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Group 4: Communication Within a systems approach, communication was considered important both internally and externally. Internal communication entails coordinating activities within the approach, collaborating with multiple stakeholders. On the other hand, external communication entails reaching out to the target population, such as children and families, to whom the approach is directed towards. For the purposes of internal communication, participants mentioned the need for a dedicated interdepartmental board to work with multiple stakeholders and ensure everyone is working towards the same ... Подробнееdirection and vision. This interdepartmental board was described as important because of its ability to implement ‘cross-cutting communication’, i.e., communication that goes beyond departmental boundaries and involves all stakeholders to successfully implement a systems approach. According to participants, communication activities should be aimed at the target groups and the corporate level to keep a healthy lifestyle and a healthy environment on the agenda of politicians, social partners, business, policy, and the media. Additionally, importance was placed on communication across multiple stakeholders and departments for the integration of health actions in a variety of programs and policies. With regards to external communication, participants suggested communicating with the target population from early stages of the program. This was considered important to be able to design effective interventions, but to also make intervention design a collaborative process by taking into account the needs of the people. Further, raising awareness on interventions to combat childhood obesity through marketing and branding was considered beneficial. Lastly, participants mentioned that communication between cities is very important. Through city-city cooperation, cities can share their experiences and create a wider pool of knowledge from each other. Such communication should focus not only on what has been effective in some contexts, but also on what has been ineffective so that newer approaches can be devised accordingly. Particularly, participants mentioned that exchange of experiences between high-income countries (HICs) and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) can be fruitful since the former has been working on childhood obesity prevention for longer and may have more experience. Such experiences can be adapted and utilized for LMICs after taking into account the double burden of malnutrition (coexisting undernutrition and overweight). A potential strategy highlighted here was ‘leap-frogging’, which entails that LMICs can avoid following the same trajectory of the nutrition transition that is evident in HICs. To do this, participants suggested returning to optimized traditional diets may be better for both human and planetary health, and can help LMICs to avoid moving towards higher prevalence of childhood obesity but instead, treating all forms of malnutrition. Скрыть

Group 5: Monitoring and evaluation Since childhood obesity is a wicked problem with complex determinants and causes, its prevention may also entail complex methods and analyses. However, participants stressed the need to create simple tools and guidelines to measure the food environment and its determinants. This is especially important for organizations implementing a systems approach who may not have in-depth knowledge or resources on how to conduct monitoring and evaluation. Thus, according to participants, academia and public health officials should collaborate to create simple tools, trai... Подробнееnings, and guidelines for non-research organizations to be able to conduct appropriate monitoring and evaluation. Further, to measure the prevalence of childhood obesity, participants discussed the need for indicators other than body mass index (BMI), which can offer a limited picture. However, it was expressed that since a systems approach is adopted, it may not be necessary to overcomplicate matters by trying to find perfect indicators and effects. A systems approach means that we should also be able to look at the whole picture when monitoring progress. Due to this, participants mentioned that qualitative data is important for adapting systems approaches, in addition to quantitative data. Qualitative data may help overcome the shortfalls in quantitative research, such as that of limited indicators and causal effects. Further, participants suggested it may be especially relevant to create an overall assessment of the program’s success by acknowledging the systems approach instead of isolating particular indicators. Lastly, qualitative data may also facilitate involvement of communities and target populations to lend their own voices. Participants stated that this engagement of communities acknowledges that evaluation is more than just collecting data but also gives community members the opportunity to be involved. Lastly, for the purposes of translation of learnings between cities worldwide, context-specific data was considered crucial to detect the differences between countries. This requires working closely with health officials that are working in monitoring and evaluation to see what works and what does not. Participants indicated that research is needed specifically to learn differences in determinants of malnutrition in various contexts so that experiences from cities can be translated and transferred worldwide. Скрыть

