Independent Dialogue
Geographical focus:
Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Côte D'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia (Republic of The), Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Main findings
The key finding from the dialogue is consensus around the following actions agenda that countries need to domesticate: -Ensure multistakeholder and multisectoral coordination across government departments in order to reflect the interconnectedness of food systems transformation: African countries that have shown a measure of success in transforming aspects of their food systems show that well-coordinated national-level policies can facilitate success. Working with stakeholders from research institutions, civil society, the private sector, and development partners further ensures that there is
... Read morea common vision and that polices have “buy in” across interventions, therefore making them more impactful. -Facilitate evidence-based and guided experimentation and innovation of policies and accelerated science capacity for technical solutions supporting broad food systems change: There is neither one single policy nor a unique mix of strategies that can deliver change across all objectives of a food system. Rather, policymakers will be required to forge new pathways to build sustainable, resilient, and prosperous food systems that deliver healthy and nutritious diets, improve livelihoods, and protect the environment. -Institutionalize monitoring, evaluation and learning for impactful planning and implementation: Even with disruptive innovations, systemic change must be an iterative process. While agile institutions have responded quickly to emerging threats and opportunities it is also essential that institutions integrate a framework for learning, in order to enhance long-term planning and implementation. Learning goes beyond accountability; it also includes a reflective environment and one that is open to failures, if only to learn from them. As policymakers transition into the use of a food systems approach, they will be required to be both introspective and outward looking. In this respect, a central role is played by reliable monitoring, evaluation, and data systems. -Integrate food systems transformation into long-term national vision, growth and development agendas: Food systems, their challenges, and their opportunities are not homogenous across countries. Each country must prioritize its specific needs and objectives within a framework that affords it the creativity to innovate as new knowledge, ideas, processes, and systems are developed and become available. At the same time, a food systems transformation is unlikely to be rapid. Policymakers must therefore seek to elevate the transformation process beyond the impulses of political administrations. Integrating food systems transformation (including specific targets) into the long-term national vision can help transcend politics and make the transformation a national priority. This in turn builds certainty for investors and for other stakeholders who are engaged in the process; it also enables the continuity of the work required to transform food systems at the national level. -Enhance CAADP indicators to reflect the complexity of food systems: This report identifies selected indicators from the CAADP Biennial Review by which to assess a country’s vision and its progress toward food systems transformation. Policymakers, however, now have an opportunity to lead a continent-wide strengthening of the CAADP process. While the CAADP has undoubtedly focused national efforts in transforming agricultural sectors, it is now timely to adopt a more systemic view of food systems transformation and to go beyond the CAADP’s current ambition of agricultural growth and transformation. Additional indicators are needed which better measure and reflect food systems’ interconnectedness with the environment, social inclusion, nutrition and public health, youth employment, and income generation. There is an opportunity to align these additional indicators with national commitments under the various related international agreements including (but not limited to) the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), and the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Read less
Action Track(s): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Keywords: Data & Evidence, Governance, Policy