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This dialogue “Transforming our Food Systems with the Golden Rule: from Listening to Action” focused on the fundamental cultural and spiritual values and attitudes that should underpin and guide the technical, financial and functional solutions being discussed for the Summit if they are to genuinely lead to sustainable and equitable food systems. It was inspired by the “Golden Rule”: “treat others and the planet as you wish to be treated”. The discussions focused on the following six topics which were guided by the following framing: 1. The role of compassion, care and listening in... Lire la suite food systems transformation Since learning to control fire, the hearth has been at the heart of what has bound Homo sapiens together. The specialisations of cooking, hunting required new skills in our ancestors cooperation, empathy, trust and communication. Where do these capacities for empathy reside in our food ecosystems today? Is there empathy between the consumer and producer? Between the seasonal fruit-picker and the supermarkets? Between the dairy farmer and the cow? Between the farmer and the land? How do we build a true empathy between these different nodes in our system in the next decade? 2. Reconnecting and Listening to the Earth to guide food systems transformation Since Descartes split mind from body, and human from Nature, humans from many parts of the world have learned to see themselves outside of the natural world, and absorbed the credo that our role is to dominate, control and exploit its resources. A technocratic analysis of food production has served us well in maximising yield every year- and yet now threatens to collapse the very ecosystems on which we depend. How do we reshape our cultural connection with the natural world, and retain our sense of embedded- ness within nature, as part of its inherent cycle, rather than its master? Can we foster a sense of respect, wonder and the sacred into our relationship with food? 3. Drawing upon the voice of our elders and supporting the youth: Intergenerational solidarity In the Global North, our enhanced diets and healthcare are lengthening our lifespans and thereby transforming our societies where the elderly are in the majority. The Global South, by contrast, is overwhelmingly young. At the same time, our parents’ generation is consuming planetary resources at a rate which will bequeath our children with a badly damaged biosphere. How can we acknowledge in our food systems solidarity between our ancestors and our descendants? How can we encourage our children to shape new, better habits, while acknowledging their rights to give them a chance of sustainable, nourishing ecosystem in ten years 4. Education Education – whether in the home, in schools or society at large - is the process whereby we seed the practices of our next generation while adapting the current practices of all generations. If we were to change the culture of food in our society, where would we start? What are the best habits to acquire as a child? How can education ascribe a deeper purpose to the food that we eat and prepare? 5. Partnerships and dialogue Food systems are often pyramidal and vertical, with engrained power imbalances and values distortions. The supply chain from farm to fork is a silent one, disconnected and silo’d. How can we move our relationships in food from a one-way broadcast to a conversation? Who is excluded from this conversation? How do we listen to them? And if we were to treat the Earth as a partner rather than a supplicant, what would be the terms of engagement look like? 6. New citizenship and the Life Economy - valuing Nature, health, care John Perkins says that we need to enable A ‘Life Economy’, one in which we prioritise living, organic ecosystems; what we have now is the opposite, a ‘Death’ economy. A life economy is one that pays people to clean up pollution and regenerate destroyed environments. A life economy also develops new technologies that do not ravage the Earth. What would a global citizens charter look like that had a life economy at its core? What role would food play in such a charter? Lire moins