There was only one significant area of divergence within the groups, since most of the nuance of conversation arose from differences in city and country contexts. This nuance was intended as part of the ‘translation of lessons and experiences’ dimension of the Dialogue and adhered to in a respectful and constructive conversation. The only significant area of divergence was within the communications group (breakout room 3). There was a discussion about how LMICs should return to traditional diets to avoid the trajectory of increasing childhood obesity that HICs underwent, since traditional ... Подробнееdiets may be healthier for both humans and the planet. This was, however, contested by one of the participants who elaborated that not all traditional diets are healthy, and that people in urban areas increasingly want foods that are convenient, apart from being affordable. Hence, they mentioned the need to work with the target population and ensure that interventions match the needs of the people. In response to returning to traditional diets, another participant from an LMIC mentioned that this may not be entirely possible since many traditional crops are not grown due to lacking commercial and research interest. Скрыть

Discussion group 2: Collaboration with civil society, academia, and private partners Fostering the concept of ‘food citizenship’ requires creating networks across spheres of government, as well as civil society associations, indigenous communities, farmers, and relevant stakeholders. Participants mentioned that this is needed to develop transparent and inclusive food systems at city levels. Further, academia was considered important in setting better and clearer standards on what healthy food is so that it is clear what should be promoted in an integrated approach for healthier youth. Work... Подробнееing with private parties may also be fruitful to create healthier food environments. Participants elaborated that the main challenges for collaborating with multiple parties are differing visions and differing timelines for expectations; for example, private parties may have shorter term expectations while academia may be used to longer-term visions. To overcome this challenge, there should be clear understandings of the vision and timelines from the start of the project. It was stated that meaningful public-private partnership especially requires a common goal to be established. A steering committee was discussed to be beneficial as it involves people at different levels in a multidisciplinary manner. Additionally, an important consideration mentioned was that local governments and institutions need to be strong to be able to drive a common agenda and create adequate public-private partnerships. Hence, this can be a potential barrier in some contexts and may change how appropriate this collaboration model is for implementing a systems approach. Скрыть

Discussion group 3: Implementation of activities To design appropriate childhood obesity interventions within a systems approach, the need for community engagement was emphasized by participants. This entails engaging the target population, such as children and families, in the early stages of a program. Schools were mentioned as an important avenue to implement prevention and care activities through. This was a shared experience from several cities that participated in the Dialogue, from high-income countries and low- and middle-income countries, thus making schools an effective avenue to del... Подробнееiver interventions to children and youth. Integrating healthy eating and a healthy lifestyle into the school curriculum can support knowledge and awareness on a healthy diet among children and their parents. However, despite the general success of interventions at schools, participants also mentioned the need to find alternative avenues for when schools are closed, such as online initiatives. Finding other avenues for activity implementation may also be helpful for contexts where schools may not have low attendance, as also observed by participants during lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To adequately improve the environments of children and facilitate healthier lifestyles, attention should also be given to urban planning and creating green spaces. By creating better parks, cycling routes, and spaces for playing and physical activity, public spaces can be transformed to promote active mobility. This was considered especially important in and around schools as well as in community neighborhoods. Moreover, participants suggested school yards can be made publicly accessible outside of school hours to create extra places for children to be active. This would allow for children to be exposed to healthy amounts of physical activity, which is important in addition to healthier diets for the prevention of childhood obesity. Further, participants mentioned that engaging parents for the lifestyle change of their children is vital. Parents can be engaged by inviting them into the playground and involving them with messages around healthier food consumption, increasing physical activity, and lifestyle modification. Lastly, participants elaborated that different countries experience the issue of childhood obesity differently. For some countries, childhood obesity largely affects lower socioeconomic households, while in others, it is an issue affecting higher socioeconomic households. Moreover, there may be different minorities and ethnic groups that are disproportionately affected. Hence, it was considered important to take this into account when designing interventions and policy, and when learning experiences from other countries. Скрыть

