission (NPC), organized the provincial Food Systems Dialogue of Bagmati Province on 30th June 2021 on the theme Nepal towards an equitable, resilient and sustainable food system. Hon Dr. Krishna Prasad Oli, Member of National Planning Commission and National Convenor delivered the welcome speech and opening remarks. Ms. Sabnam Shivakoti, Secretary, Ministry of Land Management, Agriculture, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation (MoLMACPA) and Provincial Dialogue Curator, curated the dialogues. Major focus of the dialogue was to engage stakeholders for a
... Read more comprehensive exploration of food systems in Nepal as part of the process for the UN Food Systems Summit 2021. The specific objectives of the dialogue were to; • raise awareness and promote public discussion on the food systems, • examine current situation and identify key aspects of Nepalese food systems, such as the drivers, actions, pathways, and • explore opportunities for food system to make it equitable, sustainable and resilient. Total of 125 participants attended the event representing different stakeholder groups, background, institutions, and professions. In order to generate focused dialogues and collect the specific inputs, participants were assigned to respective Action Track (AT) Groups after a brief opening session in the plenary. The AT coordinators, facilitators, co-facilitators, and rapporteurs facilitated the dialogue process and documented the success outcomes. Each AT Group had proposition and reference questions to engage in dialogue and provide inputs as follows: AT 1 Proposition: Increased agriculture productivity and develop sustainable food chain for affordable safe, healthy, and nutritious diet to improve levels of nutrition, ensure all people to be well nourished and healthy and achieve zero hunger. AT2 Proposition: Enabling, inspiring and motivating people to enjoy healthy and sustainable consumption options; Slashing food loss and waste; and transitioning to a circular economy through advancing in technological, environmental, economic, social, regulatory, and institutional fronts. AT3 Proposition: Protect natural ecosystems from new deforestation and conversion for food and feed production; manage sustainably existing food production systems; restore degraded ecosystems and rehabilitate soil function for sustainable food production. AT4 Proposition: Developing inclusive and diverse food systems that contribute to the elimination of poverty and food and nutrition insecurity by creating jobs, raising incomes across food value chains; protecting and enhancing cultural and social capital; reducing risks for the poorest and increasing value distribution. AT5 Proposition: Developing inclusive and equitable food systems to ensure that all people within a food system are empowered to prepare for, withstand, and recover from instability and participate in a food system that, despite shocks and stressors, delivers food security, nutrition, and equitable livelihoods for all. AT6: Referring to the overarching legal document developed based on the constitutional provision, Right to Food and Food Sovereignty Act (2018), is considered as a legal framework. Hence, this Act and related policies are the key to strengthen food system governance and accountability and transform food system that is resilient, equitable and sustainable. Dialogue reference questions: Following 5 questions were presented to the participants to facilitate the dialogue: 1. What are the underlying causes/ barriers for achieving the stated proposition? 2. What are the key drivers of unsustainable food system? 3. What actions in the next 3 years will have greatest impact on the Discussion Topic? 4. How will it be possible to tell if these actions are being successful? 5. What are the role and responsibilities of the food system actors including those of the federal, provincial, and local Governments in sustainable food system transformation in Nepal? Read less
Action Track(s): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Keywords: Data & Evidence, Environment and Climate, Governance, Human rights, Policy, Women & Youth Empowerment