Explore le compte-rendu officiel des Concertations

Group 3: Boosting Nature Positive Production at Scale i. Protection of Natural Ecosystems: • Promotion of Organic Farm Inputs • Improve extension services on Organic Farming and environmental protection • Control Bush Burning through stringent laws and awareness campaigns • Promotion of the Practices of Conservation Agriculture ii. Manage Sustainably Existing Food Production Systems: • Improve quality control on food safety and standardization • Promote the adoption of biological pest control • Develop new crop varieties to enhance farmers’ resilience to challenges of climate c... Lire la suitehange • Incentivize Agriculture for the youth iii. Restore and Rehabilitate Degraded Ecosystems: • Restore wastelands such as desert encroached areas, salinity and erosion affected areas etc • Establish a Centre of Excellence for Regenerative Agriculture and restoration of ecosystems in one of the leading Universities of the country. What contributions will our organisations make? • Provide technical and financial support for Extension activities • Spear head awareness campaigns and consultations with both governmental and non-governmental institutions on sustainable food systems to improve policy focus and legislation. • Establish a Centre of Excellence for research on Regenerative and Conservation Agriculture How will it be possible to tell if these actions are being successful? • Improved adoption of Organic Inputs and sustainable practices in Agriculture by the farmers • Improved capacity of Extension Workers • Improved actionable research findings on conservation and regeneration of the ecosystem for sustainable agriculture • More policies and legislation on protection of the Agricultural Ecosystem enforced • More youth engaged in Agriculture How will it be possible to tell if these actions are being successful? • Increase in number of Improved adoption of Organic Inputs and sustainable practices in Agriculture by the farmers • Improved capacity of Extension Workers • Increase in number of Improved actionable research findings on conservation and regeneration of the ecosystem for sustainable agriculture • More policies and legislation on protection of the Agricultural Ecosystem enforced • More youth and women are engaged in Agriculture Lire moins

Group 2: Shift to Healthy and Sustainable Consumption Patterns Actions urgently needed • Create awareness, advocate for, and educate on safe and healthy food consumption • Farmers to embrace market-driven production to enhance income and purchasing power • Dry season farming to ensure all year-round availability • Revisit neglected and underutilised foods • Scale up school feeding programme • Promote integrated farming and backyard farming and work into primary and secondary school curriculum • Promote high yielding crop varieties • Strengthen linkages between research, policy,... Lire la suite and practice • Improve rural infrastructure • Adaptation indigenous processing and storage methods, and explore modern technologies • Price control and regulation of activities of middlemen • Provide incentives for healthy consumption and production of healthy food by food and beverage companies • Use community-based extension volunteers for food demonstrations using locally sourced healthy foods • Identify other sources for agricultural financing • Strengthen farmer-groups and other rural associations for community development • Encourage contract farming with buy-back arrangements • Perfect recycling process for agricultural waste • Reposition and strengthen agricultural research institutes. • Create awareness and educate on dangers of unhealthy environment • Enforce existing regulation and sanction for environmental degradation • Regulate chemical use in all aspects of agricultural production • Intensify consumer protection activities Who should take the actions? • Religious and traditional leaders, opinion moulders, community leaders and the media will contribute to awareness creation and education on need for healthy food consumption and environmental sustainability • Ministries of Health and Environment will enforce regulations on environmental degradation • Agriculture research institutes with mandates for processing and storage will develop technologies for processing and storage • Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN) will review and revise mandates of Research Institutes in line with current realities. • Regulatory agencies will enforce existing regulations to prevent the nefarious activities of some food and beverage companies • Federal and state Ministries of Agriculture, through the Agricultural Development Projects, will ensure prompt dissemination of information on safe and healthy food consumption, and on environmental sustainability. • The federal and states Ministries of Education will mainstream integrated and backyard farming into primary and secondary school curriculum. • Farmer groups, other rural associations and banking institutions will provide farm credit How will it be possible to tell if these actions are being successful? Ways in which progress could be assessed • Reduction in the current rates of malnutrition indices and related deaths • Reduction diet related illnesses such as type 2 diabetes, cancer, obesity etc. • Reduction in percentage annual food loss • Increase in demand for safe and healthy foods • Increase in production and utilisation of neglected and underutilised crops • Reduction in environmental degradation • Increased alternative uses of agricultural waste Lire moins