This Independent Dialogue sought to explore Dutch lessons in employing urban systems approaches to combat childhood obesity. Starting with the lessons from a systematic analysis of Dutch municipal approaches to combating childhood obesity, we aimed to explore how the Dutch lessons can be used in other contexts. Further, we invited city networks and other local governments and communities worldwide to share their insights on such urban systems approaches. In doing so, this dialogue aimed to compile successful lessons in transforming urban food systems to create a healthier youth in cities world... Подробнееwide. Hence, it aligns with UNFSS’s Action Track 1: ‘ensure access to safe and nutritious food for all’ with a specific focus on childhood obesity in youth. The Dialogue was commenced by a key-note discussion between two high-level speakers to establish the concept of a systems approach and the major international, national, and local implications of implementing such an approach. Following this, findings from the systems approaches in the Netherlands were shared from the ‘Urban Learnings project’ – the research project which carried out the analysis based on experiences from Dutch municipalities employing a systems approach for childhood obesity prevention. Researchers presented the five major themes which were identified for the successful implementation of such an approach, namely: i) municipal organization and political support, ii) collaboration with civil society, academia, and private parties, iii) activities on prevention and care, iv) communication, and v) monitoring and evaluation. Break-out rooms were created based on these five themes to explore the experiences from different contexts and reach constructive strategies for implementing such urban systems approaches worldwide. Each discussion group was initiated with an introductory contribution on the theme by a city network. The participants in break-out rooms were designed to have equal representation from different stakeholder backgrounds but also geographical backgrounds. This allowed for multi-stakeholder perspectives to be voiced and for experiences from different cities to be shared. In this way, the Dialogue firstly aimed to gain insights into translating findings of the research onto a broader context. Further, it aimed to foster knowledge exchange between cities so that urban areas can transform for lower childhood obesity prevalence, and in overall, healthier youth by 2030. Скрыть

From the presentations and discussion groups in this Independent Dialogue, we were able to arrive at several constructive points for the successful implementation of urban systems approaches targeting childhood obesity. Derived from the discussion group outcomes below, the key lessons and considerations highlight the importance of the following: Strong leadership: An important enabler of a systems approach against childhood obesity is inculcating leadership and willingness at all levels, ranging from mayors to families and from local, national, and international level. Leadership is also neede... Подробнееd to scale the program if successful or derive lessons from it if unsuccessful. It is not just one political leader that is important, but their ability in working collectively across policy domains. Working in multi-stakeholder partnerships: Cities are advised to establish a partnership network in which a wide range of stakeholders, such as academia, grassroot organizations and services are included. This facilitates thinking of childhood obesity or malnutrition from various perspectives and tackling the behavioral determinants from different angles. The findings from the research in the Dutch context suggested that a steering committee should be setup to guide and govern a multistakeholder partnership. In the dialogue, this was seen as a good suggestion. However, one needs to realize that not all sectors are equally strong as may be the case in the Netherlands. Implementing activities in schools: schools are important avenues globally to reach the target population for better nutrition, physical activity, as well as education for the same. Apart from schools, other routes need to be explored based on country contexts to reach children from multiple avenues. Community engagement: for the purposes of designing successful interventions, it is important to engage the community and stakeholders from the early stages of the program. This also requires that the target population such as children and families are reached out to. Doing so would allow for interventions to be developed more appropriately and better align with the needs of the population. Further, it would allow for context-appropriate interventions to be devised based on how the burden of childhood obesity falls and which groups are disproportionately affected. Lastly, communication between cities was also considered important so that different urban areas can share their experiences and create a wider pool of knowledge from each other. Simple monitoring and evaluation tools: while monitoring and evaluation is crucial for constantly adapting an integrated approach, organizations are often not well-equipped to develop a monitoring and evaluation system in terms of capacity and funding. Therefore, it would be useful to devise simple tools and guidelines for organizations to utilize. Assistance can be given from public health services, or academia partners and research institutes. Further, a systems approach means that we should also be able to look at the whole picture when monitoring progress. Hence, monitoring of quantitative indicators should be supplemented with qualitative research as well. In this way, the Dialogue allowed for representatives of both high-income countries and low- and middle-income countries to come together and share experiences for childhood obesity prevention using systems approaches. While outcomes indicate initial thoughts on this, there is still a need to devote more time and resources to make further progress in this exchange of lessons. Moreover, the enthusiasm of participants from diverse backgrounds, city network representatives, and high-level presenters indicates the scope and willingness to further develop this commitment towards Action Track 1 for a healthier youth. Скрыть

