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1. All participants agreed that we are mainly responsible for food loss and unknowingly we are depriving the hungry people from food 2. Some suggested for holistic consumption of food 3. Some NGO proposed to work towards the supply of excess food found in various social activities by rich people. 4. All are agreed to consume holistically so as to prevent food loss.

Topic 1: Challenges related to climate changes and needs in terms of knowledge to solve the issues During the first part of the dialogues, we guided the farmers to discuss and exchange about the issues related to climate change that they are commonly facing. For rice farmers, all the participants reported that the agricultural calendar, more specifically, the growing season calendar has been changed. This has therefore made it difficult for them to know when to start planting seeds for instance. Moreover, participants also reported that the increasing heat and the lack of rain have made soil d... Read morerier, the seeds are not growing as usual, and pest pressure has increased, which reduces their yields. In terms of livelihood support, faced with drought, farmers often lack support in terms of equipment or materials that can help them for instance for irrigation. Moreover, they are lacking financial support or assistance during the lean season or when the year is very unproductive (e.g. extreme drought or severe flood and no yield at all). For vanilla cultivation, farmers also encounter problems related to climate namely drought or heavy rain, affecting pest pressure and plant physiology. In addition, Often drought decreases the soil quality quickly and reduces yield within a short time. In sum, extreme changes in the weather threaten vanilla plants in many different ways from pest to disease and the fragility of the liana and all these affect the quantity and the quality of their yield in general. Besides climate-related issues, vanilla farmers also are facing issues caused by environmental degradation. In this sense, farmers reported that for instance loss of forests has affected the vanilla plantations, in general, as they perceived the soil quality has deteriorated rapidly and the kind of pests that diseases that are damaging their crops are increasing rapidly. Faced with these challenges, farmers discussed and shared their needs in terms of knowledge to overcome the issues themselves. In overall farmers reported their needs in terms of techniques and materials that can help them to become more resilient to the effect of climate change at the same time maintain or even increase yields. Topic 2 : Communication and knowledge transfer channels Amongst a plethora of information, almost all farmers reported that they have an internet network where they live. However, the actual use of the internet remains a luxury that many farmers cannot afford. This is mainly due to the cost of equipment (e.g. smartphones) and the cost of internet bundles per se. Indeed, Madagascar is one of the countries where the internet is highly expensive. Nonetheless, few participants said that few farmers use the internet occasionally but not enough to get the information or knowledge they need. In general, the most effective way to communicate directly with farmers and for researchers to pass on knowledge or findings to solve the problems mentioned above is through phone calls and face-to-face meetings at the local level. Read less

Based on the exchange during the dialogues, we found that both Rice and vanilla farmers in Madagascar are severely affected by climate change impacts. However, the impact of climate change varies from one community to another depending on the location. Nonetheless, the impacts are all related to the reduction of the yields in both crops when we asked the participants to do a retrospective for the last 5 to 10 years. Furthermore, the yield decreases have then impacted livelihood with an increase in hunger and poverty for many households based on the discussion outcomes of the representatives. W... Read moreith the various issues mentioned by the farmers' representatives, their needs in terms of knowledge were also reported and they reiterate the urgency of these needs to solve the most pressing issues they have. Overall, the knowledge needs are mainly related to the agricultural techniques that can help them to mitigate the impact of climate change, preferably through in-person training. Read less