Group 1: Poor people are able to eat nutritious foods that will not make them sick Actions urgently needed Strand 1: Reducing hunger and inequality • Ensure speedy passage of the Right to Food Bill. • Foster more budgetary allocation to the agricultural sector; • Increase and timely release of funds to Research Institutes. • Support farmers by providing appropriate subsidy • Tackle general insecurity particularly on farmlands • Reduce food losses and wastages. Strand 2: Increasing availability and affordability of nutritious foods • Researchers to produce genetically improved hig... Lire la suiteher yielding crop varieties and • High quality crops for enhanced nutrition • Reduce extension agent: farmer ratio to promote good agronomic practices (GAPs) • Efficiently organize value chain actors to produce and deliver wholesome and nutritious food. • Include agro-entrepreneurship in schools’ curriculum at primary, secondary and tertiary levels. • Incarcerated engagement in agriculture to produce more food; while empowering them upon release. • Production of commercial quantities of nutritious indigenous foods in easy to prepare, ready to use forms. • Proliferation of small, medium and large-scale equipment to reduce drudgery and upscale production. Strand 3: Ensuring safe food • Discourage use of chemicals. • Ensure enforcement of extant rules by relevant regulatory authorities as SON, NAFDAC, CPC etc. • Vigorous sensitization campaigns on food safety • Improve storage and transport facilities. • Encourage the planting of fruits to replace ornamental trees • Ensuring effective post-harvest crop handling What contribution will our organizations make? High-level organization is needed at the various stages of the value chain for the country to reap the benefits that abound in agriculture as significant contributor to GDP and means of youth employment and women empowerment. • Value chain actors identified, recognized and enabled to participate in agriculture transparently. • Organize and coordinate quality assurance by FMARD, NAFDAC, SON, CPC; Farmer associations and Commodity associations. How will it be possible to tell, If these Actions are successful? • Reduction and stability of food prices • Reduction in unemployment indices • Reduction in restiveness as majority are engaged in productive activity • Agro-dealers’ presence not more than 2km away from farm communities to enable farmers access quality inputs • Post-harvest loss reduced due to efficient storage system • Insurance scheme for farmers launched and functional • Use of improved technology to make agriculture attractive • Solar powered equipment for drying and for cold chain transportation functional • Storage facilities for farming communities within a 2-5km radius. • Efficient Transportation (rail and road) systems • System of quality assurance of agricultural produce beginning from farm to market in place • Linkage between all the agricultural value chain actor from production to marketing strengthened • Assurance of Halal content of food chain from farm to fork Cross-Cutting • Strengthen by legislature, link between Agriculture and Industry • Farmer education and awareness improvement • Link between agriculture and health (Food as medicine) • Food security and national security Lire moins

The current socio-economic trends are the major drivers of the Nigerian food system; the country is facing major challenges, including but not limited to a high population growth, a high number of people living in extreme poverty, unprecedented urbanisation, and thus, agriculture is faced with an abysmally low productivity. Public investments in the agricultural sector are low, resulting in poor rural infrastructure such as access roads, storage facilities and processing facilities. There are also poor or uncoordinated agricultural services like advisory services, poor access to inputs and fin... Lire la suiteance. There are also very weak institutions, poor and uncoordinated links between research and practice, low literacy and poor market access and information, usually with high transaction costs and high investment risks. The major findings of the dialogue include but not limited to the following: 1. Nigeria has an opportunity to reshape its food systems to sustainably impact on its national development aspirations by putting in place strong and proactive national development plans with achievable targets and timelines, through heavy public investments in operational enabling environment, infrastructure and implementation policies. 2. Nigeria needs to coordinate and strengthen our major Value Chains to make them sustainably functional, stable and purposefully apolitical by evolving support programs and provision of needed information and data, and matchmaking services through a national support unit. 3. We need a matchmaking service of private capital and other partners with agricultural know-how to create access to micro-finance for young and/or female entrepreneurs, in combination with business coaching, advisory services 4. We need to develop a technical and vocational training for the youth and women, that can be linked to major value chains and/or processors and also having access to finance, which can lead to the promotion of responsible investment in the sector, thus creating decent jobs. 5. Nigeria needs to embark on public awareness raising and knowledge improvement on healthy diets; (public and private) investments in domestic agricultural production and processing capacities to improve the production of food and cash crops and reduce food losses 6. We need to improve on sharing of data and information as well as technical know-how/technologies on climate change impacts and adaptation strategies for value chain actors. 