**PLEASE NOTE: outcomes in this and the following section represent outcomes from the plenary session of the Dialogue, namely: i) conversation between high-level speakers, and ii) main research findings from the Urban Learnings project on Dutch lessons for childhood obesity prevention using systems approaches. ** i) Plenary: Conversation between high-level speakers: High-level speakers discussed the scope of urban systems approaches against childhood obesity from a local, national, and international perspective to initiate discussion in the Dialogue. They mentioned that an important enabler of... Подробнее such a systems approach against childhood obesity is inculcating leadership and willingness at all levels, ranging from mayors to families. Leadership is also needed to scale the program if successful, or to derive lessons from it if unsuccessful. Further, speakers elaborated that a crucial aspect of implementing a systems approach is firstly ensuring nutrition is on the political agenda. For this, it is important to elect mayors or political leaders that have a clear agenda for a healthy and vibrant city, where everyone can make a decent living, and a city which is well-connected to the surrounding rural areas. A need to properly incorporate the rural and urban areas was emphasized so that there are better connections within the food chain and the people working in it. In this way, urban areas can take the lead in scaling such systems approaches, and moreover, in working towards the sustainable development goals and UNFSS Action Track 1. As part of a systems approach, establishing public-private partnerships was described as a challenging aspect of a systems approach. It is important to create healthier environments for children, such as by regulating marketing towards children, and the choices presented to children and families. A proposed strategy was the “naming and faming” of companies that are genuinely interested in investing in future generations, whereas “naming and shaming” of companies which are avoiding the same. Further, a systems approach is considered appropriate in acknowledging that food choices extend beyond individual decision-making. The environment is crucial because we as individuals cannot constantly refrain from eating unhealthy foods when they are available to us. Specifically, lower income families are constantly challenged by the food environment. Hence, the key element from the city perspective is to improve the food environment. Скрыть

**PLEASE NOTE: outcomes in this section represent outcomes from the plenary session of the Dialogue** ii) Plenary: Main research findings from the Urban Learnings project (executive summary available as a link at the end of the Feedback Form, once published) Acknowledging that childhood obesity is a wicked problem with complex determinants and causes, several Dutch municipalities have implemented a systems approach called JOGG (Dutch acronym for Healthy Youth, Healthy Future). The aim of the Urban Learnings project was to compile and analyze the lessons learnt from these Dutch municipalities, ... Подробнееso that these lessons can be shared with other contexts. For this, a mixed-method approach was used, which included a literature review and qualitative analysis. After the desk research, an interview framework was created based on five themes of JOGG: i) municipal organization and political support, ii) collaboration with civil society, academia, and private parties, iii) activities on prevention and care, iv) communication, and v) monitoring and evaluation. Findings followed these five themes to identify main learnings which can potentially be translated to other contexts. Firstly, municipal organization and political support entails the political commitment, organization structure, collaboration within municipalities, and budget-related matters. Secondly, collaborations entail building networks and engaging with all stakeholders involved. Collaboration with civil society, academia, and private parties was especially highlighted for a systems approach. Next, implementation of both prevention and care activities are required for childhood obesity prevention, as well as findings effective avenues for implementation to reach the target population. Further, communication is required to keep all parties involved. This includes both external communication towards the target population, as well as internal communication within the stakeholders organizing the approach. The last theme, monitoring and evaluation, covers the need for data to create urgency at the municipal level, and constantly adapt the approach based on lessons learnt. In the Dialogue, discussion groups followed the five themes that arose from the research to exchange lessons, and thus arrive at concrete recommendations towards Action Track 1 for a healthier youth. Скрыть

