Foro Global sobre Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutrición (Foro FSN)

Q1) Small holder farmers can benefit from global value chains (GVC’s) in multiple ways. These benefits can include: income and employment, more market options for their products resulting in more sales and/or higher prices received for their products, improving their business through cost reductions, upskilling by training, capacity building etc. However, engagement in GVC’s does not automatically result in these aforementioned benefits for all small holder famers. In recent years we have witnessed increasing consumer-driven trends for purchasing ethical and socially responsible products. This demand has resulted in international buyers of primary products being motivated to demonstrate corporate social responsibility (CSR) in their buying practices. The effect of this is the increase in the number of GVC’s that aim to improve the livelihoods of small holder farmers. Increasing consumer concern in developed countries for farmers facing poverty in other parts of the world will likely rise as global consciousness of issues such as this will continue to increase in the future (I hope!). 

Q2) One of the biggest challenges/ bottlenecks for food security is improving the governance of trade facilitation frameworks. Of utmost importance is making sure gains from trade and GVC engagement etc. are distributed amongst all players in a more equitable manner than is happening currently at present.  This requires more effective and more socially just management of supply chains.

Another big challenge for food security is food loss and waste throughout our supply chains. People are not hungry because of a shortage of global food supply. The world is producing more than enough food to feed every single person on this planet. The Food and Agricultural Organization (2011) estimate that recovering just half of the food that is lost or wasted (estimated to be approx. 30% of the global food supply) could feed the world alone. Therefore, addressing world hunger is not simply a challenge of increasing food production; it is also a challenge to reduce the amount of food produced that is wasted. There are some interesting developments which are aiming to reduce food waste at various food waste hotspots along the food system. Downstream in the supply chain, initiatives are underway to cut crop waste. Crops that were previously left to rot in the fields, because bad weather, or market imperfections, or canceled supply contracts with foods direct from the famers’ field to donate to people in need. Scientists are working on advancing post-harvest technologies to control quality and extend the shelf-life of fresh products. The food processing and logistics industries are finding solutions for their waste with innovations which range from packaging and new storage technologies, through to finding ways to create value from byproducts. Food retailers are selling ‘ugly’ fresh produce for cheaper, removing promotions that explicitly encourage overconsumption such as ‘two-for-one deals’ and selling nearly-expired food for cheaper. The food hospitality industry is experimenting with waste reduction initiatives such as downsizing meals, reducing menu options, providing doggy bags and charging diners extra that leave food on their plates. Food that is not able to be sold by retailers and caterers is increasingly being donated to food rescue organizations that divert unwanted food from supermarkets and catering organizations to help feed the hungry. If not donated to food rescue organizations, wasted food from the retail and hospitality sectors is often targeted by ‘dumpster divers’ who eat food collected from waste bins. Further up the food supply chain, there are significant efforts contributing to reducing consumer food waste by providing information, education and inspiration for individuals in their private and professional lives. One of the high profile activities in this area is the Waste Resources Action Program, based in the UK, which works with individuals, community groups and businesses to reduce food waste through its Love Food Hate Waste community engagement program (WRAP 2015). This campaign is now being also run in Australia and in New Zealand and other similar campaigns are being run worldwide. Making meaningful reduction in food loss and waste will require individual consumers to change their habits but it will also require inter-sectorial collaborations and conscious efforts from all levels of the food system.  

Q3) Participation of youth in addressing food security is really important. In New Zealand (NZ), food security is most prevalent in early-mid-adulthood when expenses for shelter and children’s needs for health and education compete for resources for food (Parnell et al., 2001).