7. We need a concerted and coordinated national plan and actions to curb insecurity in and around the country to allow productive agricultural activity that would increase quality and quantity of food for all in a sustainable manner 8. Nigeria needs to urgently increase it’s funding to research and development 9. Environmental degradation, especially loss of biodiversity and soil fertility must be reversed in a sustainable manner, taking regenerative agriculture into cognisance to decrease carbon emission and greenhouse gas emission within a specific time frame. 10. Nigeria needs a bold and decisive investment into irrigation agriculture and target mechanization of major field operations While the above will take a long gestation period, it is necessary to, as a matter of urgency, to strategize by taking immediate actions. The following are specific steps recommended to begin the transformation of our food systems: • Ensure speedy passage of the Right to Food Bill • Increase budgetary allocations to the agricultural sector to meet Mobuto declaration target of budgeting 10% of the total annual budget • Ensure sustainable general public security to allow agricultural production activities return to normalcy • Promote the production, access to and utilization of nutritious indigenous foods in a sustainable way. • Ensure enforcement of extant rules by relevant regulatory authorities responsible for the organization and coordination on safety and quality assurance on food. • Design and engage in Vigorous sensitization campaigns on food safety • Improve rail transport system in the country to address challenges of transportation of farm produce. • Create awareness, advocate for, and educate on safe and healthy food consumption • develop Farmers capacity to embrace market-driven production to enhance income and purchasing power • Strengthen linkages between research, policy, and practice • Enforce existing regulation and sanction for environmental degradation • Reposition and strengthen agricultural research institutes. • Establish a Centre of Excellence for Regenerative Agriculture and restoration of ecosystems. • Create and strengthen policies and legislation on protection of the Agricultural Ecosystem enforced • There should be more youth and women engaged in Agriculture by raising level of agricultural mechanization • Develop Strategies aimed at implementing existing gender policies in Nigeria should be put in place. • Encourage and support Private sector to work with public extension outfit to incorporate extension service as an after sales package • Mainstream nutrition into every agricultural programme and education system • There should be massive public enlightenment on the reality of climate change, its causes and effects on agriculture • There must be timely generation and dissemination of weather forecasts and advisories in the language and channels available to local farmers Lire moins

The global problem of food scarcity is exacerbated by the constant increase in population growth, with no complimenting increase in the output of agricultural produce. Over the years it has become a major focus of most governments, including Nigeria, to provide enough food for the citizenry which will in-turn curb the series of social discord that could emerge if a hunger-crisis breaks out, and create an enabling atmosphere for strategic economic development by providing the working population with one of the most important physiological needs. The rapid globalization of the Agricultural marke... Lire la suitets has led to the generation of new production and distribution systems, as well as new consumption patterns. One of the objectives of modern agriculture is to reduce to the barest minimum the problems associated with agricultural loss, wastages and output underutilization by ensuring an efficient optimization of all the linkages between the producer and final consumer through the “Value-Chain” concept. The dialogue was an exploration of the Nigeria Food Systems, guided by the Five Action Tracks of the UN Food Systems Summit. The participants, broken into groups based on these Action Tracks, engaged in fruitful and deliberate discourse on our food systems, especially how the system functions, who the major actors, what are the country’s potentials, weakness/vulnerabilities/challenges and what needs to be done urgently to transform or address these issues so that the system can be able to provide, in a sustainable manner, enough quantities and qualities of food that is nutritious, affordable, taking into consideration gender balancing, sustainability and can be all inclusive. From the discussions held, it was generally noted that the Nigeria Food system faces a lot of challenges that make it very difficult to provide food that is affordable, sustainable, nutritious and safe in the right quantity and quality for all citizens. The food systems in the country are faced with heavy post-harvest losses, both at farm level, storage and processing levels. There is also serious food price instability that makes quality food inaccessible to majority of Nigerians in a sustainable way. A sporadic and longer period of insecurity