Discussion group 1: Municipal organization & political support For a successful systems approach, there is a need to establish childhood obesity as a system-wide priority that links to municipal priorities. Participants elaborated that it is important to have a strong local political leader who works with other council members (or equivalent in other political contexts) across various policy domains. Further, it is also important for political leaders to be passionate about actively engaging with the community and have strong political will to be able to implement the intervention combatti... Подробнееng childhood obesity. Successful political leadership was described as one that invested in creating a wide partnership network with a range of stakeholders, such as academia, grassroot organizations and services. Doing so facilitates thinking of childhood obesity or malnutrition from various perspectives and tackling the behavioral determinants from different angles. Hence, strong political leadership is considered important for several reasons in adopting a systems approach. While these lessons were important for some European cities, an important consideration for translation of learnings worldwide is that political settings may differ across different contexts. Based on this, participants elaborated that decision-making powers may lie at the national or city level in certain contexts, and this would affect how transferrable the above-mentioned learnings are with regards to urban systems approaches. This may be especially relevant for low- and middle-income country contexts, where health and nutrition policy may be determined at the national level. Regardless of the context, participants also stated the importance of different levels of governments working together to create a system of policies converging in the same direction. Even for contexts where systems approaches can be executed at the municipality level, national governments are important to provide an overarching national roadmap for implementation of an integrated approach. Hence, participants emphasized the need for municipalities to work together with national governments to create national policies for urban food system transformation. The role of local and regional governments in food systems was highlighted as creating democratic access to nutritious food to tackle hunger and obesity. Additionally, an urban systems approach was also envisioned as one adopting a territorial approach such that governments consider urban-rural linkages and emissions throughout the food system and implementation of the systems approach. Скрыть

The dialogue focussed on bridging indigenous and scientific knowledge for sustainable and inclusive food systems. The event addressed concepts for a joint understanding of integrating indigenous knowledge to science and vice versa, general problem statements on effects when indigenous food systems are marginalized, and different case study examples from Bolivia, India, Mali and Tanzania how indigenous knowledge was integrated in scientific approaches. Based on diverse inputs, strategies on better linking the different knowledge systems for more inclusive and resilient foos systems were discuss... Подробнееed. Скрыть

Science led modern agriculture and food systems do not integrate indigenous knowledge to great extent despite the debates on bridging the gap between science and indigenous knowledge and bridging the knowledge systems requires high level political and knowledge integration. Indigenous food systems are generally diverse, healthy, nutrient rich and produced in a sustainable way. In spite of global challenges including rapid urbanisation, loss of indigenous languages, land grabbing and forced displacement of indigenous people, indigenous food systems can provide important knowledge and technologi... Подробнееes on and for sustainable, healthy and affordable food systems. To optimize the potentials of traditional knowledge systems however, a bottom-up approach is essential, based on a dense network of research institutions embedded within their local contexts. Traditional indigenous cultures were highly adapted to their environment and their knowledge evolved through centuries of human-nature interaction which was subsequently lost also to colonization. Building new paradigmatic frameworks of knowledge, dialogue and ecology, where scientific and traditional knowledge can take advantage of the richness of the biocultural food heritage is important to achieve the nexus of science and indigenous knowledge. Current forest management policies, for example, do not integrate the traditional indigenous knowledge and thus leads to the loss of traditional food system knowledge and human-nature harmony. Generally, policy reforms need to aim at building local knowledge and support collective resource management. Скрыть

Main outcomes: - The importance of careful research designs actively integrating indigenous knowledge including active involvement of all relevant stakeholders. - Integration of local research institutions in food system research approaches. - Transfer of research outcomes including indigenous knowledge should be disseminated via advisory and extension services. However, the style of transferring knowledge (bottom-up vs top down) is rather challenging in keeping participatory principles. - value of nutrition education to enhance the value/recognition of indigenous food systems

The spectrum of participants and speakers overrepresented academia, NGOs and governmental organizations. This imbalanced representation and negelct of indigenous people and knowledge was also key point of discussion. As one example, the UNFSS was discussed as also here indigenous people or farmers are under-represented to non-existent in main activities. Further exploration is also needed on how to involve extension services in more inclusive and multi-directional ways to prevent them being/becoming agents of scientifc knowledge. Another point of discussion that remained open for debate was on... Подробнее decolonialization processes and how they can possibly hinder or contribute to better bridging different knowledge systems. Скрыть

