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Sustainable Food Systems • The Academy recognizes that many of the actions that are needed to achieve sustainable food and water systems will require changes in practices, habits, and behaviors, which can be challenging or overwhelming to some people, businesses, and organizations. • The work of Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs) intersects with all the food system sectors, which makes RDNs uniquely qualified to actively shape and deliver dietary guidance, improve nutrition security and water security, align food production and nutrition, optimize supply chains and food environments... Read more, and reduce waste. • The Academy recognizes that revised socio-political structures will be needed to ensure that farmworkers are paid fair wages and work under suitable and safe conditions. Sustainable Diets • Providing guidance on sustainable diets should become an integral element of the practice of dietetics and RDNs are uniquely positioned to do so, as experts in client-centered care and motivational interviewing. • When RDNs integrate sustainable diets into their nutrition counseling practices, it will help drive consumer demand for more sustainable foods, and help motivate food producers and manufacturers to offer more sustainable food and beverage products. The Academy recommends support and facilitation of markets for sustainable foods, which are essential for viability of these foods and related production systems. • To establish and maintain a higher level of professional credibility among healthcare professions and the public, RDNs should avoid the perceived conflicts of interest that may accompany business relationships or sponsorships with certain commercial enterprises and trade associations. • BIPOC farmers have historically used more sustainable farming practices, which should be expanded and promoted through additional funding and support. • The Academy encourages USDA to work with other U.S. federal agencies and retailers to actively facilitate and promote purchases of sustainable food choices. Read less

The major focus of our Dialogue was exploring the vital role of nutrition professionals in advancing sustainable food systems and sustainable diets during the next ten years.

No areas of divergence emerged during our Dialogue.

Sustainable Diets • RDNs can advocate for increasing the availability of continuing education for practicing RDNs on culturally, geographically, and economically appropriate sustainable diets. • RDNs can advocate for increasing the availability of classes for prospective RDNs on culturally, geographically, and economically appropriate sustainable diets that are offered in Didactic Programs in Dietetics and Dietetic Internships. • RDNs can work with the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics to develop and implement a sustainability requirement... Read more, similar to the ethics requirement, pursuant to which all CDR credentialed practitioners must complete a minimum of 1 CPEU pertaining to the topic of sustainability during each 5-year recertification cycle. • RDNs can use their personal social media accounts to share quick and simple recipes that align with a sustainable diet. • The Academy supports an effort to create a national, standardized, front-of-package symbol system to help consumers quickly identify healthier foods. Read less

Sustainable Food Systems • The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics urges the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Department of Agriculture (USDA), to reconsider inclusion of sustainable food systems in the 2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. • Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs) are well-qualified to help educate the general public about national or global food systems, criteria to define a sustainable food system, and actions the public can take toward developing a sustainable food system. • RDNs are well-qualified to develop curricula and teach about sustaina... Read moreble food systems in primary and secondary school settings. • RDNs can develop curricula and teach about sustainable food systems in college and university settings, in collaboration with the campus food service management. • RDNs can use their personal social media accounts to communicate about sustainable food systems. • The Academy strongly encourages relevant agencies, such as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to expand financial support options for students of color to increase diversity in the RDN profession so that RDNs can more effectively communicate with and represent those who are disenfranchised by the current food system. • Increase the availability of continuing education for practicing RDNs on policy, advocacy, and systems thinking to empower more RDNs to advocate for sustainable food systems with local, state and federal lawmakers. • RDNs can advocate for Increasing the availability of classes for prospective RDNs on policy, advocacy, and systems thinking that are offered in Didactic Programs in Dietetics, Dietetic Internships, and other related educational programs. Read less

Sustainable Food Systems • The general public is not cognizant of local, national or global food systems. • Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs) work in a wide array of roles within the food system, and are skilled at education, communication, policy development, advocacy, and research, which makes RDNs uniquely qualified to actively shape and deliver dietary guidance, improve nutrition security and water security, align food production and nutrition, optimize supply chains and food environments, and reduce waste. • Developing and implementing plans to advance sustainable food syste... Read morems requires the participation of multidisciplinary teams with members representing all sectors of the food system. Sustainable Diets • Providing guidance on sustainable diets should become an integral element of the practice of dietetics. • Sustainable diets will differ between and within countries, e.g., in industrial economies a sustainable diet would include moderating animal protein intake and increasing plant protein intake (up to and including 100% plant-based diets), whereas in economies that experience protein inadequacy, increased animal protein intake may be necessary. • To establish and maintain a higher level of professional credibility among healthcare professions and the public, RDNs should avoid the perceived conflicts of interest that may accompany business relationships or sponsorships with certain commercial enterprises and trade associations. Read less

The major focus of our Dialogue was exploring the vital role of nutrition professionals in advancing sustainable food systems and sustainable diets during the next ten years.

There was a discussion in the chat on the linkages and divergences between regenerative agriculture and climate-smart agriculture, with some participants emphasizing differences between these approaches, and other highlighting synergies. There were also comments in the chat on the differences between CSA and agro-ecology. One participant notes that “leading farmers haven't been invited to the UNFSS table. The input and presence stats clearly show this.”

3. Climate-smart livestock and crops practices Key questions: What are the obstacles/barriers that prevent the adoption and wide spreading of CSA practices in livestock and crop farming systems? How policy and governance could facilitate the overcoming of these barriers? Can you share today some good examples of projects/case studies where these barriers have been overcome? How can livestock and crop sectors be more interconnected and build synergies between them (such as with a circular economy perspective)? Answers by participants: • Lack of awareness of various type of stakeholders, in pr... Read moreimis the governance and the farmers, on CSA practices and the benefits that they can bring to local level. This barrier can be overcome through the implementation of dedicated trainings and capacity building activities addressed to specific categories of stakeholders. • Lack of exchanges between the research sector and the local governance, for instance with reference to the adoption of improved varieties obtained from breeding to face climate change. Local research centres have already produced new varieties resistant to drought. Nevertheless, these new varieties are not available to farmers due to the lack of intervention from the local government. The seeds of these improved varieties shall be made available and accessible to farmers. To overcome this barrier, it is important for farmers to organize them in consortia and associations. • Lack of knowledge, education and capacities of farmers about these practices, especially in the case of indigenous people. This condition is further worsened by a lack of affordability of input and means used to implement the CSA practices. • The price of agricultural produce is not stable on local market and this could expose farmers to financial risks. To overcome these barriers an intervention from local authorities is required to improve the access of farmers to inputs (e.g. seeds of improved varieties, machinery fleet) and technologies needed to implement CSA practices. Most of the times the very limited size of local farms prevents the adoption of CSA practices, because these requires to switch to new tools and technologies, with unsustainable depreciation of investment cost. Experience of FAO in Sudan and South Sudan: • Lack of knowledge of local authorities about CSA practices constitute the main obstacle to the adoption of these practices by local farmers. • lack of community engagement in the implementation of CSA project: this component is absolutely needed to succeed in mainstreaming CSA practices at local level, as well as the enhanced accessibility to improved varieties and sustainable livestock trade. Consortia and farmers producers organizations can play a key role to improve the access of farmers to the market. • Lack of infrastructures and to the long distance existing from the livestock raising place to the market place. • The lack of access to the market prevent farmers to achieve good economic return from their activities: they are obliged to sell their product in the village, where other farmers do the same activities and produce the same type of product, and this reduce the value of the produce on the market. Policy and decision makers can play a key role to facilitate the overcoming of barriers, but first of all they need to develop a wide and deep knowledge of the local environmental, social, economic conditions, including type of soil, traditional practices, local challenges, such as conflicts. He explained that the adoption of CSA practices both in the livestock and in the cropping farms must be adapted and fine-tuned to the local context. Experience from Viet Nam: • Need to consider the agricultural and livestock value chain in a circular economy perspective. Farmers should be enabled to make the best use of the waste and residues produced from their activities. Good practices implemented in Viet Nam: each livestock farm, even if having a reduced size, is equipped with an anaerobic digester which allows to produce clean energy for cooking and, at in case of farms of bigger size, also energy to power local houses or water pumping for agricultural purposes. Read less

2. Role of indigenous women and youth in agroforestry The breakout room was opened by a presentation on Ecuador shared by Izamar Valarezo, young indigenous leader and President of the Network of Cocoa Associations of the Napo Province, and followed by guiding questions on the role of indigenous women and youth in agroforestry. Inputs from participants are noted per guiding question below. What are the barriers on involving women, youth and Ips in this context? • The main problem is the fear to be questions or rejected. We have worked with capacitation on leadership so the don´t have fear to... Read more partipate in the problems. • The culture is one of the main cause of fear. Historically women didn´t have the rigth to participate or even talk, women have to make decision, they are in charge of the families What examples of projects/case studies where these barriers have been overcome? And How policy and governance could facilitate the overcome these barriers? • Workshops on leadership so women can overcome the barriers. • Legislation, women rights. • Involve the youg women in projects. • Web site with all the information needed. • The workshops help to let women know that they won´s be critized by their communities. • In Africa the policies encourage women that they are implementad with women 50% of participants are women, that helps to put more effort. • Technologies. • Economic activities, are trying to generate income in the house to envolve women. How platforms or services such as extension services could overcome these barriers? • Agroecology involving women in Uganda, lady farmers are the bigger exporters, there is a video about it. How that training and a fair access to information are key in involving women, youth and IPs? What would you suggest improving? • They can improve agricultural practices. Read less

1. Role of CSA knowledge to increase capacity building especially for achieving the SDGs What are the barriers to sharing knowledge in this context? • Lacking support from governments to convince farmers to adapt CSA practices. • Lack to access to information and knowledge, technology • There is a need for farmer-to-farmer sharing, collective action and policy that is flexible enough to address various context-specific climate challenges. • Fear that change will increase poverty. Investments by farmers. What are the cost benefits and no guarantee on return on investments • People don... Read more’t know what CSA is. What is CSA and what is not? Importance of being able to give examples that are relevant for local audiences. • Better analysis on who gets the information, and what type of information is communicated, local or national rainfall indications for example, while finding solutions to potential information gaps and unequal information dissemination is needed. How could policy and governance facilitate overcoming these barriers? • Difficulties operationalizing existing policies and frameworks. • There is clear need for the translation of knowledge into practice and understanding of the benefits • There is a need to understand who farmers trust most. There is also a need for farmer-to-farmer and policy decision making interface • Small farmers access to information on how to adapt to climate change e.g. use of fertilizers • Making farmers central to knowledge exchange. Who do farmers trust? Bringing farmers and agronomists together e.g. through farmer field schools. Taking into account gender considerations in scaling up CSA practices. • Farmer needs are to be sensitized and engaged throughout the policy processes and stimulate ownership by the farmer • Complicated documents, national m/eetings but the farmer who cannot invest in tools. Bring farmers to the table and help them access knowledge and invest in techniques. • Despite convincing advancements, questions around how to successfully move from case study findings to scaling up practices and understanding which type of policies and institutions best support climate-smart farming, persist. What is the role of platforms in facilitating knowledge sharing? What added value can they provide? (e.g. networking, building synergies among various actors within the value chain) • Cooperatives are important in increasing knowledge sharing to farmers as well as technology transfer. Example of village level meetings. Education and literacy. • Making farmers literature about weather and climate and the consequences of climate change is important. E.g. climate services, information on rainfall. • Including the technology and principles in schools. • Technology should be developed with and by the farmer. They know what their needs are • There is need to understand the cost and benefits of CSA practices from the farmers point of view, this will help support and guide policy decision making • Social networks and group action need to be supported and promoted. These platforms support farmers for example with labor throughout the season, or the group jointly trials and tests a few selected climate-smart practices reducing individual farmers’ risks What capacity development approaches work for CSA? Transformation must be country-owned, sustainable, scaled up, and scaled out. There is need to get an understanding of what are the national and subnational capacities across people, organizations, institutions, networks and policies that need to be enhanced and how will countries be supported in this process. How can research institutions support knowledge transfer among different stakeholders? • In the context of climate change, new models of knowledge production with an emphasis on generation of societal outcomes are needed. • New models of knowledge production needs to be developed, not only at the level of individual researchers or research projects, but also to be institutionalized to effectively address systemic limitations. Read less