across the country has also made agricultural activity unpredictable, with attendant loss of productive time and resources. The dialogue also focused on food safety, nutrition, youth involvement and gender mainstreaming across all value chain activities. Climate change is real and has serious repercussion on the Nigerian agriculture, thus the dialogue also deliberated serious on irrigation potentials and resourceful intervention in this regard. Environmental degradation and pollution have rendered our soils unproductive, with attendant decline in productivity. Thus a lot of discussion on regenerative and/or conservation agriculture was highly discussed as potential solutions to our declining soil fertility and attaining sustainable and functional food systems. Nutrition has featured strongly across the groups; introduction and sensitization on nutrient dense crops were discussed and recommended. The dialogue also focused on transformation the food systems towards mechanization as a means to rejuvenate and inject intensification towards raising productivity in a sustainable manner. Lire moins

Strand 1 – Economic Impact of Natural Disaster on vulnerable groups Consumers need to have accessibility not only to food but income to purchase these foods. Increase in imported foods also relates to increase in local expenditure and people are not earning enough during COVID19 to be able to afford. Crop resilient tolerant and genetic improvement by MOA should also take into consideration that genetic modification shouldn't affect our biodiversity that is reduction in our floras genetic pool since they tend to be more adaptable due to their genetic diversity. Due to COVID19 if these newly i... Lire la suitentroduced crops are not identified, it can establish and affect our crop production and also affect the export pathway that will have a major impact on the economy. Agricultural mechanisms to also take into consideration traditional knowledge approaches to reduce post-harvest lost. Strand 2 – Social Impact of Natural Disaster on vulnerable groups There is already a lot of food in Fiji since the rural populations grow food, the urban and peri urban areas depend on these rural supplies. Need to address how rural farmers can be supported to get their produce in a timely manner to the populations that can afford them. Intervention required is how to make it affordable without compromising affordability for anyone along the food system chain- from producer to consumer. Empower communities to reduce the idea on food/other dependency from government subsidies which may hinder exploring traditional practices. How can we support existing social protection systems to decrease these dependencies - perhaps improve our financial literacy at rural settings such as cash transfer strategy and other forms of assistance. Strand 3 - Environmental Impact of Natural Disaster on vulnerable groups Food security vs. system damaged that needs to recover; resilience needs to be built; systems already degraded and then facing shocks. Tension: people to adapt and understand the changing climate and ways of doing business. Lire moins

Strand 1 – Economic Impact of Natural Disaster on vulnerable groups Among the main transformations needed in the current food system were identified the establishment of digital spaces to improve market access through local and regional opportunities (marine species are high value commodities); the adoption of climate start technologies and genetically improved crops more resilient and tolerant; increase stakeholder engagement from a multi-sector perspective for both agriculture and fisheries and the use of agricultural mechanisms that consider traditional knowledge approaches to support Ear... Lire la suitely Warning Systems EWS and reduce post-harvest lost. Participants alerted of a potential risk of genetic modification, which could affect our biodiversity or reduce the national flora genetic pool since they tend to be more adaptable. Strand 2 – Social Impact of Natural Disaster on vulnerable groups Government response is to ensure food security as well as nutrition and Ministry of Health is working with NDMO and local food industries to incorporate package nutrient foods in the food basket using local foods. The traditional ‘solesolevaki’ system should be encouraged especially with the recent migration of people back to rural areas. Educate and empower community health workers on food and nutrition knowledge. Invest on online/digital infrastructure by working with private sector which can assist in transporting local produce to markets. Empower women on locally food production and processing. Important to include women and youth in all solutions and provide resources to integrate such activities into Fiji’s ongoing employment and disaster mitigation and response plans and activities. Some organisations in the Private Sector that have empowered communities and women groups to add value to their Agriculture and Fisheries products. These communities have vulnerable people including women, those with disabilities and marginalised groups as well. We could learn a lot of lessons and best practices and see how we can replicate them at different levels and sections of our communities. Ensure all people have home gardens - supply seeds/seedlings to all households. At the community level engagement - iTaukei Affairs to have arrangements within villages for communal plantings collectively worked. Fiji need to progress the Fiji Policy on Food and