Smallholder farmers in developing countries like Madagascar are the backbone of food production and the most vulnerable to exacerbated climate impacts. However, many research findings to support farmer livelihoods are unable to provide practical solutions, mostly because the knowledge does not reach small-scale farmers. This is often due to a lack of understanding farmer issues, communicating through the wrong channels, or not providing the knowledge needed. As a consequence, weak policies have been persisting which perpetuate unsustainable agricultural practices, causing harm to the environme... Read morent, and making it difficult to mitigate severe hunger and poverty among smallholders farmers. For our dialogues, we convened representatives of rice farmers from the central part of Madagascar in Antananarivo and representatives of vanilla and rice farmers from the north-eastern in Antalaha. The overall aim was to understand the issues that smallholder farmers are facing along with their needs to solve these issues. To have more targeted discussions, we focused on climate change impacts on crop management, yields, and livelihoods. With two separate workshops, we specifically aimed to i) identify their issues and knowledge needs and ii) the communication tools to best deliver this knowledge and to exchange with scientists, farmers and other stakeholders in food systems. To achieve these goals, we divided the dialogues into two topics: 1) issues and knowledge needs and 2) communication and technology. In the first part, the participants discussed the main issues related to climate impacts on crop production and livelihoods. With all the identified issues, we then help them to formulate the knowledge they require to solve the identified and the most pressing issues. In the second part, we aimed to understand the most effective way to contact the farmers and to disseminate the knowledge they need as identified during the first part to become more resilient to climate change and to improve their livelihoods. They also discussed the potential communication and knowledge transfer between farmers. Read less

African Youth agreed to establish a unifying Network for Youth-Led Agribusiness and Climate Change Organizations. It is through this unifying network that African Youth will ensure active and targeted engagement in the policy environment that will deliver on the outcomes of UNFSS 2021.

The dialogue (i) established a roadmap for meaningful youth engagement with national governments and relevant stakeholders beyond the food systems summit, (ii) produced an Africa Youth in Agribusiness and Climate Change Position Paper /Advocacy and (iii) Framework on “The Pro-Youth Africa Food Systems We Want”

Area for discussion in breakout rooms: What is the role and the responsibility of the different stakeholders in ensuring access to safe and nutritious food for all and collectively move towards the 2030 SDGs? Government: Must lead and frame appropriate policies, ensure incentives are aligned, provide better education, act at city- as well as rural- levels. Government must set standards to protect the most vulnerable. Often, government does not have the knowledge. There is a need for a road map to study the food system in specific countries and how we define what people should be eating. The ro... Read morele of government is to gather knowledge and generate evidence based national plans. Private Sector: Industry has a key role to play in various stages ranging from portfolio management, R&D investments, micronutrient fortification, to shifting consumer behaviour through labelling and marketing. There is a significant opportunity for public/private sector collaboration to increase farmer access to expertise, skills, land and technology. The private sector can commit to ethical standards and continue the critical work such as improving crops, driving local innovation, optimizing supply chain, sourcing etc. The private sector has a key role to provide access to information for consumers, especially around health information. The food Industry should focus on reformulation. Academia: Academia can break down siloes and improve understanding of the true value of food. Academia has a role to play in researching trade-offs, food environments and consumer behaviour change. It can also enable the integration of nutrition into basic agricultural research, plus standardizing data collection and processing. Universities need to have more engagement with the community to bring academic expertise to programs. Consumers: Consumers need to be empowered to choose the right foods. It is important to include those who are directly affected by nutrition deficiencies, for example consumers in low-income countries. Read less