As others on this discussion thread have already mentioned, engaging youth in the primary industries is key to help address the current and trending threat of shortage of workers in the agricultural sector. A report on the future of NZ’s workforce found that the primary sector will need an extra 50,000 workers by 2025. To this end, the Ministry for Primary Industries has a range of initiatives to attract talented young people into the primary industries. For example, they run an ‘Enterprising Primary Industries Careers Challenge’. This challenge aims to raise awareness of the exciting range of careers in the primary sector such as farmers and farm managers, engineers and scientists, environmental planners and resource managers, product developers and trade officials and marketing consultants. The challenge involves a competition for high school students. They have to identify different jobs in the primary industries and develop a marketing strategy to promote them to their classmates. More about this initiative and others is available on the MPI website https://www.mpi.govt.nz/about-mpi/our-work/sponsorships/enterprising-primary-industries-careers-challenge/.  Other initiatives include graduate programs with the Ministry, and setting up The Primary Industry Capability Alliance (PICA). PICA was set up to bring together government, industry and education providers to a look at how to upskill and attract more people to the primary industries. http://pica.org.nz/    

Q4) Examples of effective practice in New Zealand (NZ):  There have been some recent efforts in New Zealand to address food security from a local government and policy level. Often Food Policy Councils (inter-sectorial working groups) are increasingly seen to be a good approach to addressing food security issues at a local level. Their work might include developing a food charter (a vision), policy and strategies addressing advocacy, land-use planning, urban agriculture, emergency food distribution, waste management, community health, and economic development. While the development of Food Policy Councils is only in its infancy in NZ, there are good international models of such Councils that we can look to such as the Toronto Food Policy Council (1991-current), the South Sydney City Food Policy (1996-current), the  Penrith Food Project (1991-current) and the Maribyrnong Food Security Project (2011-13).  One of the advantages of Food Policy Councils is that they can act as a catalyst for projects from other groups that are linked to food security. These groups may include community gardens and community kitchens, advocacy etc.

On an international trade front, New Zealand has been very successful in creating opportunities for exporting businesses and industries. For example, NZ is currently the worlds:

• 12th largest agricultural exporter (by value)
• No. 1 sheep meat exporter
• No. 1 dairy product exporter

NZ’s ability to maximise primary sector exports has in part been due to the Ministry for Primary Industries’ role in providing trusted assurances to importing countries that our products meet their requirements. New Zealand has also been successful in maintaining a good reputation worldwide for the safety of their food system.

The Forum is quite a good avenue to share knowledge, congrats to the organisers.

All questions are interesting but I will base on all questions except for question two.

1. How can smallholder benefit from global value chain?

There is only two ways i can discuss that will make me answer the question.

first; smallholder farmers need to be part of plan/program/policy making, which will make him/her acquire information all the time on the value chain, its challenge, its length and benefit of breaking some stage. the small holder farmers are very knowlegeable about agriculture practices in their local area but blind of the value chain. Most of the time decision are made for them, which simply make them loose benefits. this includes removing some stage that reduce smallholder farmers profit such as middle men, who always take advantage of information they have for both ends (farmers and consumers) to get all junk of profit (that should have gone to farmer).

Seccond way: Reduce all Nuisance tax that charged farmer in all stages of value chain. The nuisance tax are given fancy name such as levy, tall or contribution but all chop the profit of farmers. Removing all taxes will make the value chain smooth and smallholder farmers can reach global market. this goes with transparency of information to smallholder farmers.

3. challenges for policy implementation:

The policy implementation are major setback for food security policy implementation, researchers and policy maker always come out with very good policies, but mostly were not involving all stakeholders, especially smallholders farmers. This goes to question one of having participatory approach and transparent on the information. Most the smallholder farmers who are major stakeholders are ignored in the process of developing policy which inturn became difficult in the implementation, leaving the policies shelved.

4. Youth participation in a dialogue.

Its interesting question for discussion which can be discussed all year long. on my side i would like to categorise in three main area.

First. Food security is agriculture, which in most cases is done by experience and aged people who happen to inherit, doing agriculture as subsistance, or doing it because they have nothing to be done. In simple words they happened to be in agriculture by defaults (not their original choice).

Second; Food security (agriculture) has so many challenges, one being slow in payback for investment. As we know youth like fast paying business, since have so much to do with money. so they dont participate in dialogue as is not making them earn money or think that is time wasting.

third: Govements, and community does not have good environment that favour youth to engage in such a dialogue. most people engage in dialogue that pay back, and since agriculture needs land and land is always occupied by elders, and only way youth to get land is by waiting until the parents retire from agriculture, die, or buying land. Of which none of this suites youth, so they simply find another area that will make them active and benefit.