Nutrition Security which is inclusive between government, academia, private sector, CSOs NGOs FBOs and community settings, to address some of these issues. Strand 3 - Environmental Impact of Natural Disaster on vulnerable groups Food System transformation should consider the Fijian traditional Crop and Fisheries calendar and adjusted it to the current circumstances. This would ensure all year round harvesting despite effects of disaster. Better land conservation practices and enhancing traditional varieties and knowledge together with the use of resilient crop varieties and livestock breeds were mentioned. After a disaster, traditional knowledge on processing may help to make people more resilient, but skills need to be strengthened. Climate smart practices and technologies need to be promoted and adopted, with more investment in soil improvement and conservation. If we keep it healthy, it will mean communities do not need to clear more land and deforestation will decrease. We need to ensure that women are part of the discussions, dialogue, and solutions. So better processes are needed for the inclusion of women, and other marginalized groups. Policies should aim to strengthen villages system, people lost their jobs and are coming back to the villages where better services (education & health, infrastructure and others) are needed. Information/Communication and digital tools can play a role here; linkages to markets, inputs etc. There is a need to look at food systems and disasters/shocks through an intersectional lens, as our responses will need to operate at that level. Need to re-focus food summit on people and emphasise collaboration between stakeholders. Lire moins

Strand 1 - Economic Impact of Natural Disaster on vulnerable groups Participants identified many different impacts, including limited input supply and those related to movement restrictions affecting incomes, food distribution and purchasing and thus consumption. This may increase reliance on imported food and local expenditures. In order to allow farmers to make viable decisions about their investments more data needed, as who grows what, where, and what and soil information. Same situation for ocean data, including salinity and pH to identify which native fish species are effected and how th... Lire la suiteis in turn affects the supply to communities that rely on it for food and livelihood. Involvement of women and youth in agriculture and fisheries farming is still low. In order to minimise economic impacts that affect exports and economy, some new technologies were discussed, as the use of a new app on Pacific Pest Pacific Pests, Pathogens and Weeds and the use of drones for agriculture. A comprehensive view considering the whole value chain is needed, engaging the communities and aiming at moving from subsistence to commercial farming. Capacities of extension officers need to be strengthened, including environmental friendly practices and organic methods. Among main barriers limiting the economic resilience of the food system in Fiji were mentioned legislations and regulations (aquaculture policy is missing); lack of tailor-made disaster and climate resilience plans for specific communities; funding availability; lack of opportunities for female market vendors/farmers on trainings and capacity building in their villages/districts and limited facilities for storing and processing food locally. Strand 2 – Social Resilience (producing broad based benefits for all people) CV19 has put unprecedented stress on Fiji’s food systems disrupting livelihoods and threatening many people’s access to food and income. The informal settlements are particularly vulnerable because the majority lack social protection and have little or lost access to productive assets and health care. Low- and middle-income families could not afford high food costs (especially fruits, vegetables and root crops) after disaster, instead they use alternatives such as canned or frozen foods. This in turn reduces their access to healthy, safe and diverse diet thus increasing prevalence of malnutrition among vulnerable populations. Internal migration on social dynamics on rural & urban drift is a norm in Fiji however, CV19 has seen many people, especially the youth moving back to their villages due to loss of jobs. Barriers that limit greater social resilience in our food systems include lack of infrastructure, data and specialized capacity and stakeholders working in silos. Technical expertise and support in country particularly in information management on emerging vulnerabilities within existing vulnerable groups in communities. Strand 3 - Environmental Impact of Natural Disaster on vulnerable groups The discussion found that natural disasters have environmental impacts that affects agricultural production in terms of quantity and quality. Some examples mentioned included heavy rainfalls, sudden changes in temperature etc. that can severely affect water and soil, essential elements for crops and livestock. Fisheries are also affected, impacts on coral reefs, mangroves were specifically mentioned. Natural disasters combined with deforestation and poor land use practice are resulting in an increase in invasive species, more resilient than native ones, and thus affecting the productivity of the food system. Organic options are not so popular after a disaster as other quickest options that are not necessarily the best solution are prioritised. A good example of integrated farming, mixing agriculture and