What are the major barriers and corresponding levers to making healthy diets affordable, accessible and adequate for everyone? Barrier: Lack of knowledge/ access to info There is a lack of knowledge around what a nutritious diet entails to consumers. Further, at universities, academics focus on teaching and research, but neglect community engagement, so that huge expertise is lost on the subject. Levers: Close the information and knowledge gap through better education. Education across the value chain from farmers to consumers; clear and transparent labelling on nutrition; encouraging companie... Read mores to share their data so that approaches can be standardised; understanding local consumers and their knowledge of food, so as to adapt processes and products accordingly. Barrier: The socioeconomic resource gap Healthy foods are often more expensive, whilst affordable products are less healthy. Some consumers do not have the time or resources to inform themselves around healthy food choices. There is a lack of accessibility to nutritious and healthy foods, furthered by urbanisation. Women are disadvantaged in this area due to lack of empowerment, inequality, and pay gap in all countries. Levers: closing the income gap through financial levers. Lowering the price of healthy foods, or raising income for lower income groups; merging these measures would be better still. The true price of food must be promoted throughout the value chain to provide fair income for farmers. SMEs, small suppliers and farmers should be given easier access to capital, at low interest rates to enable proper investment. Barrier: Lack of demand for healthy items: Consumption habits are hard to change - this would require education and social innovation. A large proportion of consumers can afford a healthy diet, but opt against it. The marketing and packaging of unhealthy products is often more attractive, whilst the taste of affordable and nutritious foods can act as a barrier. Levers: engaging and incentivising consumers through better marketing and communications. Companies can align nutrition commitments with commercial policies and portfolio management. Communications with consumers must be gradual in order to successfully change habits. Manufacturers should work more closely with sales and distribution partners to better reach consumers with healthy and affordable products. Behavioural science should be used to reach consumers. Supply side and production barriers There is a lack of appropriate farming knowledge - basic research in agriculture remains rooted in old paradigms. There is a lack of alignment in nutrition and commercial policies within companies, whereby nutrition commitments are not always aligned with portfolio management. There has been a significant decline in new entries into the agribusiness. Supply and distribution inefficiencies lead to food waste which is especially felt in poorer populations. Levers: shift procurement and supply chain models. To tackle food waste, inefficiencies must be reduced, and sustainable packaging further developed. Supply chains should be shorter and less complex, and regional food systems must rely less on multinational corporations. Clear KPIs are needed for the ''Food Transition'' for climate change. Procurement models must shift to consider local contexts - local sourcing could increase the affordability of nutritious proteins at the local level. There is a clear opportunity for private sector action, regardless of policies. Barrier: Political, local and cultural considerations Local and regional differences must be considered, as areas have unique local barriers, habits and cultures. Cultural and religious practices must be considered in local contexts. Developing countries are often under-represented in the international food trade system. Levers: Policy incentives and role of government. Incentives for all actors across the food value chain must be aligned. Better data and policies are needed to manage the food environment, and to apply to local contexts. Policy makers can integrate nutrition into agricultural policies, to ensure farmers are incentivised. Read less

Throughout the online dialogue, panellists, facilitators, as well as participants shared their insights on how to make nutritious diets more affordable, accessible, and adequate. This provided a powerful opportunity for participants to have a seat at the table and have their voices heard. Given the importance of including a diverse group of stakeholders in the discussion, we broke out into smaller groups for attendees to engage actively with each other and dive deeper in conversations to explore options for transforming food systems. Here are the main findings. The participants first discussed... Read more what the major barriers and corresponding levers were to making healthy diets affordable, accessible and adequate for everyone. 1. There is a lack of consumer knowledge around what constitutes a nutritious diet which presents a major barrier to placing value onto healthy foods. Education around nutrition is required across the value chain, from consumers to farmers. This can connect consumers to the value of food and thus the nutritional quality. 2. Socioeconomic considerations present a further barrier. For many people (3 billion people, 40% of world population), healthy diets remain beyond reach. Perishable and bulky foods (fish, veg) are more costly to produce, store, and transport, vs. starchy staples. Healthy foods are often more expensive, and many consumers do not have the time or resources to research healthy food choices. Participants stressed that the true price of food must be promoted throughout the value chain to provide better prices for farmers. In many supply chains, average earnings are far below a living income or wage. Women are by far the furthest from a living income/wage. Additionally, a lack of gender empowerment, inequality, and a gender pay gap in all countries present a major barrier. Woman and underrepresented pupils need to be put at the forefront of discussions. Small-scale farmers, food workers and their communities should have greater influence over food value chains and receive a fair share of value. 3. While some consumers simply cannot afford more healthy options, other choose not to. This is furthered by the marketing and attractive packaging of unhealthy products. Companies can align nutrition commitments with commercial policies and portfolio management. For example, by making healthy varieties their main/star products. Healthy products should not be premium but the norm. 4. Supply chain actors have a role to play as well. There is a need for more appropriate farming knowledge as basic research in agriculture remains rooted in old paradigms. Supply and distribution inefficiencies can lead to food waste, which is felt keenly in poorer populations. Further development of sustainable packaging can tackle food waste and reduce environmental impact. Sector-wide KPIs would give stakeholders a sense of direction and performance, incentivising business to prioritise bringing the consumer healthy and nutritious food. 5. Participants also delved further into political, local and cultural considerations. One size does not fit all and it is important to take into account local and regional differences. Each will have a different starting point and there is a need to understand local barriers, habits and cultures better. The role of cultural and religious practices needs to be taken into account and differs with each local context. Policies should stimulate local innovation, solutions, sourcing, entrepreneurship. Market led nutrition and the understanding of local consumers are important to provide relevant solutions. There is a need for cooperation between all actors and stakeholders, from smallholder farmers to those working with the public and consumers in ensuring access to safe and nutritious food for all and collectively move towards the 2030 SDGs. • Policymakers must take into account local and regional differences. Local barriers, habits, cultures and religious practices must be considered when legislating. • Government must lead and frame appropriate policies, ensuring that incentives are aligned, improving education and acting for cities and rural areas. • The private sector has a key role to play in proving access to information for consumers, and should not wait for regulations. • Academics must research trade-offs, food environments and consumer behaviour change, and universities should build on community engagement to bring academic expertise to programs. • In consumer engagement initiatives, it is important to include those who are directly affected by nutrition deficiencies, and who may not have a seat at the table: e.g. consumers in low-income countries and the Global South. Read less

