Global Forum on Food Security and Nutrition (FSN Forum)

Call for submissions
contributions:
50

Use and application of CFS policy recommendations on price volatility and food security, and social protection for food security and nutrition

A stocktaking event is planned to be held in October 2023 during CFS 51 Plenary Session of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) to monitor the use and application of the following CFS policy recommendations:

Set 1:     Price Volatility and Food Security (endorsed in 2011, CFS 37)

Set 2:    Social Protection for Food Security & Nutrition  (endorsed in 2012, CFS 39)

The Committee on World Food Security (CFS) invites stakeholders to share their experiences and good practices in applying any of these two sets of policy recommendations by 3 May 2023 to inform the monitoring event at CFS 51 Plenary.

The CFS and its High-Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition (HLPE-FSN), developed policy recommendations addressing price volatility and social protection issues for food security and nutrition in 2011 and 2012, respectively.

Set 1 of the CFS policy recommendations on Price Volatility and Food Security stem from the first report produced by the CFS HLPE-FSN . In October 2010, the Committee requested the HLPE to produce the abovementioned report focusing on food price volatility and “all of its causes and consequences […] to manage the risks linked to excessive price volatility in agriculture[1]”. The resulting policy recommendations negotiated and then adopted by the CFS in 2011 highlight a series of action points that appropriate stakeholders should consider to address the structural causes of food price volatility and ensure that its impact do not undermine producers and consumers’ right to food: actions to increase food production and availability, and to enhance resilience to shocks; to reduce volatility; to mitigate the negative impacts of volatility.

Set 2 of the CFS policy recommendations on Social Protection for Food Security & Nutrition  stem from a HLPE-FSN report #4. Also in October 2010, the CFS requested the HLPE to produce report #4 focusing on social protection and more specifically, “on ways to lessen vulnerability through social and productive safety net programs and policies with respect to food and nutritional security, taking into consideration differing conditions across countries and regions[1]”. The resulting policy recommendations negotiated and then adopted by the CFS in 2012 highlight a series of action points addressed to Member States and relevant stakeholders: to design and implement, or strengthen, comprehensive, nationally-owned, context-sensitive social protection systems for food security and nutrition; to ensure that social protection systems embrace a strategy that maximize impact on resilience and food security and nutrition; to improve the use of social protection interventions to address vulnerability to acute and chronic food insecurity. These policy recommendations also underline the importance of social protection programmes for food security and nutrition being guided by human rights standards to support the progressive realization of the Right to Adequate Food in the context of National Food Security.

The event scheduled to take place during CFS51 Plenary in October 2023 will focus on how stakeholders have used or applied any of these two sets of CFS policy recommendations, which actions have been implemented – or are planned - and which remain relevant in the current context to ensure food security and nutrition for all.

How to take part in this Call for Submissions

To inform this stocktaking exercise on the use and application of the aforementioned two sets of policy recommendations.  The CFS invites you to share your experience(s) using the following templates for each contribution as relevant:

  1. The Form for reporting “individual” experiences in applying the two sets of policy recommendations by one group of stakeholders (e.g. a member state, civil society, or the private sector);
  2. The Form (namely for event organizers) to share the results of multi-stakeholder events organized at national, regional and global levels to discuss experiences and good practices in applying the two sets of policy recommendations.

Note that you are invited to complete, as relevant, any of the two forms most appropriate to your experience, and/or to submit multiple (of the relevant) forms, respectively, in case you have had multiple experiences. Submissions can be made in any of the UN languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish). Submissions should be strictly limited to 1,000 Words.

Approach

CFS has consistently encouraged stakeholders to voluntarily share their experiences and good practices in applying CFS policy products through reporting individual (direct) experiences by one group of stakeholders or through reporting the results of multi-stakeholder consultations or events (organized to discuss experiences) by several groups of stakeholders.

Note: Guidance to hold multistakeholder consultations at national, regional and global levels is provided in the Terms of Reference to share experiences and good practices in applying CFS decisions and recommendations through organising events at national, regional and global levels, approved by CFS in 2016.