Of these three points: youth will participate is food security dialogue if it made with "Swag" (attractive to them). This can be done by making fancy programme that can be accessed in social media, like wechat, whatsapp, facebook and come out with funny video clips, or pictures that make them comment or participate.

I submit my simple contribution!!

Food security is a huge dimension. It takes into account aspects such as availability in quantity and ensures proper quality of food often provide by domestic production or import. This aspect is almost respected by many countries and Togo’s government also has understood and more involved by establishing a National Food Security Agency (ANSAT) which collect and redistribute the production in the dries seasons. However, access to food is really difficult for poor people without enough food to satisfy their least need is often ignored by the decision’s makers. The neglect of this aspect brings many people who have low income the malnutrition, because it’s difficult to them to ensure their three meals recommended by many studies per day.

Regarding the use of food, Togo still making some efforts by many strategies plan, but it remains the sanitary control aspect, the only way to get a nutritional well-being, so that will meet all the physiological needs. And to finish, the stability of food prices in local markets are very varied and very high for poorest to ensure its well-being.

Regarding youth participation of food security dialogue, Togo is now member of YPARD( Young Professional Agricultural Research Development), so many young are now involve in food security by online discussion and group discussion. Many effort remain to do to spray among the young people, how to be more involve in agriculture and food security in Togo.

To the first question,according to my research experience, in recent years, some smallholder farmers have taken the  land as shares to join  agricultural companyes or cooperatives. If the contract is reasonable, farmers will enjoy the value-added benefits.The point is that the information between the related company, cooperativesand and smallholder farmers is same or not.

In my personal understanding participation of youth in the food security dialogue is a sensitve and burining issue for the current world. some people are losing their life due to shortage of food in different parts of the world,where as there is excess food in  opposite pole of the world. Considering the case of my country the food related international organization can initiate some sort of regioal /international seminars ,conference and talk pogram incorpaorating the youth of different parts of the world . Similarly organizing the world conference may be an alternative to spread the message of food security all over the world.

The institutions like agriculture Information institute can initiate to come up with some sort of regioanl or international conference incorporating the young students from the best universities in the world, NGOs,INGOs and academia . I am sure this will have unexpected output to achieve the goal of the program.

With thanks

Mr. Bishnu Bhatt

The University of Tokyo

From;Nepal

As we all know, good nutrition is the foundation of human health. The malnutrition situation could be divided into three types of burden: first type of the burden is hungry situation where calories are not enough and their daily caloric intake is seriously insufficient. It is reported that there are nearly 80 million people around the world still do not have enough to eat. The second is called hidden hunger, stuffed while nutritional imbalanced, lack the necessary trace elements. The third heavy burden is overweight and obesity. There are still  2.1 billion people confused with overweight and obesity. The economy all over the world has suffered damage caused by malnutrition, 5% of GDP damage each year.

As the biggest developing country and the world's second biggest economy, China suffered the issue of malnutrition heavily. Food security incidents occur frequently and the successive exposure, so crisis of consumer trust in domestic food is increasing.

In this context, measures should be taken to protect the food security, such as  building a food safety traceability system, to strengthen the construction of food safety law system and strengthen the supervision of food safety.

These measures have taken some effect already. However, the issues of food security and nutrition has not been solved totally. More measures should be taken gradually in the future.

The Participation of youth in the wider food security dialogue could be ensured through different channels. First of all, youth could be involved in food security dialogue when they are still in primary or high school. That means their life sciences teachers should make them bold to food security discussion to increase their interest in that area. Secondly  media like TV show on food issue could also involve youth in food discussion to increase their awareness in food issue. Finally, international conferences in food security should be organized in developing or developped  countries  for youth as we know there is several youth organisations like YPARD and others youth organisations. Do so will help youth in wide food discussion and interact in FSN forum.

1. How can small holder farmers benefit from Global Value Chain?

I think for smallholders to benefit, it all depends on the government to provide incentives like creating market for farmers, providing / conducting training to improve their produce. In that way, farmers will be encouraged to produce more as there is more income.

2. What is the most striking example of measures that have improved food security and Nutrition in your country in the last decade?

There wasn't any improvement in food security and nutrition in my country Papua New Guinea in the last decade.

3. What are the challenges of policy implementation in your country related to food security research?

Farmers not coporating, funding constraints, Lack of monitoring and evaluation.

4. Youths should be encouraged especially in schools, they should be told of the income benefits of food production so that to motivate them to participare.

As to the third question:What are the challenges for policy implementation in your country related to food security research?

What I want to talk about it is as followed:

        到目前为止，一国可以实施的粮食安全战略主要有：国内生产、粮食进口、“农业走出去”。立足国内生产是许多国家尤其是包括中国在内的人口大国长期实施的粮食安全保障政策，但随着全球化进程的推进，粮食进口与农业走出去在已显示出其必要性和必然性。然而，如何处理好粮食进口和农业走出去与国内生产之间的关系是国家政府们必须考虑的问题。在有限资源的约束下，一国如果完全立足国内生产，其保障粮食安全的成本将过大，且这种方法难以持续。但是，如果大量依赖进口，则将使国内粮食安全深受国际粮食市场的影响，不仅经济风险和市场很大，而且可能破坏国内粮食生产的基础，甚至对国内粮食综合生产能力产生灾难性的影响，国内粮食安全状况可能也难以得到根本性改善。类似地，“农业走出去”虽然可以提高世界粮食产量，抑制世界粮食价格的上涨甚至降低世界粮食价格，提高本国粮食进口的可获性，缓解本国粮食进口的国际舆论压力，但其对本国粮食安全真正的影响如何，也是个值得深入研究和有待验证的问题。

        以中国为例，在经济发展、人民收入水平提高及居民消费结构升级的带动下，中国粮食需求不断攀升，而在国内资源环境硬约束下，粮食产量增长有限且粮食生产成本和国内粮食价格居高不下。在粮食进口市场高度开放的情况下，中国粮食生产的比较优势和国际竞争力逐渐下降，粮食进口量不断突破历史新高。不断扩大规模的粮食进口一方面有效补充了国内粮食供给，但另一方面也抑制了国内粮食价格的提高，抑制了以大豆为代表的国内粮食的生产。如何提高农民种粮积极性促进粮食生产成为继续困扰着中国政府的难题。在WTO框架下，中国可采取的国内支持、边境措施等政策越来越有限，对于国内外不断缩小甚至反转的粮食价差几乎无计可施，而目前在“农业走出去”方面又尚未有足够成熟的经验和思路可借鉴和推广。

Hello everyone, 

It has been very interesting to read your opinions and points of views in this subject. As for Chile, food security has a particular approach, since the country has dramatically reduced its poverty rates during the last 20 years and we no longer have hunger problems. Moreover, the chilean policies have been export oriented since the early 90's and nowadays we count on a wide platform of free trade agrements that allows our consumers to acces to an important variety of products (foods) at very competitve prices, at the same time that the producers have the opportunity to join global value chains. 

Considering the aforementioned, here are my comments on some of the questions:

1.- there are 2 types of agriculture in Chile: entreprenurial agriculture and family farming. the first one has become very succesfull on participating and leading global value chains, even positioning the country into the top ten world exporting ranking in products like tablegrapes, blueberries and cherries. On the other hand, we still have a challenge on incorporating family farmers to global value chains. in order to acomplish that, we have to grant the farmers better acces to technologies and information as well as higher levels of education, to make them more competitive and empowered enough to dimish the chain on the distribution levels. This is one of the main objectives of the Ministry of Agriculture. 

2.- To improve nutrition, there has been policies developed to ensure child's nutrition trough the schools and monthly economic support for the people under certain income level, in order to help them cover their basic needs. 

3.- The main challenge for policy implementation related to food security research is to stablish a food security concept based on the chileans reality, considereng the quality of the nutrition as the major issue. 

4.- We will ensure the participation of youthness as long as we put the focus of the dialogue on the appropiate subject.