Major focus The United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights has described the right to food as: “The right to adequate food is realized when every man, woman and child, alone or in community with others, has physical and economic access at all times to adequate food or means for its procurement.” Yet many people are left behind with no adequate access to food. Approximately 840 million go to bed hungry and an estimated 3 billion people cannot afford a healthy nutritious diet. With the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, livelihoods have been compromised and affordability of... Read more healthy, nutritious diets is likely to become an even bigger issue as prior to the crisis. This and the UN FSS roadmap were the backdrop of the recent invitation-only stakeholder dialogue jointly organized by Tufts University and Nestlé on October 1st 2021. In total, 57 external participants from academia, NGOs, private sector, and UN leading organizations convened together. Setting the scene for the discussion were Prof. Eileen Kennedy, former dean and current professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, and Prof. Stefan Palzer, CTO at Nestlé. Systemic and local considerations Key speakers stressed that there is an imperative need for an evidence-based approach to policy and program development and implementation. They emphasized that these types of dialogues are important in making this happen and to focus on three key areas: (1) ‘what works?’: how do we prioritize the solutions and commitments set forward by the UN FSS dialogues in the short to medium term?; (2) ‘under what context?’: solutions need to take the local context into consideration to take decisions and the related tradeoffs; (3) ‘at what cost?’. Creative solutions to complex problems There is a need for a systems approach and a wide range of solutions to tackle this complex issue. This should include education of consumers, farmers and other actors. There is also a need to invest in technology which should include packaging and delivery, to avoid nutrient and food losses. Creativity, passion and pragmatism are integral in making this happen. Read less

Healthy foods are often perceived as expensive and less tasty. However, with food innovation and the chef’s culinary skills, healthy food can be nutritious yet tasty. Typically, 30% to 40% of the total cost is derived from the raw materials (ingredients). By going directly to the farms and manufacturers, food operators can potentially keep the cost of these ‘healthy’ ingredients within their budget. Alternatively, food operators can collaborate with manufacturers to ensure that the dish remains affordable to the consumers. It is worth to note that we should avoid riding on food fads and ... Read moreproducts with health claims that is are not proven. As consumers have different perception on the word ‘healthy’, it is crucial that education must be conducted to impart the nutritional knowledge to the general population. This can be done through a multi-stakeholder engagement and collaboration. They can, and should, start from the younger generation, such as students. By collaborating with schools to offer talks, curriculum and redesigning of school canteen menus to inculcate this practice into a habit. Most importantly, actions must be put into practice on a long-term basis. As for the lower income group, they may not be willing to purchase premium food items which are perceived to be nutritious. Manufacturers and operators can build an item/dish using a more affordable raw material(s), yet meets the nutrients required by the body. While there is a difference between what the consumer wants (taste and affordability) as compared to the food operators’ (profit), the latter needs to understand that overemphasis on profitability might not be sustainable in the long run. Rather, doing good to the consumers and being customer-centric, is the key to ensure that the business remains sustainable. The challenge is to determine what the consumers want before they even know it themselves. In addition, food items must be packed in a manner that is acceptable to the consumers, both visually and affordability. Read less