The recommended approach by CFS to organize multistakeholder consultations promotes country-owned and country-led events organized in collaboration and partnership with existing coordination mechanisms and initiatives. National actors should play an active role in the organization of such events at all levels, with possible support from the Rome-based UN Agencies (Food and Agriculture Organization - FAO, International Fund for Agricultural Development – IFAD, and World Food Programme - WFP) or other stakeholders.

In identifying and documenting good practices, please consider the values promoted by CFS, as applicable: 

  • Inclusiveness and participation:  all relevant actors were involved and participated in the decision-making process, including those affected by the decisions;
  • Evidence-based analysis: the effectiveness of the practice in contributing to the objectives of the policy recommendations  was analyzed on the basis of independent evidence;
  • Environmental, economic and social sustainability: the practice contributed to achieving its objectives, without compromising the ability of addressing future needs;
  • Gender equality: the practice promoted equal rights and participation of women and men and addressed gender inequalities;
  • Focus on the most vulnerable and marginalized people and groups: the practice benefitted the most vulnerable and marginalized people and groups;
  • Multi-sectoral approach: all main relevant sectors were consulted and involved in the implementation of the set(s) of the policy recommendations;
  • Resilience of livelihoods: the practice contributed to building resilient livelihoods of households and communities to shocks and crises, including those related to climate change.

The comments received will contribute to monitoring progress on the use and application of the two sets of CFS policy recommendations. All inputs will be compiled in a document made available for delegates at CFS 51 in October 2023.

The Call for Submissions is open until 3rd of May 2023.

The Committee on World Food Security
The vision of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) is to be the foremost inclusive international and intergovernmental platform for a broad range of committed stakeholders to work together in a coordinated manner in support of country-led processes towards ensuring food security and nutrition for all. CFS strives for a world free from hunger where countries implement the policy recommendations on Price Volatility and Food Security, and on Social Protection for Food Security & Nutrition to support the progressive realization of the right to adequate food.

[1] CFS 36: Final Report

Topics

This activity is now closed. Please contact [email protected] for any further information.

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Dear Sir/Ma

Food Volatility and Food Security.

My little contribution for the submission.

When there is an instituted mechanism for price control in food system that would lead to food security especially in the developing countries, then, there would be surplus food commodities. A governing body that could see to the volatility of price of commodities is something the government can do. The reason for this is that the economy and political climate are run by the government which is the mouth piece of the citizens of a nation. Farmers must understand how this is done and practice to ensure a productive price regulating for more yields and productivity. A country that can't regulate its commodities and goods is bound to have crisis in prices of goods which could lead to inflation anything and also low productivity of goods because of low interest in a commodity. productive control mechanism is instituted by government to ensure that policy regulating pricing of goods or commodities are maintained. This critical issue is centered on government and its policy.

To have surplus which amount to food security in a state. A nation most rise above board, partizan issue that could dampen the moral of farmers. In other words, food security is solely lies on profit return and if a return is not commensurate with the input there is bound to be a shortage of investment in a product. This still falls back on government, protection of price of goods to encourage the agriculturists. There shouldn't be floating market or products that lead to high or low price of commodities. The farmers should earn what they worked for and the burden shouldn't be on consumers. The farmers are perturbed because of this irregularities of policy making and management that controls market price. What does this mean? Every farmer's desire is to make profit which is the basic concern because when the price is fixed by them there is a lot of gain forgetting market's circle which also affects them. Most of the time this is done according to input and present circumstances. And this generate fear, anxiety, and agitation from both sides. And has caused farmers to migrate from one particular product to another which makes a particular product to be scarce in the market while other surplus. This can also be attributed  to the inability of prices regulating mechanism that moderates goods and prices.

Food insecurity could also happen anywhere due to the increase in demographics in the world. Once there is over population there would be food insecurity and this leads to UN SDGs 1 issue. Managing demographic structural adjustment mechanism and policies for every nation to control its citizens consumption of goods and products. Food insecurity is as a result of some of these empirical evidence which needs to be treated and handle practically like political crises, inconsistent in policy implementation and management etc Food security can be seen when especially the government of a nation has a proper and affordable system management.