i. A high dose of agricultural sciences is needed in the production systems because without science, Africa remains the science-deficient continent in the world. ii. The science agenda for agriculture in Africa needs to be promoted and domesticated within the NARS as it provides the framework for deploying science to achieve desired goals. iii. The research-extension-farmer-nexus needs to be strengthened for high technology adoption; build and strengthen solidarity and collective actions through partnerships that mobilize research and innovation expertise; co-create technologies and innovation... Подробнееs with farmers, to address farmer’s challenges while providing local solutions; and, enhancing the capacity of farmers and consumers to contribute to research and innovation, and to policy formulation and implementation iv. Experts need to be trained in a wide range of areas that facilitate knowledge transfer and learning to the famers to facilitate the development of sustainable food systems v. Need to conduct research to generate and adapt technologies that can optimize production vi. There is need to increase investment in agriculture from 3.3 % of annual GDP by African Countries whose commitment is 10%; promote policies that ensure economic incentives to invest in agricultural production and modern inputs; and, increase investment in agricultural research (human resource and infrastructure) from the current average of 1 % of agricultural GDP. vii. . viii. There is need to seize emerging opportunities including digital innovation, Africa continental free trade agreement, nature positive solutions in the context of the UNFSS, and, engaging in effective multi stakeholder dialogues in the preparatory phases towards the UNFSS across the whole spectrum engaging regional and sub-regional bodies ix. The need to address the infrastructural deficit that affects the food systems and address the issue of incentives as well as structural vulnerability. x. Coordinated efforts and solutions are needed to find solutions that are tailoreded to address African problems xi. Climate change and urbanization: Urbanization negatively impacts food systems. Need to improve access to quality water through exploiting climate-Smart technologies xii. Since Africa’s agriculture is predominantly subsistence farming, there is need to develop a better policy environment and promote agribusiness to drive economic growth and development, building capacity in the population and promoting value chain approaches and ensure development of agro industry as a lever for development of the African economy xiii. The need to debunk the idea that agriculture is not economically rewarding and unattractive to the youth but that it can be modernized, made more productive, and more economically rewarding xiv. Rural women need to be empowered and as well enforce policy programs that need to be expanded to empower women participation in the decision making. xv. Agriculture needs to be made attractive to the Youth to enable them accustomed to the sector at a very tender age. The stereotyping of agriculture being portrayed as a burden to the African woman needs to be changed. The governments need to start investing in the Youth whilst considering donor funding as a catalyst to the entire process. African governments need to stat funding their own institutions as this will enable Africans to set their own priorities including revisiting/valuing own indigenous knowledge and practices (sustainable practices). Despite the fact that the majority of smallholders engaging in agriculture are advanced in age, there is a new age agri-preneurs applying modern production practices xvi. Small scale famers need to be fully supported in every process that they undertake to avoid hidden hunger. xvii. There is need for collaboration, partnerships and reducing post-harvest losses. Digital technologies and renewable energy need to be harnessed with focus on the smallholder famers. Скрыть

i) How can Africa strengthen its food systems • There is need to reorient policy dialogue to underpin and inform and guide well planned transformation • There is need to mainstream strategies and frameworks aimed at transforming food systems from development actors and national systems • Serious private sector engagement is needed as well as advancing Public private sector relationships • Orientation and focusing more on the drivers and game changers including: value chain development, entrepreneurship development; and, digital transformation especially for Youth and Women both regiona... Подробнееl and in the African Context ii) Students that undertake agricultural degrees are those that performed fairly at high school and what can be done to reverse this trend to ensure that more young people participate in agriculture? The curricular needs to be reformed to make agriculture attractive to the Youth/students but also the governments never used to prioritize agriculture and it is of recent that agriculture is gaining prominence. Students are also not incentivized to engage in agricultural interventions due to limitation in capital, land for farming and other incentives iii) The possibility for food security initiatives to cut across the African Continent This is possible because the demand for food is across Africa. Food insecurity is attributed to the deficit of science to drive our own agriculture. iv) Seasonality of agriculture in Africa is a problem and irrigation needs to be increased. How can this be undertaken? There is need to build resilience to adapt to vulnerabilities including lack of water. Apart from irrigation, there is need for a comprehensive approach encompassing resistant varieties/breeds and resilience building Скрыть

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The dialogue examined existing systems, policies progress towards shaping food systems trajectories in Africa and their alignment with the 2030 global Agenda. The dialogue brought together distinguished experts to galvanise voices for Africa’s development establish their perspectives on current status and issues underlining Food Systems in Africa; recommendations towards needed actions to strengthen Africa’s development especially Food Systems and Suggestions on key messages to be communicated to the UN Food Systems Summit 2021.