The event re-established the value of knowledge sharing between a diverse range of stakeholders working to promote the implementation of CSA practices and make agri-food systems more sustainable. It highlighted FAO’s work on CSA and its three pillars: sustainably increasing agricultural productivity and incomes, adapting and building resilience of people and agri-food systems to climate change, and reducing and/or removing greenhouse gas emissions where possible. Speakers emphasized the importance of transforming agri-food systems to reach the SDGs and address the climate crisis while eradic... Read moreating hunger. They recognized agri-food systems as being central to addressing many interlinked challenges. From the three parallel sessions, the following key messages were derived: • Technologies, tools and practices are important but a holistic approach is needed to involve all stakeholders to also involve political, research/knowledge and extensions aspects. • CSA knowledge needs to be translated into something practice that puts farmer at the center of what we want to achieve. • The importance of the policy-farmer interface, how to translate CSA policy into something that is understandable and attractive for farmers • Language is a barrier in the policy-farmer interface. It is also important to understand who farmers listen to e.g. policymakers or other farmers. • Cost-benefit balance for farmers to implement CSA is an important factor. Main findings from specific parallel breakout rooms include: 1. Need to mainstream CSA into other relevant and existing national policies, plans and strategies related to e.g. climate change, food security and agriculture strategies, sustainable development and adapt to local context. 2. Need to create an evidence database to support the implementation of CSA policies and programmes that includes all relevant data, composing e.g. climate and geographical data, socio-economic data at household level, prices and market data, agricultural sector data, greenhouse gas emissions 3. Enhance finance to ensure sustainability of CSA programmes as well as link with existing climate and agricultural finance and thereby creating linkages to other country and regional initiatives and programmes geared towards food security to enhance synergies, reduce overlaps and potential trade-offs. 4. Need to understand cost-benefit balance for farmers to invest in CSA practices. This will help support and guide policy decision making. 5. Need to overcome barriers with regards to bringing knowledge on sustainable agriculture and other capacities to farmers, and the need to explain what CSA is. Channels to reach these objectives may include policy-farmer and farmer-farmer interfaces, such as various types of schools as well as cooperatives. 6. Fear was recognized as a barrier to women’s participation. 7. Various actions were suggested to help overcome this barrier, including workshops on leadership, legislation, involving women in projects, sharing information, women’s participation in policy implementation, technologies and economic activities. 8. Need to develop more user-friendly platforms on FAO projects in order to deliver ad hoc information on ongoing projects. FAO expressed an interest in conducting a stock take on what actions have been taken on CSA and what benefits they have brought to farmers, to understand the cost-benefit balance of implementing CSA. Read less

The dialogue focused on the contributions of the climate-smart agriculture approach in accelerating the transition to sustainable agri-food sytems. Climate-smart agriculture Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) is an approach that includes three pillars: sustainably increasing agricultural productivity and incomes, adapting and building resilience of people and agri-food systems to climate change, and reducing and/or removing greenhouse gas emissions where possible. CSA has grown from a concept into an approach implemented throughout the world, by all types of stakeholders. The event, hosted under ... Read morethe Independent Dialogues Food Systems Summit banner, organized by the Global Alliance of Climate Smart Agriculture (GACSA) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment (OCB), provided stakeholders with an opportunity to exchange knowledge, raise awareness, and share good practices implemented in projects aiming to accelerate the transition towards sustainable Agri-Food Systems while adapting to - and mitigating -climate change and sustainably managing natural resources. Examples of CSA projects were shared with the audience and particular attention was given to projects empowering women, young people and indigenous peoples. Read less