Solutions for Sustainable Fishing with Small scale women and men farmers: 1. Women empowerment 2. Drying fish 3. Fish mobile vans 4. Increase access to market 5. Mangrove reforestation 6. Integrated pond management 7. Probiotic fish feed 8. Small scale hatcheries 9. Advocacy for sustainable artisanal fishing 10. Participation of SSF in local level decision making 11. Learning exchange program 12. Advocacy and participation in local and national fisheries councils Recommendations to scale up and scale out Solutions : 1. Review various government policies using the VGSSF as tool. 2. Establish st... Lire la suiterong SSF organizations so that they are able to provide service to members with governments and other organizations supporting them with access to finance, pre and post-harvest facilities, capacity building, fishing technologies for marine and fresh water resources. 3. Provide spaces for women and young fishers to act. 4. Invest in post-harvest value chain, access to credit. 5. Check encroachment on coastal areas. 6. Prior access of SSF to commercial fishers. 7. During fish bans, provide support mechanisms. 8. Educate and enforce practices for sustainable fisheries. 9. Empower and organize women and youth fishers. 10. Rehabilitate fishery resources. 11. Conduct policy research on current status of implementation of VGSSF and documentation of good practices. 12. Establish ministry/department of fisheries (India, Philippines) 13. Recognize the role of SSF and IP communities, as well as their organizations and cooperatives, to restore, co-manage, conserve and protect local aquatic and coastal ecosystem. SSF Message to UNFSS  Increase investment in SSF.  Review various policies in fisheries by using VGSSF as tool.  Recognize the role of SSF and IP communities to restore, conserve, protect, and co-manage local aquatic and coastal ecosystem.  Livelihood protection.  Promote gender equity and equality in SSF sector. “According to studies, unless we act now, there may be no fish left in 2048.” (Boris Worm et al, 2006) Lire moins

Context of Small Scale Fishers  97% of SSF are from developing countries, 85% of whom are from Asia  90% of those in fishing community are SSF, 50% of which are women.  68% of global produce are from Asia.  95% of produce is consumed locally.  Fish is affordable and a major source of protein, vitamins and minerals for the poor. Challenges faced by SSF Fish is one of the most affordable and nutritious food products. Therefore, it is all the more necessary now in the scenario of the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet very little is being done to save small scale fisheries (SSF). SSF play a ke... Lire la suitey role in ensuring food and nutrition security, and eradicating poverty. Unfortunately, they are being continuously subjected to various forms of social discrimination, competition from big companies encroaching on coastal fisheries areas, violence against women, lack of access to credit, steeping down the value chain, weak implementation of fisheries policies, and the list goes on. Below are the economic, social, gender based, technological, and environmental challenges SSF face. A. Economic Challenges  Access to resources  Low investment in SSF  Alternative/allied livelihood B. Social Challenges  Social entitlements  Involvement in policy making  Marginalized C. Gender based Challenges  Lack of recognition  Access to market  Not involved in decision making D. Technological Challenges  Need for technical knowledge  Storage  Access to equipment and trainings E. Environmental Challenges  Low fish catch and depletion of species  Climate change  Disaster risk Solutions 1. Women empowerment 2. Drying fish 3. Fish mobile vans 4. Increase access to market 5. Mangrove reforestation 6. Integrated pond management 7. Probiotic fish feed 8. Small scale hatcheries 9. Advocacy for sustainable artisanal fishing 10. Participation of SSF in local level decision making 11. Learning exchange program 12. Advocacy and participation in local and national fisheries councils Recommendations 1. Review various government policies using the VGSSF as tool. 2. Establish strong SSF organizations so that they are able to provide service to members with governments and other organizations supporting them with access to finance, pre and post-harvest facilities, capacity building, fishing technologies for marine and fresh water resources. 3. Provide spaces for women and young fishers to act. 4. Invest in post-harvest value chain, access to credit. 5. Check encroachment on coastal areas. 6. Prior access of SSF to commercial fishers. 7. During fish bans, provide support mechanisms. 8. Educate and enforce practices for sustainable fisheries. 9. Empower and organize women and youth fishers. 10. Rehabilitate fishery resources. 11. Conduct policy research on current status of implementation of VGSSF and documentation of good practices. 12. Establish ministry/department of fisheries (India, Philippines) 13. Recognize the role of SSF and IP communities, as well as their organizations and cooperatives, to restore, co-manage, conserve and protect local aquatic and coastal ecosystem. SSF Message to UNFSS  Increase investment in SSF.  Review various policies in fisheries by using VGSSF as tool.  Recognize the role of SSF and IP communities to restore, conserve, protect, and co-manage local aquatic and coastal ecosystem.  Livelihood protection.  Promote gender equity and equality in SSF sector. “According to studies, unless we act now, there may be no fish left in 2048.” (Boris Worm et al, 2006) Lire moins

