New integrated food system program to support the transformation of food systems into nature-positive, resilient, and non-polluting systems.
Theory of Change:
1 Do the barriers identified reflect your experience as community-based organizations (CBOs)/non-governmental organizations (NGOs), private sector, and local communities (women, men, youth, indigenous peoples)? Are there key barriers that are missing in TOC?
The private sector, experiences several barriers to promoting the transformation of sustainable food systems. Although the barriers identified in Theory of Change reflect our experiences to some extent, we believe there are additional barriers that need to be addressed to accelerate progress toward sustainable food systems.
One of the main barriers we have encountered is the lack of access to financing. Many small and medium-sized food enterprises have difficulty accessing affordable financing to invest in sustainable practices, technologies and infrastructure. This is especially true for companies in developing countries, where access to finance is often limited. Without access to finance, it can be difficult for these companies to adopt sustainable practices and technologies and participate in sustainable value chains.
Another barrier we found is a lack of stakeholder awareness and education about the importance of sustainable food systems. Many consumers, producers, and policymakers are unaware of the environmental and social impacts of food production and consumption and the potential benefits of a broad convergence of technologies and practices to support transformation. This lack of awareness can make it difficult to create momentum for sustainable food systems transformation and to engage stakeholders in the process.
Finally, inadequate infrastructure is another barrier to sustainable food systems transformation. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the infrastructure needed to support access to knowledge and technology, sustainable food production, processing, and distribution is lacking. These include infrastructure for irrigation, energy, transportation and storage. Without adequate infrastructure, it can be difficult for producers to adopt sustainable practices and participate in sustainable value chains and for consumers to access sustainably produced food.
Addressing these barriers will be critical to accelerating progress toward transforming sustainable food systems. This will require a collaborative effort involving stakeholders from all sectors, including the private sector, civil society, and government, as well as increased investment in sustainable infrastructure and capacity building.
2 Are first-level outcomes appropriate and adequate to transform the impact of food systems on the environment?
Although first-level Theory of Change (TOC) outcomes are appropriate and adequate to transform the impact of food systems on the environment, it is critical to emphasize the importance of social equity and inclusion in the outcomes. This will ensure that the benefits of transforming sustainable food systems are distributed equitably across all segments of society.
Analyses on food insecurity reveal that small farmers suffer the consequences of food insecurity more than many others.
Sustainable food systems should focus on reducing the environmental impact of food production and ensure that all stakeholders share in the benefits of sustainable practices. This includes small farmers, women, youth, indigenous peoples and other marginalized groups who often face significant barriers to participation in sustainable value chains.
Therefore, we suggest that the TOC explicitly include outcomes related to equity and social inclusion, such as:
- Increased participation of smallholder farmers, women, youth, and indigenous peoples in sustainable value chains.
- Improved access to finance, training, and technical assistance for marginalized groups who want to participate in sustainable food systems.
- Increased representation and participation of marginalized groups in decision-making processes related to food systems.
- Improved livelihoods and welfare of farmers and marginalized groups through sustainable food systems transformation.
By including these outcomes in the TOC, we can ensure that the transformation of sustainable food systems is environmentally, socially and economically sustainable. This will require a concerted effort to address systemic barriers that prevent marginalized groups from participating in sustainable food systems and to promote inclusive and equitable value chains that benefit all stakeholders.
Draft Results Framework:
3 Are the intended outcomes appropriate and adequate for food systems transformation?
Although the intended outcomes in the Draft Results Framework are appropriate and adequate for food systems transformation, we suggest including specific outcomes related to biodiversity conservation and restoration. Biodiversity conservation and restoration are important aspects of sustainable food systems that need to be highlighted.
Food systems are intrinsically linked to biodiversity, and the loss of biodiversity can have a significant impact on food production, nutrition, and livelihoods. Therefore, it is critical that sustainable food systems, alongside productivity, include biodiversity conservation and restoration. Specific outcomes related to biodiversity conservation and restoration that could be included in the Results Framework include:
- Increased adoption of agricultural practices that improve biodiversity, such as intercropping, crop rotation, and conservation and regenerative agriculture.
- Improved conservation and restoration of critical ecosystems, such as forests, wetlands, and coastal ecosystems, which are important for food production and biodiversity.
- Increased combination of crop and livestock diversity to increase resilience and reduce the risk of crop and livestock failures.
- Increased protection and restoration of pollinators and other beneficial insects that are important for food production and biodiversity.
- Improved access to genetic resources and traditional knowledge that can support biodiversity conservation and restoration.
By including these outcomes in the Results Framework, we can ensure that biodiversity conservation and restoration are considered equal to productivity and food security in the transformation of sustainable food systems. This will require a concerted effort to address the causes of biodiversity loss, such as habitat destruction, overexploitation, and climate change, and to promote practices and policies that enhance biodiversity and support sustainable food production.
4 What might be examples of types of interventions and outcomes that could ensure greater involvement and ensure the capacities of CBOs/NGOs, the private sector, and communities (including women, men, youth, and indigenous peoples) to continue the transformation of food systems?
Here is further detail on examples of interventions and outcomes that could ensure greater involvement and capacity building of CBOs/NGOs, the private sector, and communities:
- Provide training and technical assistance in agriculture: Provide training and technical assistance on agricultural practices and technology use, supply chain management, and certification standards. This may include training on no-tillage, crop rotation, cover crops, and certification standards for sustainable food production and processing.
- Facilitate access to finance: Facilitating access to finance for small farmers and agricultural SMEs can help overcome one of the main obstacles to sustainable food systems transformation. This must include carbon credits and payments for ecosystem services in addition to traditional credit access tools.
- Support the creation of farmer cooperatives and community-based organizations: Supporting the creation of farmer cooperatives and community-based organizations can help promote sustainable food production and value chains and build the capacity of farmers and communities to participate in sustainable practices. This can include training on cooperative management, governance and financial management, as well as support for business plan development and market linkages.
By implementing these interventions and outcomes, we can help build the capacity of CBOs/NGOs, the private sector, and communities to participate in the transformation of sustainable food systems. This will require a collaborative effort involving stakeholders and increased investment in capacity building and technical assistance.
5 What could be the specific contributions of each stakeholder group to achieving the components?
Here are more details on the specific contributions of each stakeholder group to achieving the components, examples of scaled-up approaches for more sustainable/regenerative food systems practices, examples of successful multi-stakeholder processes at the national level, and gaps in research or innovations on transforming food systems to achieve global environmental and climate benefits:
- CBOs/NGOs: Non-governmental organizations can contribute to the implementation of the component by providing technical assistance and training in agriculture and facilitating access to technology.
- Private sector: The private sector can contribute to the implementation of the component by helping to communicate agricultural practices.
- Communities (including women, men and youth, indigenous peoples): Communities can contribute to the implementation of the component by participating in decision-making processes and adopting agricultural practices appropriate to local realities.
- Governments: Governments can contribute to the implementation of the component by developing and implementing policies and regulations that support local food systems. They can also promote research and innovation and invest in infrastructure and capacity building to support the transformation of food systems. Invest in research and innovation to develop new technologies and practices to support food systems. Promote public-private partnerships to harness resources and expertise for sustainable food systems transformation.
Overall, the Integrated Food Systems Program has the potential to catalyze food systems transformation through the inclusion of multiple stakeholder groups and a focus on production systems that provide access to innovative and traditional technologies and practices.
Dr. Romano De Vivo