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Area of divergence
While the “True Cost of Food” narrative has shown effectiveness in awareness raising and exemplifying a systems perspective, further steps are required to lead to policy change. The risk was voiced that the word ‘cost’ in many people’s mind relate to the costs that consumers pay (ie. price), as opposed to the value provided by nature and society to food systems. As such, this narrative may be wrongly interpreted as making food more expensive/less affordable and not the ongoing but unaccounted for costs to society (e.g diminished health) and the environment (e.g. pollution). To respon
... Подробнееd to this, participants voiced the need to create a positive (value-based) decision-making narrative (ie. identifying, valuing and accounting for positive impacts) and to shift incentives to support and enhance these positive impacts. Concern was raised that True Cost Accounting could be linked to higher food prices, raising equity issues and excluding vulnerable populations. Participants suggested a ‘true value’ approach to True Cost Accounting, as well as focusing not only on pricing externalities (taxing the ‘bad’ instead of the ‘good’) but also on public investment and regulations. The core assertion was reiterated that prices have failed to reflect the true value of the natural world, and the economic systems that we are using are broken. It is therefore about addressing the economic invisibility of important things that we value. The important difference between price (the quantity of one thing that is exchanged in sale for another) and value (relative importance or worth) was highlighted in this context. Even though we may seek where possible to monetize changes in capital stocks, it was recognized that in some cases it is neither appropriate nor possible to do so. Overall, participants expressed optimism that together we have the tools and information necessary to put nature and people at the heart of food systems and achieve equitable economic prosperity throughout the agrifood value chain. While some emphasized the need for simplified tools and frameworks for the technical application of valuation, others iterated that this should not go against the need to showcase the complexity and variability of the system pertaining to different contexts and geographic locations. Different suggestions were made to improve the articulation of the business proposition around True Cost Accounting to different stakeholders. There was divergence in opinion about changing the narrative of ‘externalities’ towards ‘impacts’ with regards to illustrating a more holistic view of the value provided by nature, people and society in food systems. Скрыть
Направления деятельности: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Ключевые слова: Data & Evidence, Environment and Climate, Finance, Governance, Human rights, Innovation, Policy, Trade-offs, Women & Youth Empowerment