NIGERIA AGRICULTURAL COMMODITY VALUE CHAINS FOOD SYSTEM SUMMIT DIALOGUE

INTRODUCTION

The United Nations (UN) Secretary General will be convening a Food Systems Summit during the UN General Assembly later this year as part of the effort towards achieving the the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.  It is expected that the Summit will bring about new actions and strategies that will assist the countries deliver on all 17 SDGs, which to an extent depend on functional food systems that are sustainable and inclusive.

As part of the consultations for the Global Food Systems Summit, all countries are holding dialogues with various stakeholders to identify gaps and proffer solutions that can catalyze the much-needed transformation of local and global food systems to improve food and nutrition security, promote economic growth, generate jobs and impact positively on security.

As part of the series of dialogues currently taking place in Nigeria, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in collaboration with Federal Ministry of Finance Budget and National Planning is organizing one with the Commodity and related Services Associations which encompasses all the segments of the value chain.  This is key as food systems include all the actors and activities along the value chains in all the subsectors of agriculture from input supply, production, postharvest handling, marketing with all the gamut of services up to consumption and disposal.  Food systems also include the enabling policy environments, research and development as well as the food culture of the people.

Participants

About 40 Agricultural Commodity Associations and related services providers will participate at the dialogue scheduled to hold virtually on Thursday, 27^th May 2021 through representation by leadership of the associations. The Value Chains are;

Also included are:

 OBJECTIVES

The objectives of the Agricultural Value Chain dialogue are to:

1. Interact with stakeholders in Agricultural Value Chains in the Country with view to finding solutions to the challenges in the food system in Nigeria;
2. Produce an input for the Global Food System Summit; and
3. Consolidate on the gains recorded on the SDGs in the Country through dialogue and renewed commitment by stakeholders in the sector.

The broad objectives of the Food Systems Summit Dialogues are to deliver the following outcomes:

1. Generate significant action and measurable progress towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Summit will succeed in identifying solutions and leaders, and issuing a call for action at all levels of the food system, including national and local governments, companies and citizens.
2. Raise awareness and elevate public discussion about how reforming our food systems can help us all to achieve the SDGs by implementing reforms that are good for people and planet.
3. Develop principles to guide governments and other stakeholders looking to leverage their food systems to support the SDGs. These principles will set an optimistic and encouraging vision in which food systems play a central role in building a fairer, more sustainable world.
4. Create a system of follow-up and review to ensure that the Summit’s outcomes continue to drive new actions and progress. This system will allow for the sharing of experiences, lessons and knowledge; it will also measure and analyze the Summit’s impact.

 METHODOLOGY

Guided by the five Action Tracks, the Agricultural Value Chain Dialogue will bring together key commodity association representatives along with allied services, academia, financial services providers, women and youth groups as well as policy makers. A preparatory meeting will be held between the participants to enable on-boarding on the engagement and get all on to the same page so as to improve the outcome of the Dialogue.  The Dialogue will be guided by the 5 Action Tracks and 7 Principles of Engagement.  These include:

 Action Tracks

1. Ensure access to safe and nutritious food for all.
2. Shift to sustainable consumption patterns.
3. Boost nature-positive production.
4. Advance equitable livelihoods.
5. Build resilience to vulnerabilities, shocks and stress.

 Dialogue

In preparation for the dialogue, a registration form will be circulated to the participants on the areas they would contribute among the five action tracks during the dialogue.

The Commodity Value Chain Associations will also be provided with generic questions to guide consultations with members of their association on their submissions during the dialogue.

The Dialogue will be held online, with 5 different syndicate groups each covering 1 action track, with 2 Facilitators for each track and a Note Taker and then a final session which will be chaired by the Curator of the event Prof. Sani Miko to produce the final communique of the dialogue.