Another evidential fact of food insecurity is uncertainty of the economy, when the economy is not predictable it creates tension, anxiety, agitation and fear to hiked the price and generates unsolicited profit at a particular time and move on with another product that is more profitable to them. This happens when economic uncertainty is perceived.

However, these can be controlled and managed by clear legitimate policy to guide the farmers and their products. An institutional authority can enforce control and manage any unpleasant situation for the benefits of the general public. Food security and insecurity don't just happened but cause by man and environment. To see this functioning system, good policy most be in place to control and abide with.

Thank you.

Esosa.

See the attachments:

Amanda Baker

Secretaría Elige Vivir Sano, Ministerio de Desarrollo Social y Familia
Chile

Estimadas Facilitadoras,

Junto con saludar, y esperando que se encuentren muy bien, adjunto al presente la contribución del gobierno de Chile sobre la iniciativa de microbancos de alimentos del Ministerio de Desarrollo Social y Familia - Elige Vivir Sano y CODEMA.

Saludos cordiales,

Amanda Baker

See the attachments:

  Dear Faciliators,

  On behalf of the Ministry of Rural Development and Family Farming (MDA) of Brazil, please find attached our submission. 

  Best regards,

  Ministry of Rural Development and Family Farming (MDA) - Brazil                                                                                  Office for International Affairs

See the attachments:

On behalf of the Private Sector Mechanism (PSM), please find our submission copied below and attached.

Thank you for the opportunity to engage.

PSM Secretariat

 

The Private Sector Mechanism thanks the CFS Secretariat for the opportunity to participate in the stocktaking exercise on the use and application of the critical policy recommendations on Price Volatility and Food Security and Social Protection for Food Security and Nutrition. 

The impact of price volatility on food security and nutrition has become alarmingly clear as international food prices at an all-time high before the war due to COVID, leading to soaring food prices since the Ukraine war due to resulting food, fuel and fertilizer shortages.  Valuable information provided by FAO has revealed there is no end in sight to rising prices, reducing food access and availability and thereby affecting nutrition, especially in low-income countries. Farmers are overwhelmingly over-represented in this group and subjected to variations in weather, crop failures and unexpected events, such as conflicts.  Due to their share of food consumed in some regions of the Global South, smallholder agriculture should be strengthened by supporting the rate of technology adoption.

The international community has become acutely aware of the impact of the war on the global agricultural market and the effects on global food security, due to the significant role that both the Russian Federation and Ukraine play as net exporters of agricultural products.  This has exposed low-income countries to increased vulnerability to shocks and volatility leading to a hunger crisis. 

Within this context, with enormous challenges facing the agricultural sector, the private sector underlines the importance of trade and adherence to key principles that can combat food price volatility, including the suggested CFS actions to increase food production and availability; enhance resilience to shocks and actions to reduce volatility; and mitigate the negative impacts of volatility.  Sustainably increasing agricultural productivity and resilience requires the development of new varieties of rice, maize, wheat and other crops, to become more resilient to drought, heat, pests, diseases and soil problems. 

In alignment with these principles, the private sector has supported and joined initiatives to increase the exchange of information, including the participation of the Private Sector Mechanism in the Global Crisis Response Group established by the United Nations Secretary-General to coordinate the global response to the worldwide impacts of the war in Ukraine on global food, energy and finance systems. 

Other activities include the inception of ‘Sustain Africa’, an emergency response and resilience initiative to support food production in Sub-Saharan Africa by mitigating the fertilizer supply and affordability crisis and improving sustainable nutrient use. Led by a consortium composed of IFA, Rabobank, Bill Gates Foundation, AGRA and AFAP, partners include a number of input companies, agriculture development and multilateral institutions and NGOs, who coordinate the distribution of donated or discounted fertilizer in 13 African countries, paired with advisory services and the provision of seeds and biological products. Where possible, the program includes finance options for agrodealers and farmers. As part of its measurement of success, Sustain Africa collects data to support a broader learning agenda on how to deal with future price spikes.

See the attachments: