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Key points from SMEs in Alternative Protein and Animal Welfare: 1.Target support at food SMEs a.Most SMEs participants in our breakout room believe that with more direct and practical support from the government agencies and international NGOs, they can purchase equipment and expand their production, and maybe offset some of the inherent problems with agriculture such as high initial capital input, long payback period and unpredictable risk factors. b.These supports can come in various forms such as infrastructure improvement, funding, business consulting, and technology know-how, but they mus... Подробнееt be direct, feasible, and easily accessible. c.Although China has made a tremendous effort in the past decades to focus on sustainable development. As a developing country, we still have a long way to go in terms of building a better food system, not only for the 1.4 billion people but the whole globe as well. SMEs in China are thriving, and they need more target support more than ever. 2.Make good food matter a.There are many SMEs in China making effort to build a better food system, whether it’s regenerative agriculture, eco-agriculture, animal welfare, or plant-based protein, we can see a significant increase in the number of SMEs in these fields, however, consumers are still speculating and not willing to change their behaviors right away, and contrary to popular belief, the Chinese market can be quite complicated and challenging. b.Consumers in China are often hesitant towards products from SMEs, and when it comes to food and agri-products, we are extremely price-sensitive. Good Food can be expensive, and we need to better guide them to make that justification. We need to keep educating the public, make sure the government is on borad as well from kids to senior people. c.We need more endorsement from the official authorities and researchers to further help the public change their eating habits and make better choice. 3.Reduce the cost of doing business a.Education is a luxury for a great number of farmers in China, therefore, they lack basic business knowledge, and doesn’t really understand or go along with a contract, this makes working with them almost like a gamble, which would result in a highly inconsistent and volatile supply chain for a lot of the SMEs who simply don’t have the scale and capital needed for a better solution. Скрыть

Key points from SMEs in Agriculture and Processed Food Innovation and Production: 1.Increase more social education for biodiversity and biotech. 2.Call for more responsible capital to invest in long-term impact projects. 3.Bridge to corporations and build up trust in order to form alliances. 4.Co-develop the human welfare agriculture system in diverse groups. More technology should be involved in product design. 5.Data and industrial insights should be transparent at some level. More independent research needs to be conducted. 6.Help SMEs get financial support from the government. Compared wit... Подробнееh large businesses and government-owned enterprises, SMEs have limited access to finance because many banks prefer to allocate their resources to large enterprises rather than to SMEs. 7.Create opportunities to communicate with other SMEs in the fields. This will help tackle difficulties on lack of information. With close collaboration, SMEs can have open innovation to ensure long term growth. 8.Increase market competition by working with NGOs or International organizations that promote public good. It will be a great strategy to highlight works done by SMEs while attracting potential customers. Скрыть

When talking about ways to make good food matter, participants raised questions and concerns about the definition of good food, as there were some clashes between plant-based manufacturers and agribusinesses who produce food the traditional way (in the sense of following ancient Chinese nature-positive methods). They believe that the concept of Good Food is rather arbitrary without a given context, and we need different voices in the market as well as more sound research and education regarding different products and their corresponding practices in the full value chain. There are also some di... Подробнееfferent views about the role of government when it comes to aiding SMEs. While most participants agree that they need more practical and implementable policies targeting directly and exclusively to SMEs, some participants urge that as companies, they shouldn’t be relying on assistance from the government. SMEs should focus mainly on strengthening their business acumen and participate in fair market competition, the mentality of waiting for positive external factors can be detrimental to the long-term growth of SMEs and the market as a whole. That being said, they do believe that the policymakers can and should do a better job at creating an equitable environment and leveling the playing field for SMEs and large corporations. Скрыть

The main focus of this dialogue is to pinpoint the challenges SMEs in China are facing, and how to tackle the challenges and boost their roles in providing good food for all. Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) are vital to our food economies, from bakeries to farm suppliers, coffee co-ops to digital start-ups. Each country is different, but SMEs often make up over 90% of businesses in the agri-food sector, creating half the economic value, providing more than half the sector’s jobs, and handling more than half the food consumed. Through the COVID pandemic, their tenacity and agility h... Подробнееave sustained food supplies and access. Frequently overlooked, these everyday businesses make billions of decisions that shape our food systems. Only hand-in-hand with SMEs, can the world deliver good food for all. What pathways will enhance the contribution of SMEs to the food system? We asked this question of SMEs, their supporters and food system leaders. To prompt discussion, Wasafiri, curator of the Dialogues, offers six promising pathways to boost the impact of food SMEs. Which are most important in your context? What is missing? What actions will advance them? How are they interdependent? These pathways are: 1. Elevate the voice of SMEs 2. Reduce the cost of doing business 3. Reward positive outcomes 4. Target support at food SMEs 5. Democratise the digital food revolution 6. Make good food matter Скрыть