Most participants were in accordance with the topics discussed, diverging only on the importance and impact of some issues raised. For example, some believe the public resistance for aquaculture products is very high, whereas others believe that there is general resistance to all intensively farmed food, whether in land or water. While the majority of members agreed that the big corporations hold too much power in aquaculture, some believe consumers should be educated so they can make different choices, demanding more variety of products (e.g. salmon is disproportionately represented in Europe... Подробнееan supermarkets) to skew power balances. On the other hand, some believe it is crucial to increase the power of small producers (following the model of cooperatives of European wine producers, for example) as a more effective means to spread profit and market share. Some members were in disagreement over which sectors hold the most responsibility to enact and drive change towards sustainability - some believe that consumers and the general public are responsible, while others (particularly those in the research and industry space) felt that government bodies and policymakers have the most power. This divergence is a clear reflection of uncertainty around sector roles within the industry and is common across many other food sectors. There was also a notable divergence of opinions around the role of eco-labels as a means to drive sustainable developments. While some members felt that third-party regulated eco-certifications could help to incentivise sustainable movements within the industry, a number of members felt that labels could unfairly exclude small-scale producers through financial barriers and that labels hold little merit to consumers if not thoroughly understood by buyers. Скрыть

Discussion group 4: Ethical Considerations & Animal Welfare The group agreed that there needs to be more reliable scientific information coming from academics and objective third parties on what the best sustainable practices are for aquaculture. These then need to be disseminated to the public in smart and effective ways (e.g. social media, documentaries, information in supermarkets to guide purchasing decisions) to change demand, sentiment, and behaviour. Many felt that large producers will eventually be judged in the court of public opinion, and that this opinion needs to be shaped well... Подробнее. Others stressed the clear need to educate producers, because creating healthy environments for aquatic animals and aquatic food sources is in the best ethical and economic interest of all producers. The group also noted that not all producers have access to the best knowledge, research and innovation, and thus will inevitably make poor decisions despite the desire to improve. The third site of intervention identified was regulation, governments, and overseeing bodies. There was general agreement that there needs to be greater standardisation of acceptable sustainable practices in aquaculture to increase transparency among producers and enforce a base level of ecological sustainability. Some offered words of caution that these can unfairly penalize small producers, and so a regulation or sustainability tax system that is proportional to the size of each producer’s production was proposed. Lastly, some members discussed that alternative aquatic food sources (seaweed, bivalues) can be much more sustainable but there is a lack of consumer demand. Members were optimistic that the public could be nudged towards consuming these through government support (subsidies, or levies on less sustainable options), but there was agreement that nonetheless greater sustainability for foods with large demand (salmon, fish) is paramount. Overall, the group identified four possible solutions to promote more sustainable and ethically considerate production: 1. Raising awareness among the general public: Increase awareness to nudge public demand towards more sustainable types of foods - seaweed, bivalves, etc. 2. International collaboration: Improve trans-boundary collaborations and sharing of knowledge and resources to clarify definitions of sustainability, standardising regulation, block unsustainable practices, and create strategies to incentivise sustainability 3. Connect science & industry: Industry needs to listen more to researchers and be more transparent with IP around their practices to promote research in the right areas. Economical viability and animal welfare go hand in hand. 4. Producers and farmers should give back to the environment: Fish farmers should be asked to give back to the environment via funding for industry research or donations to regional environmental research agencies. This would need to be undertaken with a size-to-contribution consideration that would see larger producers ‘paying’ more back than smaller producers. Скрыть