Within group 1, while some participants were in favour of self-accountability in transforming food systems, others were rather redirecting accountability to governments or the private sector. In addition, some new-comers commented the not sufficiently practical character of the manifesto. Within group 2, while everyone agrees on a change in food systems, some believe it can only happen by applying some drastic measures, while others think it should happen slowly through education and awareness. A minority of the group believes that artificial intelligence will be key in the food systems of the... Read more future while others claim that it will be only a part of it, AI does not have to be essential for the proper fuctioning of the system. Within group 3, while some participants were rather sceptical regarding the role of large companies in a future sustainable world, others pointed out to the huge impacts they could have by changing their business model. Within group 6, some participants considered labels as a way to fix the lack of knowledge from the consumers about the origins and the treatment of food (biological growth, no pesticides, local production, etc.). For others, however, labels were considered misleading, in the sense that they do not tell the entire truth. Read less

Affordability and True Value. In the sixth group dealing with true cost and true value, as well as accessibility and affordability of food, the participants considered that people definitely have not enough education on the origins and on the nutrients of food. Moreover, thanks to the international character of the group, we figured out that the fact of not having access to healthy, various and nutritious food in poorer countries is often due to the exportation of the good quality food to richer countries, which could be avoided by adopting the "principle of subsidiarity" proposed in the BoT M... Read moreanifesto, as this practice suggests to consume as locally as possible and switch to import products coming from far away only when in-land production is not possible. Another important point that was raised was that the price of food needs to be calculated based on its true costs, which are currently not taken into account by our economic system, as the environmental, social, and cultural values have no or little weight in the financial markets. When coming to the lines of actions, the participants proposed some important ways to ensure that true values are considered and accessibility to food is ensured. For example, the participants proposed educational workshops connecting producers and consumers in order to get a feeling of where the food comes from, how much work and time is necessary to grow it, what it means to respect seasonality and understand the advantages of local supply by making the supply chain more transparent. Another proposition from the group was to strengthen education at school for children in order to teach the younger generations about food systems, in order to make food knowledge part of school programs from the beginning. Read less

Digitalization and knowledge. In the fifth group dealing with digitalisation, technologies and knowledge, the participants considered that much knowledge is already out there and that digitalization is the tool offering many possibilities to share this and make it universally comprehensible. Moreover, the group highlighted the importance of using technologies in a wise way and of making data and information available in the right places and to the right people. More concretely, the participants proposed to link demand and supply for food through internet to make the production and consumption ... Read morechain more transparent and efficient, in order to avoid unsustainable consumption patterns due to misinformation and disinformation, and to avoid food losses along the chain due to grey zones. They also stressed the importance of connecting knowledge with consumers, in order to de-complexify consumer behaviour and make consumer choices more informed. The lines of actions proposed by the group worked on many different levels. First of all, it was considered that on the political level authorities need to incentivise and promote certain behaviour, such as for example the recycling of organic waste. Second, the participants suggested more collaboration with the private sector, in the sense that for example supermarkets and small-holder farmers get access to digital solutions. Third, the group highlighted the need for education and capacity building for children, adults and elderlies through project weeks or workshops. Finally, also the possibility to collaborate with social media influencers and advocate in various languages was mentioned as a possible way of improving food systems. Read less

Renewed Traditions and Empowered Culture. In the fourth break-out session dealing with the paragraph of the Manifesto about renewed traditions and empowered culture, the participants considered that food is perfect for connecting people to nature, because agricultural practices are considered as being the true connection between these two things, rather than only a product of human activity. From this starting point, the group proposed some lines of actions. First of all, in order to connect the youth with the elderlies, in other words connect innovations and traditional knowledge, they propos... Read moreed to revive old traditions on an individual scale, rediscover traditional dishes, reintroduce traditional cooking ingredients, and make it become a “cool” habit again. Secondly, the participants concluded that it is highly important to give everybody the feeling of being included by empowering all cultures: in order to overcome social exclusion, differences and diversities need to be empowered and to be given space within the communities. Finally, in order to break down the barriers among traditionally separated sectors, as well as between urban and rural areas, the group proposed a “participatory guarantee system” allowing everybody who is interested in the processes behind food production to go and see themselves how everything functions (from production to distribution, to consumption, to disposal). In conclusion, the participants proposed to take old ideas and directing them into new pathways - so, connecting traditional knowledge with new ideas, new techniques and new people - to build trust between different generations, sectors, cultures, and geographical areas. Read less

