EAFF Youth Dialogue on United Nations Food Systems Summit 2021

The Eastern Africa Farmers’ Federation (EAFF) is a regional farmers’ organization whose membership consists of 23 national farmer federations, national co-operative organizations and national commodity associations in ten (10) countries in Eastern Africa — Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. EAFF voices legitimate concerns and interests of farmers in the region, with the aim of enhancing regional cohesiveness and the social-economic status of farmers.

Later this year, The United Nations will convene the first Food Systems Summit aimed at launching bold new actions to transform the way the world produces and consumes food. The summit will focus on five priority areas (1) ensuring access to safe and nutritious food for all, (2) shifting to sustainable consumption patterns, (3) boosting nature-positive production at scale, (4) advancing equitable livelihoods and (5) building resilience to vulnerabilities, shocks and stress.

The runs up processes to the Summit have encouraged people around the world to participate in this historic Summit, and to contribute as vital stakeholders in the world’s food systems. We are all aware that Food systems embrace the entire range of actors and their interlinked value-adding activities involved in the production, aggregation, processing, distribution, consumption, and disposal. For a regional farmer organization like EAFF we would like to contribute in this Summit by voicing farmers ‘concerns consistent with EAFF 2021-2028 Strategic orientation which is to transform small holder agriculture into a rewarding investment opportunity.

EAFF, is thus proposing to carry out consultations with her members and key stakeholders to deliberate on issues around food systems while taking into account emerging imperatives shaping agricultural development such as: Recasting the transformational promise of small-holder agriculture; efficient domestic food markets deliver on both food security and economic prosperity; opportunities from global movement on digitization; youth and women in agriculture, and emerging threats to transformation of small-holder agriculture ( such Covid-19 pandemic, pest and diseases and effects of climate change)

This dialogues focuses on youth in agriculture in EAFF’s constituencies