Small scale fishers play a key role in ensuring food and nutrition security, and eradicating poverty. Aquatic food systems strategies can help address the complex issue of the “triple burden of malnutrition” (food insecurity, undernutrition and overweight). Many coastal and inland populations rely on fish as the most accessible source of animal protein. In addition to high-quality protein, fish, especially small fish consumed whole, can be rich sources of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins A, D and B, and minerals such as calcium, zinc, iodine and iron, while seaweed represents an excellent sou... Lire la suiterce of fatty acids, vitamins and minerals. Fish farming is dominated by Asia, which has produced 89% of the global total of volume in the last 20 years. An estimated 59.51 million people were engaged (on a full-time, part-time or occasional basis) in the primary sector of capture fisheries (39.0 million people) and aquaculture (20.5 million people) in 2018. Women accounted for 14 percent of the total, with shares of 19 percent in aquaculture and 12 percent in capture fisheries. Of all those engaged in primary production, most are in developing countries, and most are small-scale, artisanal fishers and aquaculture workers. The highest numbers of workers are in Asia (85 percent), followed by Africa (9 percent), the Americas (4 percent), and Europe and Oceania (1 percent each). When post-harvest operations data are included, it is estimated that one in two workers in the sector is a woman. Small fishers are facing plethora of challenges in Asia and elsewhere. Owing to their poor economic status and often marginalized social status, their voices are not heard by the policy makers adequately. Small fishers are facing worst crises today. Apart from poverty and discrimination, the added perils are climate change induced extreme weather conditions and depletion of species. Access and control over natural resources has always been a contentious issue for poor fishers, who face hurdles to access sea beaches, to park their boats and dry their nets due to indiscriminate grabbing of coastal land for tourism and other industrial purposes. Also dumping effluent near the coast and in deep sea adversely affect their catches. Though there are rules restricting trawlers from fishing near the shore but violation of that rule is rampant and regulation is very weak. On social entitlement front too fishers are disadvantaged. Existing social schemes, various pensions and insurance schemes fall short to the need. This is simply because these schemes are not developed keeping fishers issues/challenges in mind majority of fisherwomen are in fish vending with no hygienic and secured workplace at markets. They suffer from lack of transportation facilities (often local regular transport refuse to take them due to smell of fish and dipping water etc), inadequate knowledge of market prices. Encroachment of big companies in the coast for industry, tourism and dumping of effluent etc further impoverished poor fishers and they are losing their grounds fast. Increased price of fuel and other essential items have added to their misery. Last but not the least lack of coordination among different government departments (lack of apt policies) has slowed down the pace of serving poor fishers through existing schemes. In the light of the contributions of the fisheries sector in food and nutrition security, and in the light of the issues and challenges faced by small scale women and men fishers who form the majority of the labor force in fisheries, this Independent Dialogue would like to gather together representatives of small scale fishers’ organizations in a discussion on the solutions they have undertaken to overcome these challenges while contributing to sustainability of the oceans, of the lands , and the eco system in general. In this Independent Dialogue, we would like to hear their voices, their perspectives, their solutions and their recommendation so that as small scale women and men fishers, they can play their utmost part in contributing to the global goals of ending hunger and poverty , first amongst their communities, and next, to the whole society. Lire moins

Areas of Divergence: • Participants disagreed sometimes about whether the consumer should have to pay for more ethically sourced food from the oceans or not! • There was discussion on the ability to live sustainably with the ocean while extracting resources from it, especially for the local people.

Discussion Topic Outcomes: Question: “In relation to the session topic, what actions can you recommend and how best can they be supported at personal, community or government level that help both ocean biodiversity and human food supply?” Overarching themes: 1. Actions that benefit both biodiversity and food supply are possible but often, to see benefits to food supply one must look into the long-term benefits of sustainable actions 2. Biggest difference will come from governmental, top-down policies that better regulate sustainable relationships with the ocean and support sustainable prac... Lire la suitetices whilst not leaving fishermen behind in the transition ▪ Governments should shift subsidies to more sustainable farming practices (such as The Seaweed Company) or provide alternatives for farmers to transition to sustainable practises, supporting them economically and not leaving them behind ▪ Stop blaming consumers for the broken system 3. However, the collective actions of lots of people and changing consumer behaviour through educating them on the ocean’s environmental issues and making it easier for people to live sustainably. This is important as there often exists a vast psychological distance between consumers and the sourcing, journey and impacts of their food. • Personal level: 1. Sustainable packaging, reducing plastic packaging, reuse grocery bags for routine shopping 2. Exercise purchasing power 3. Purchase in bulk 4. Reduce food waste 5. Stop storage of food in plastic for long term to avoid chemical transfer 6. Positive reinforcement for positive action in plastic reduction and plant-based diet advocacy • Community level: 1. Cleaning the rivers and water bodies that feed oceans Increase advocacy 2. Applaud plastic action in plastic cleaning and proper disposal 3. Increased Advocacy 4. Share experiences 5. Enforce by-laws 6. Educate fishermen on how to work sustainably or change their methods (e.g., to aquaculture combined with other practices) and financially incentivise them to cooperate • Government level: 1. Laws to separate organic food from non-organic using non plastic packaging 2. Regulate plastic use for single use (EU single plastic directive) 3. Regulate plastic export since it is now considered hazardous waste like in the UK 4. Incentives to plant-based advocates 5. Invest in better marketing sustainably sourced foods 6. Subsidies for plant-based agricultural production and transition away from subsidizing animal agriculture/ reduce it at least. Importantly, include animal farmers in the transition, help them move to plant-based farming through training, loaning material and supporting them economically 7. Support smallholder farmers more and less support of monopolies, decentralizing the system Lire moins

Main Findings: Part 1: • The ocean is under threat - discuss five drivers- heating, deoxygenation, acidification, marine plastic, and chemical pollution o Global ocean heat content change in the upper 2000m is rising - fish follow warm currents which flux around the globe with currents so these changing currents and temperatures will greatly change fish migration in an arguably unpredictable manner. And we depend too heavily on these stocks of food. o Also we mentioned deoxygenation. Can be activated by ocean warming from climate change. Heating from climate change leads to increasingly sepa... Lire la suiterated water columns as water doesn't mix. So, the circulation of cooler oxygenated water occurs less, and less oxygen is exchanged from the atmosphere into the seas. This causes stress on marine life. Deoxygenation also occurs due to runoff from human activities like in agriculture. Excess nutrient runoff from fertilizers, untreated sewage cause eutrophication and the manifestation of dead zones in our oceans. The ocean lost 2% of its oxygen from 1960-2010. This by extension affects humans, not just aquatic life. Deoxygenation reduces biodiversity, biomass and habitat for fish, leading to reduced fish landings, lower economic profit and adversely affects smaller scale fisheries limited in technology and ability to fish elsewhere. o The rate of marine acidification is alarming. Since industrial revolution, CO2 emission have made the oceans ~30% more acidic. Although it has been as low as today before, this was 20 million years ago, and current life is not adapted to these levels and many may not adapt fast enough to endure it given the fast rate of pH decline. Shellfish and coral (contain Calcium) are weakening, making species vulnerable to predation, infection and developmental abnormalities that decrease fitness. We depend on these species directly or indirectly for food. o Marine plastic and chemical pollution: directly kill all creatures from small invertebrates to large mammals, making food chains less stable and vulnerable to collapse • Many unsustainable practices that are avoidable continue to occur (overfishing, subsidizing fuel for ships, bottom trawling, squid fishing continuously, shark finning only taking fins and dumping the body overboard, transhipments, slavery, bad practise unintentionally catching birds) • The biosphere underpins society and our economy. It is in our best interests to support a planet with strong foundations to support development and improvement of our economies. This requires us to radically change aspects of our ocean food systems to move to more sustainable livelihoods. Part 2: • CEO of The Seaweed Company which provides an ethical solution to the oceans crisis that supports a biodiverse ocean as well as human food production. • Farming greed red and brown seaweed in geographically suitable conditions for these taxonomic groups and supporting local people to set up these farms so they then buy the harvest off them. Decentralising the practice, providing income, and increasing income for smallholder farmers rather than leaving them behind in the move to more sustainable ocean farming after unsustainable practices or market competition puts smallholder farmers out of business, threatening coastal community livelihoods. It also supports ocean regeneration which benefits human health and wellbeing. Lire moins