The findings are two-part. The first part revolves around current challenges SMEs are facing： 1.Lack of government support targeting directly to SMEs. 2.Lack of regulation regarding new food products and their exporting rules. 3.Lack of public understanding of the potential positive impact of a plant-based diet and lack of appreciation of better-quality food. 4.Discrepancy between the sporadic, inconsistent and often low supply from small-scale farmers and large demand. 5.Low education and lack of decent business practice from the small-scale farmers. 6.Policymakers are hesitant about new tr... Подробнееends and practices that are nature-positive or help provide good food for all. 7.Inability to acquire sufficient funding or complete financial services. The second part is about how to better build these pathways and boost their role in providing good food for all. The pathways that were brought up the most are: 1.Target support at food SMEs 2.Elevate the voice of SMEs 3.Make good food matter Скрыть

All SMEs participants are assigned to 4 different groups, the background of these SMEs were categorized as Agriculture, Food education, Plant-based protein, Animal Welfare, Hospitality, Food Processing, and Production. Each group has a host of SMEs in different streams within the food systems. And the discussion is carried out by answering the questions: Which pathways are most important in the participants’ context? What is missing? What actions will advance them? How are they interdependent? Key points from SMEs in Agriculture and Food Education: 1.Increase the visibility of SMEs a.Leverag... Подробнееe national policies and relevant government departments to support eco-healthy food, food education, and SMEs 2.Reduce the cost of SMEs a.The price of food products is unstable because small-scale farmers have low productivity. The farmers could establish agriculture cooperates and supply their products in big amounts to SMEs. b.SMEs need more financial services and support c.Since farms are in remote areas, infrastructure needs to be improved to reduce operation costs. 3.Increase public awareness in terms of the sustainable food system a.single SMEs are not able to change consumer awareness on their own b.Promote food education 4.Promote cooperation and communication among SMEs in the food system. Скрыть

The focus of this dialogue developing more effective monitoring and evaluation for food systems transformation. Areas of focus included: • Identify critical gaps and challenges where stakeholders need new evidence or science to more effectively track progress against food system transformation goals. • Identify synergies among data used for monitoring and evaluation in different components of the food system.

The focus of this dialogue developing more effective monitoring and evaluation for food systems transformation. Areas of focus included: • Identify critical gaps and challenges where stakeholders need new evidence or science to more effectively track progress against food system transformation goals. • Identify synergies among data used for monitoring and evaluation in different components of the food system.

The focus of this dialogue was broad: using data for food systems transformation. Key areas of focus included: • Existing opportunities and challenges associated with large-scale datasets • Prioritizing the primary data users and primary data collectors so datasets work for them (i.e., how can we center farmers’ needs, as primary data collectors?) • Developing systems-level data sharing and data sets for systems-level change

• Data collection needs to work for farmers. That might mean thinking of data as “data interaction” rather than collection – it’s a two-way process, and producers are at the front lines. Data collection and interaction methods need to develop basic levels of trust, especially because farmers are the decision-makers at the field level. • Data architecture and infrastructure is a recurring and critical problem in the food systems space. We need improved coordination across scales and methodology. One specific threat is proprietary data at the company or producer level, despite the cr... Подробнееitical need to share data in a way that helps others. How can we develop models of social organization that make data-sharing more feasible? In addition, cross-use datasets, data storage, and data sharing across organizations, government agencies, and other users continues to be a critical challenge. Even in emergency situations like drought or famine, agencies struggle to effectively cooperate and data-share to effectively deploy response and aid. • We need to develop better adaptive management for data and evidence systems. Right now, most data systems are reactive rather than proactive in that they follow a pre-set model for collection and analysis. We need adaptive management of our data and evidence systems to ensure that they are responsive to the changing needs of the food system and ongoing food systems transformation. • To build effective data systems, we need to understand the end user. Who is data trying to influence? For example, there is limited appetite for consumers to drive change, but companies could drive change in the supply chain to have a larger impact on consumer choice. To translate data into effective decision-making, we need to understand who the decision-makers are, and what types of outputs they will listen to. • We need more refined metrics and data for measuring food transitions. There are extensive metrics and datasets focused on production, but there are less clear for the consumption side of the system. We need to discuss and refine the role of corporations in driving corporate transitions, food labelling systems, and purchasing patterns to better understand what drives consumer choice. There are a lot of data gaps in this field still. We also need further work on aligning data across scales and being able to integrate datasets and develop datasets that allow us to see a systems perspective. Скрыть

The need for new knowledge and understanding as critical enabler of change: beyond identifying the problems and challenges, we need both sophisticated research and analysis to understand future scenarios and pathways (such as the Land Use Futures program LUTO modelling, part of the global FABLE initiative), as well as frameworks for the measurement and valuation of natural capital, including via the Taskforce for Nature Related Financial Disclosures.