Diversity of Food Systems. The group discussed how a different future world could look like through the lens of the manifesto, outlining certain premises of lines of actions. First, the group looked into the need of increasing awareness about diets fostering diversity, making them more personalised and - even more importantly - more sustainable. In this sense, two BoT participants recalled projects that they developed in previous steps of the BoT process: a health app that would tell you according to your health condition what kind of food fits you best, and an app that would assist you during... Read more your groceries to switch to more sustainable products. The group shortly discussed the possibility to combine these two apps into one. Second, the group discussed the role of the private sector in a future diverse system based on small-interconnected realities. All participants agreed that big international enterprises needed to rethink their ways of working. A participant proposed for example that authorities would decentralise production to the places the products are sold. Another participant pointed out that big companies created the unsustainable world in which we are living and thus needed to radically change or disappear to enable the creation of another sustainable system. Two participants, small entrepreneurs, pointed out the need to make competition fairer between SMEs and large companies but underlined the opportunities of collaboration between both. Lastly, someone pointed out the need to create global norms for private sector to enable fair competition. Related to this, participants discussed how the government could create incentives for local and healthy products by accounting, among others, the health costs of unhealthy products via e.g. the insurance system. To conclude, the group agreed that all actors were needed to bring changes and needed to be held accountable and that making information flow in the system was central. Read less

Habitats and Proximity. After a re-reading of the paragraph "Habitats and Proximity" of our Manifesto, the newcomers expressed their thoughts about it and, even though they did not participate in the whole process that led to the drafting of the Manifesto, they agreed with the content. Above all, they supported the need to reconnect the urban area with the rural area, emphasising the importance of a cognitive approach - an aspect that, according to the group, is not considered as important. In support of this thesis, some participants reported examples of initiatives and projects that aim to b... Read moreridge this gap by focusing on a form of education that leads to this goal. Another important aspect that the group felt necessary to reconnect and rethink our habitats, was to give space to cross-sectoral careers in order to make it easier to disseminate information and knowledge. In this regard, a fundamental element stressed by some participants was to rethink education in order to increase everyone's awareness on where the food we eat comes from, how it is produced, and what its real value is. The group also emphasised the importance of subsidies and their poor distribution among recipients, thus incentivising unsustainable production, especially in certain regions of the world. A participant underlined the need for new laws that would protect sustainable food production and consumption, giving weight also to the role of the private sector, envisaging a system of transparent reporting of the most virtuous companies that could act as an example for all others. A final aspect that some participants raised concerned the relevance of local production and how this should be protected and valorised, for example by relaunching local markets in order to make them attractive to all consumers and reforming food pricing policies without affecting small producers. Read less

Narratives and Advocacy. The group discussed the role of narratives and advocacy in the transformation of food systems. First, the group commented the paragraph of the manifesto, highlighting the importance of empowerment; of one’s own responsibility but also the responsibility at the higher level (e.g. community) as we want structural and systemic changes; of the emphasis on accountability of the different actors; of the concept of affordability in its multi-dimensionality; and of the role of behavioural change and education. They commented that the manifesto would need more practical examp... Read moreles as it is rather abstract. Then, the idea was brought up by a participant to create a visualisation of the manifesto through videos and storytelling. The group outlined the importance of having diverse narratives coming from diverse realities, empowering the people through sharing their stories. Other concrete ideas were discussed and included a social media campaign with local recipe and information on the “externalities” of each products, a storytelling showcasing diets of today’s families in comparison with diets from 3-4 generations back, a campaign using local influencers to promote local, healthy and nutritious diets and the BoT manifesto, a campaign through the BoT members in which they would advocate within their communities for the manifesto and encourage people to show a will for accountability when it comes to their food choices. Read less