Major focus: Ocean Solutions: Regenerative farming. Exploring the current problems in our exploitation of oceans and given sustainable farming examples, suggest solutions to the crisis in our ocean. Speakers highlighted the main threats facing our oceans and provided ethical farming solutions (model being The Seaweed Company). Another focus was “In relation to the session topic, what actions can you recommend and how best can they be supported at personal, community or government level that help both ocean biodiversity and human food supply?”

The private sector actors believe that they are doing their best to contribute to research and development whilst academia and researchers believe that the private sector has a lot more role to play in food systems transformation when it comes to setting the agenda for research and in funding research. Private sector actors intimated that researcher do not know how to deal with private sector or businesses and that research cannot be funded without profit generation as the ultimate goal in the short-medium term. Therefore, researchers must know how to work closely with the private sector in or... Lire la suiteder to attract funding. The issues of leadership in the delivery of extension services (dissemination of innovation) was also a point of divergence as stakeholders intimated that the private sector can play the leadership role as the public extension services are woefully inadequate. Lire moins

1. Establishment of a national research fund: We need to prioritize investment in agriculture. Government should set up a dedicated fund purposely to support research. Government should commit to make budgetary allocation to this fund. Private sector should be encouraged to invest in the research fund. 2. Need for private sector participation in collaborating and funding agricultural research. Private sector should collaborate with researchers in setting objective research agenda to drive innovation in Africa. This requires a constructive stakeholder dialogue for a clear transition path. Partn... Lire la suiteership with private sector should be at the onset of research objectives. Research institutions should know how to relate with private sector. The research institutes should coerce the private sector to work with them and give the private sector the advantage of commercializing new products. 3. Governments should more proactively support the development and use of new technologies, including ICTs and biotechnology. There is the need to promote ICT to take advantage of the youth bulge in Africa that portends for a more technology-induced food systems transformation. There is need to develop a digital driven agricultural policy aimed at attracting the youth engagement in food systems. 4. Need to for science research journalism to communicate innovations effectively to end users. The media is too silent, not communicating science-based innovation to the populace. There is the need to train media on science-based communication. 5. Commitment to strengthening the capacities within research institutions. There is need to train more research scientist. Also, there should be more collaboration between universities and research institutions to do basic research on new innovations. Also, strengthen collaboration with advance research institutions. 6. Strengthen research extension farmer linkages. Extension agents should be aware of new innovation developed by researchers and disseminate innovations to farmers. Private extension has role to play in spearheading the transfer of information from the researcher to the farmers. 7. Prioritize food safety issues to reduce postharvest losses. 8. Need for mechanization, irrigation, improved varieties that are adapted locally. Link farmers to reliable markets 9. Improve infrastructure to make technology accessible to farmers. 10. There should be a national focus on developing value chains of key staple crops. Lire moins