The nutrients of concerns (negative nutrients) such as calories, sugar, salt, fats, cholesterol has been a problem in Malaysia for more than 30 years. Although we need to pay attention to these nutrients, it does not mean that they are to be omitted completely. Instead, individuals can still consume them in moderation. However, the responsibility lies beyond the consumers, but also to food operators and manufacturers. An option to manage the nutrients consumed is through the portion size. Food manufacturers has been working on reducing these “negative nutrients” such sugar and salt content... Read more while not compromising on the taste. Food manufacturers should avoid advertising to young children in attempt to increase their consumption. Instead, they should ensure that food items are within the WHO’s dietary recommendation for both the children and adults. They can also explore the fortification of 'positive nutrients' into food items. More attention should be placed on consuming these nutrients, such as dietary fibre, which can be found in fruits, wholegrains, etc. As consumers are selective in their food, countries with an abundance of fruits and vegetables may not equate to a healthy nation. For instance, anemia remains to be a major problem in Malaysia. Having a balanced diet is crucial and more education needs to be done on the topic of food. Understanding the different nutrients can better help individuals attain their goal being healthy, in a sustainable manner. Government regulations and product labelling can be introduced to help individuals make better choices. Food operators and manufacturers have the responsibility to be transparent and provide the nutritional information for the consumers. Read less

From the Nutrition Society’s point of view, dietary pattern of the Malaysians have changed through the COVID-19 pandemic. Although many have seen the negative change in dietary pattern, there are also positive changes in some of the Malaysians’ diet. For instance, there is a growing awareness on the importance of nutrition such as consuming more nutritious food to build the immunity system against the external viruses. Some changes in behaviors include preparing meals at home, purchasing healthier food and increase the consumption of fruits of vegetables. However, there are also a group of... Read more people who has the knowledge of healthy eating yet choose not to practice it. They tend to prefer staying sedentary, have a high reliance on delivery platform and is often snacking. Lastly, the low-income families may have suffered the most during the pandemic. Jobs were lost and food, in general, no longer seemed to be within reach. From the Food Manufacturer’s point of view, the pandemic has caused an acceleration in areas such as health and nutrition where there are an increasing number of consumers that pays attention to the back-of-pack information such as the ingredients. This group of consumers tend to purchase only food which contains ingredients that they recognize. In general, there is a greater understanding on the ‘nutrients of concern’ and ‘nutrients of interest’. Consumers should be educated with the knowledge to read the nutritional labels to know what they are consuming as it makes an impact to their health. From the food operator’s point of view, the past 1.5 years has been an extremely favorable year for food deliveries companies, especially due to the pandemic. Apart from convenience, food deliveries solved the problem for individuals who cannot cook. As a food operator, the major consideration is to ensure that the food taste good while ensuring it is nutritious. Food operators should look for innovative food solutions and the scalability of production for healthy and nutritious ingredients so that there can be a balance between meeting business goals and making a positive impact to the people and environment. Read less

Improving the individuals’ nutrition has been highlighted globally and is one of the keys to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (Good health and well-being). Obesity has become a common issue in Malaysia where 50% of the adults and more than 15% of the children are either overweight or obese. Moreover, one in five Malaysians are diabetic and three in ten are suffering from hypertension. This is highly correlated to the consumption behavior. For instance, 95% of the Malaysian adults are not consuming enough fruits and vegetables and 80% of them are also exceeding the sodium intake da... Read moreily. Of course, the sugar that was consumed was also beyond what is recommended by the WHO. The focus of this independent dialogue seeks to understand the term 'positive nutrition' and the key approaches that different stakeholders in the food chain can do to incorporate the valuable nutrients into the consumers’ diet. (Action Track 1) Read less