The need for the public and private sectors, including financial institutions, to support diversification of farm businesses and to enable new revenue streams, including via natural capital valuation, in order to support both financial and environmental sustainability and to recognise the positive role of farmers in the solutions to climate change.

Climate volatility and high on-farm costs mean Australian farmers need to have either high levels of equity or off-farm income in order to survive, or to support their transition to more sustainable practices. This need for diversification and financial backing should be supported by both the public and private sectors. For instance, natural capital is becoming a highly valuable and sought-after asset class in its own right, and new opportunities for farmers to create revenue streams through both nature protection and restoration is critical in supporting a future sustainable system.

The need for farmers to have a voice at the policy table, particularly in fine-tuning the decisions and actions taken within sustainable pathways, and ensuring farmers are supported to produce sustainable products, through consumer demand, and through public and private institutional initiatives, as well as supported in the implementation of policies.

- Consumers play a powerful role in farmers’ choices, and the pressure on farmers to produce sustainable products is increasingly difficult. In our Dialogue, divergence emerged around consumer willingness to pay, with the view that consumers are demanding ever-lower prices (for instance, in the 1960s, expenditure on food was 16% of income, now down to 6%) contrasted with the view that consumers are increasingly concerned with product provenance, and prepared to pay a premium for quality, sustainable and locally produced food. In the Australian context, this also relates to a particular cultu... Подробнееral value around supporting local farmers. Further, participants noted similarities around this topic in the New Zealand context, where some farmers are resisting the consequences of government climate policy on the cost of production (acknowledging that Australia and New Zealand have some of the lowest levels of agricultural subsidies), and in the European context, where there is a challenge to square the demand for ever-cheaper food with a demand for a sustainable agriculture sector. - Divergence emerged around the role of regulation, with discussion around the fact that resistance to over-regulation is not limited to large scale farming enterprises, but exists in small-to-medium businesses as well. Divergent views around the appropriate level of regulation, access to natural resources and instruments for supporting and enabling positive change were discussed, and supported by participant commentary including the fact that farmers often feel dictated to and misunderstood in regulatory discussions, versus the view that self-regulation has not been effective in shifting behaviour. - The role of climate change policy and how it translates to sustainable food and agriculture policies, including impacts on farming businesses, provoked divergent views with participants commenting that farmers are rarely seen as part of the solution, and views that most policy treats farmers as unaware of broader environmental issues and/or opposed to supporting solutions. - The role of financial markets and government subsidies sparked debate, including how to approach these instruments in combination and at what scale, for example, combining private natural capital markets with ecosystem service subsidies, at a state-level prior to a federal approach, and at different paces for large scale enterprises versus small-to-medium farm businesses. - The debate on chemical use versus regenerative practices was raised in the Dialogue, with diverse views around the ongoing role of chemicals (e.g. to support minimum or no-tillage) as well as the application of suitable regenerative practices at large scales, including increasing soil carbon, maintaining ground cover and restoring biodiversity. This highlighted a theme of divergence around the role of various solutions (both on-ground practices and regulatory and policy responses) to achieve sustainable food and land use systems. - The issue of ‘just transitions’ was raised, given the complexity of farming systems, with panellists and participants acknowledging the diversity of challenges faced by sub-sectors (e.g. horticulture vs. livestock). There was discussion on the need to develop ‘basic principles’ to ensure a just transition, with farmers and representative bodies closely involved in decision-making, as well as the need for ‘skin in the game’ to build alignment and support where increased regulation is required. Скрыть

The focus of our Dialogue was the nexus between climate outcomes and sustainable food and land use system transformation, with discussion on Australia’s role in global efforts and the unique regional challenges we face. Our Dialogue focused on Action Tracks 2 and 3, convening discussion on nature-positive transitions and sustainable consumption through focusing on synergies and shared challenges from the perspectives of: - The Land Use Futures systems change program, a partnership between ClimateWorks Australia, Deakin University and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organi... Подробнееsation (CSIRO) and part of the global Food and Land Use Coalition (FOLU); - The work of advocacy organisations such as Farmers for Climate Action in bringing farmers’ voices to the decision-making table and discussing both the shared and divergent challenges and approaches farmers are taking; and - The role of large-scale financial investment in realising nature-positive solutions, and current trends and headwinds in financial risk and opportunities, represented by Pollination Group. Скрыть