- We need to redesign our food systems to achieve the SDGs. Science based research driven actions are needed to transform the food system. - There is the need to increase investment in research and development for the transformation of food systems in Africa. - Urgent need to establishment of a national research fund. - Need for private sector participation in collaborating and funding agricultural research. - Governments should more proactively support the development and use of new technologies, including ICTs and biotechnology. - Commitment to strengthening the capacities within research in... Lire la suitestitutions. - Incentivize innovations and investments that help lower agriculture’s vulnerability to climatic/environmental impacts and lead to more affordable healthy food consumption. - Reduce interest rates for the benefit of smallholder farmers and also encourage savings among smallholder producers. - Develop a digital driven agricultural policy aimed at attracting the youth engagement in food systems. - Need for effective public-private-partnership. - There should be a national focus on developing value chains of key staple crops. - More collaboration between universities and research institutions to do basic research on new innovations. - Need to for science research journalism to communicate innovations effectively to end users. - Strengthen research-extension-farmer linkages. - Need for mechanization, irrigation, improved varieties that are adapted locally. - Need for standardized markets for agricultural commodities. - Link farmers to reliable markets. - There is the need to diversity crops being cultivated including indigenous crops and develop value chains for indigenous crops. - Develop efficient monitoring systems to be able to track progress and identify gaps to be addressed. - Place more emphasis on post-harvest technologies, especially in food processing. - There is the need to emphasis on efficient fertilizer and water utilization for sustainable productivity and environment. - Establish innovation platforms for interaction among actors in the commodity value chains. - Prioritize food safety issues to reduce postharvest losses. - Improve infrastructure to make technology accessible to farmers. - Sustainable funding sources for dynamic policy development. - Make government policies for food systems more inclusive. - Need to actively involve the youth in agriculture. - Focus on climate smart agriculture. Lire moins

A) Major Focus The dialogue focused on three areas; (i) Innovation for the food system transformation, (ii) Interventions for the food system transformation, (iii) Policies for food system transformation. Innovation for the food system transformation This session focused on research and development projects that are required for the transformation of the food systems. It discussed the problems, challenges and requirements necessary for countries to establish institutions that will accelerate the development of ground-breaking innovations for food systems transformation. The discussion covered ... Lire la suitethe following topics: - Structure and Governance of Research Systems - Sustainable funding for research systems - Support for accelerated innovations development - Key sectors that require accelerated innovations development - Platforms for Innovations and Knowledge Management - Public – Private Sector Relationships for Innovations Interventions for food system transformation This session focused on identification of key interventions needed for food systems transformation. The discuss covered the following: - Bottlenecks in the Food Systems across Africa (using country specific case studies) - Structural changes for Food Systems transformation - Key interventions for sustainable funding of agribusinesses - Transformation of Extension – Research – Farmer Linkages for increased productivity - Support for accelerated innovations development - Key sectors that require actions for transformation - Public – Private Sector Relationships for Agricultural Transformation Policies for food systems transformation This session identified policies that will be transformational and impactful in the food systems development. The dialogues will covered the following: - Policy gaps in Food Systems across Africa (using country specific case studies) - Changes in Policy Formulation Processes for Food Systems transformation - Sustainable Funding for Dynamic Policy Development - Governmental Policies for Food Systems Transformation - Policies for Innovations and Technology Integration into Food Systems - Policies for Effective Public – Private Sector Initiatives for Agricultural Transformation Lire moins

While lack of access to capital to purchase or use mechanized technologies was identified as the biggest challenge, others believed it was the general lack of awareness about tools and equipment and their costs, a lack of knowledge and skills on how to use tools and equipment and many women being intimidated by tools, technologies and equipment that are largely used by men that hinders women from using mechanization services.