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The Dialogue concluded that due diligence can be an efficient tool to achieve sustainable supply chains and reduce trade-offs between agriculture and forests, when implemented correctly. Country experiences, and the lessons shared by other invitees demonstrated that Government’s support is critical to boost initiatives undertaken by the private sector, in order to achieve deforestation-free supply chains. Setting up tools that facilitate stakeholder engagement and dialogue among all the participants of the value chain, from producers to industrials and traders, and including the civil societ... Read morey and public authorities, can be a key for success. Special efforts should also be made to spread technologies to improve traceability and national forest information systems, but also improve the development of platforms to facilitate information exchange. Regarding the possibility of regulatory frameworks making due diligence compulsory, participants stressed that legislation should apply to all players along the value chain to ensure sufficient traceability and transparency. Progress has already been realized in some countries, supply chains and existing systems, which demonstrates why products that are not linked to deforestation should be acknowledged by new regulations. The Dialogue also insisted on the importance of fixing practical aspects like definitions of monitoring and reporting methods (harmonized indicators and criteria for disclosure) to ensure policy effectiveness in halting deforestation. It concluded on the possibility to build upon the numerous existing initiatives, highlighting the urgent need to support small and medium producers and market participants to integrate the dynamics of responsible business conduct favorable to forests. Read less

The Dialogue examined how due diligence processes in the agricultural sector can help to reduce risks of deforestation and other related adverse impacts on people and forests. This focus corresponds particularly with Action Track 3 of the Food Systems Summit – Boost Nature-Positive Production. It was driven by three expected outcomes: provide an overview of existing guidance for private sector due diligence in agriculture and emerging legislative requirements in consumer countries to ensure responsible business conduct/due diligence in agricultural supply chains as they relate to forests and... Read more climate change; share experiences and lessons learned from producer countries’ experiences improving due diligence and traceability in the agriculture and forestry sectors; identify needs for technical support to actors in producer countries to effectively respond to emerging measures and strategically attract responsible investment. Read less

During the dialogue all stakeholders agreed that consumers need to be involved and listened to throughout this process of transforming the food system. Younger generations that are more value driven and that will be most impacted by the change must be enabled and empowered to build solutions. Yet, participants also acknowledged that many consumers are not in a position to make the right choices. Thus, to what degree can consumers really drive this transformation? To what extent should regulatory bodies and food manufactures be driving this transformation by influencing consumer behavior? To ad... Read moredress the global food system challenges, food should be simultaneously nutritious and healthy, tasteful, sustainable, affordable and adapted to the local context. However, it is likely that new innovations will not be able to solve all these constraints at once. So, the question is which innovations should be prioritized? Participants had some diverging views on this, and the consensus reached was that we need to act on all fronts at the same time. Read less

Plant-based diets While many things need to change for consumers to shift their dietary patterns to healthier and more sustainable diets, an element that should never be compromised is taste: food must be tasty or it will not be accepted. Expanding the supply of nutritious plant-based products and diversifying protein sources were mentioned as strategies to improve the health of people and the planet. Several elements must change to achieve the shift in consumer attitudes and habits towards plant-based diets: 1) a wide range of choices with diverse protein sources, 2) better and transparent co... Read moremmunication from producers and government to consumers and 3) plant-based alternatives must achieve price parity with meat. To do this, food producers should take responsibility for producing nutritionally high-quality products with a focus on increasing protein sources diversity. In addition, greater cooperation, and co-creation is needed across the value chain from farm to fork to understand the barriers that prevent farmers from producing plant-based proteins and for plant-based diets to become mainstream among consumers. Government support as well as an overall enabling environment are key to helping to address some of these barriers. In fact, some of the negative perception of plant-based alternative to animal-based products related to processing could be diminished with better communication, transparency, and education. All these changes must be culturally accepted and seen in cultural context. Solutions need to be tailored to local culture, context, taste, feasibility, and affordability (particularly in developing countries). Innovation that allows for greater food personalization could be game-changing. Read less