fisheries farming (an example of combining tilapia with ducks in Fiji where poultry birds provide for the fertilizing algae in the tilapia pond), was explained and recommended to be scaled up. Hydroponic agriculture in green houses was also discussed, highlighting the need for funding the high cost involved and capacity building. We need to be building management systems that are responsive and can adapt to change, and new shocks. The inadequate inclusion of women in the climate change/ building of resilience in the food systems space (including fisheries) was raised by some participants. Some barriers limiting greater environmental resilience in the food system were not enough focus on nature-based solutions that enhance environmental systems on which food systems depend; lack of understanding of soil and how to adapt crops to different soil types, a situation that deteriorate with the increase of natural disaster and chemicals being used; and scarce funding to better carry out the work needed and implement policies and strategies. Dissemination of information to farmers and fishers from the ministries and vice versa should be easier if they are registered under MOA and MOF. This would help with market information technical assistance, financing instruments and others. Lire moins

The Chairperson of AT5 briefly presented on the Fiji Food System Dialogue elaborating on what is expected from today’s discussion on AT5 before the floor was given to the presenters. Strand 1: Economic Impact of Natural Disaster on vulnerable groups (Climate Change Unit, Ministry of Economy) Almost half of those living below the poverty line rely on agriculture for at least part of their income, compared to a quarter of people above the poverty line. Around 64,500 Fiji households (37 percent) derive some form of income from agriculture, approximately 8 percent of GDP (2015 GDP). The climate ... Lire la suitechange-related losses in agricultural productivity could lead to economic losses of 2–3 percent of Fiji’s GDP in the future. Natural disasters caused loss of lives and damages to infrastructure, livestock, and agriculture totally up to F$170 million, F$100 million and F$194.9 million, respectively. TC Winston destroyed crops on a large scale and compromised the livelihoods of almost 60 percent of Fiji’s population with damages amounting to F$2 billion, or 20 percent of GDP. Estimated F$14 million worth of investment is needed to climate proof Fiji’s agriculture sector from a total of F$9,272 million as estimated for a resilient Fijian economy. Climate Smart Agriculture which transforms and re-orientates agricultural systems to support food security. Disaster preparedness efforts and strengthening the resilience of farmers by encouraging the diversification of agricultural produce for subsistence consumption and market sales, improve financial literacy and collaborate with the private sector. Development of an affordable parametric and weather index-based climate risk insurance targeted at the agriculture, fisheries, retail and tourism sectors. Strand 2: Social Impact of Natural Disasters on vulnerable groups (Social Welfare, Ministry of Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation) Some of the psychosocial impacts for vulnerable persons were mentioned as older persons more reluctant to leave home, suffering more chronic medical/psychiatric conditions and increase risk of abuse. Persons with physical/mental disabilities may not search for help because of stigma, abandoned by their families and open for verbal and physical abuse. Children may feel anxiety and distress, changes in school performance etc. Women may give birth in unsafe places, domestic violence, etc. Homeless - Limited capacity to find shelter, scarce support within the community, high prevalence of mental illness and physical illness etc. Possible solutions to these impacts are related to access to resources and protection against abuse and exploitation; medical and psychosocial interventions, education and support of care givers; ensure provision of basic and specific needs (young children, pregnant, lactating mothers, homeless people etc.) and safety, if necessary in separate facilities in Evacuation Centers. Strand 3: Environmental impact of Natural Disasters on vulnerable groups: (Ministry of Agriculture) Future climate predictions for Fiji include temperature will continue to increase with more very hot days, changing rainfall patterns, more extreme rainfall days, less frequent but more intense tropical cyclones, sea level will continue to rise. Climate change affect crop production since most crops are seasonal, affects pest outbreaks, limited diversity, crop yields (rice productivity declines 10% with every 1⁰ C increase in temperature), farm income and economy. In order to build a resilient agriculture system, the Ministry of Agriculture is working on policies, plans and strategies, plant breeding and crop improvement, strengthening gene pool conservation, promoting sustainable land management practices, introducing resilient crop varieties, collaboration with international/regional Institution, traditional varieties & knowledge, review package of practices, tissue culture lab and crop modelling for climate change. The Ministry promotes resilient traditional foods, multiplication and distribution of resilient crop varieties, more collaborative work between stakeholders, adopt improved sustainable farming practices that have been successful in Pacific and Asian. Lire moins