There was a call for a fundamental change in how ‘value’ is perceived by companies and at the broader society as present systems undervalue women’s contributions, especially in the area of unpaid care work. It was agreed that developing gender responsive systems will require making fundamental changes to meeting women’s needs. Rather than trying to make women fit into current systems or practices, new systems that are women friendly need to be devised to include alternative collateral systems, gender responsive procurement to ensure women can engage in value chains. Participants attrib... Lire la suiteuted limited business growth among the majority of women owned agro-enterprises in Africa to poor access to finance, market information, technologies and women’s limited technical and business capacities and knowledge. The absence of post-training support and follow-up also contribute to low business growth. They identified fostering a growth-oriented mindset among women entrepreneurs through training and mentoring as a potential solution. It was observed that women entrepreneurs tend to be concentrated in specific value chain areas partly because most women go into agribusiness out of economic necessity to provide for their families as opposed to pursuing an opportunity. It is thus necessary to provide open-source business and market information and step by step business guidance through channels and format that are easily accessible and attractive to women. It was underscored that the existence of well-established networks including VALUE4HER, AWAN-Afrika, Nourishing Africa among others, that provide platforms for women in agribusiness to raise their voices at local and continental level. Better connectivity has helped to strengthen women’s networks but opportunities for improvement in this area still exist. Participants pointed out that women members of cooperatives and producer associations (estimated at 30%) tend to be older and noted that the poorest and least educated women tend not to join these groups or choose people to represent them who do not have their best interest at heart. It was emphasized that it is important for women not to just belong to collectives, but to take ownership of these groups to make their demands heard. Most African women agri-preneurs, particularly in rural areas, have limited access to information and business networks. It was noted that the switch to virtual communication, e-opportunities and on-line platforms during the COVID-19 pandemic has increased women’s marginalization. It was voiced that improving women’s access to information and business networks is critical for moving women agri-preneurs away from production related activities to more profitable processing and value addition enterprises. Participants broadly agreed that the key factors that impede women agri-preneurs’ access to finance and capital are lack of collateral, high interest rates and poor collaboration between stakeholders. They suggested developing diverse financial schemes for different agricultural products like different schemes for seasonal crops, annual, and perennial crops, providing interest free loans and grants to micro and small enterprises Women agri-preneurs’ low use of digital technologies holds them back in several areas, notably, accessing digital financial services, markets and information and prevents them from taking full advantage of social media and digital agribusiness platforms such as VALUE4HER to grow their agri-enterprise. It was emphasized that publicizing information on agriculture related tools and equipment particularly through information channels used by women producers, explore innovative ways to improve women’s digital education and use of digital technologies and spaces by, for example, organizing women agri-preneurs into collectives headed by a tech-savvy leader. Lire moins

Our key finding are outline below: It was clear that in many African countries gender favourable policies have been put in place however they have not been operationalised, therefore there is need for operationalization of gender policies. The dialogue findings affirmed the need for addressing legal dualism by formulating policies that address cultural interference in policy implementation. Capacity limitation for women entrepreneurs emerged as the key constraint hindering their equal participation in food systems, therefore a recommendation was made to develop the capacity of women entreprene... Lire la suiteurs in technical, business and soft skills. Given the emerging digital economy amplified by COVID-19 pandemic coupled by Africa's wide digital gender gap, the need to promote interventions that increase women’s access to digital technologies and strengthen digital literacy proved to be imperative. It was observed that the current extension and advisory services are not gender responsive hence the need to design and support gender responsive extension and advisory services to reach women agri-preneurs more effectively. It was broadly agreed that the key factors that impede women agri-preneurs’ access to finance and capital are lack of collateral, high interest rates and poor collaboration between stakeholders, therefore developing gender responsive financial and business support services coupled with diverse financial schemes, interest free loans and grant to small enterprises, incentives to financial institutions to accept alternative forms of forms of collateral. Finally, it was concluded that there is need to support innovation and research addressing gender and business success. Lire moins

Dialogue main theme: Catalysing women's agri-entrepreneurship and food trade in Africa to advance equitable livelihoods. Dialogue specific themes: Evolve a collective understanding of the issues, challenges, and opportunities prevalent in the 11 countries where the mini Dialogues have been held Share on headlines, solutions that are emerging from country consultations through selected country memorandums Bolster African women’s voice in the UN food systems Dialogue and strengthening the continental platform for women in agri-food entrepreneurs Inform and influence continental partners, polic... Lire la suitey and regulatory actors on the needs and aspirations of women in agri-food enterprises Refine and or contribute to game-changing solutions on women in agri-food enterprises, for the United Nations Food Systems Summit Breakout themes: • Gender responsive business environment • Business growth and formalization • Women’s business segment • Business leadership • Women’s associations in agripreneurship • Women’s access to information and business networks • Women’s access to affordable and innovative finance and capital • Women’s access to mechanization and digital technologies • Women’s access to high-value markets • Women’s involvement in cross border and food trade Lire moins