Global Forum on Food Security and Nutrition (FSN Forum)

Call for submissions
contributions:
89

How can FAO better support countries in addressing governance of agrifood systems transformation to make them more sustainable, inclusive and resilient?

For some years now, there has been a growing recognition of the urgent need to transform agrifood systems to make them more sustainable, resilient, inclusive, and equitable. 

What do we understand by agrifood systems and a systems approach?

“The agri-food system covers the journey of food (for example, cereals, vegetables, fish, fruits and livestock) from farm to table – including when it is grown, harvested, processed, packaged, transported, distributed, traded, bought, prepared, eaten and disposed of. It also encompasses non-food products (for example forestry, animal rearing, use of feedstock, biomass to produce biofuels, and fibres) that also constitute livelihoods and all of the people as well as the activities, investments and choices that play a part in getting us these food and agricultural products.” (nf243en.pdf (fao.org) 42nd session of the FAO conference):

Recognizing that systems are made up of a complex set of interrelated components that produce multiple goals, a systems approach helps a diverse set of actors to understand how systems are structured and how they operate. By collectively mapping out its different components, identifying drivers and the connections between them, and setting out possible courses of action, it can help to clarify what are the issues at stake and where decisions need to be taken.

Agrifood systems can play an important role in rescuing and accelerating progress towards the SDGs; sustainable and resilient agrifood systems have enormous potential to positively influence the social, economic and environmental dimensions of sustainable development. The endorsement by the CFS of the Voluntary Guidelines on Food Systems and Nutrition (VGFSN)[1] in 2021 was followed by the convening of the UN Food Systems Summit in September 2021, and more recently, the UN Food Systems Summit +2 Stocktaking Moment in July 2023. While there seems to be general agreement and consensus on the need to transform agrifood systems to make them more sustainable, resilient, inclusive, and equitable, the policy, legal and governance[2] requirements and implications for countries still need to be better articulated. Decades of development efforts around the world have shown that narrow approaches and technological quick fixes do not work, especially in the long term. Data, technology, and innovation can be a powerful engine to transform agrifood systems, but only when they are accompanied by the right enabling environment and governance system. As the UN Secretary General stated in his report[3], the path towards transformation requires “comprehensive planning, collaboration, and consideration of potential trade-offs, synergies, and international spillovers” and “countries will need to address the resistance and political backlash that may arise against change”. 

In efforts towards a transformation of agrifood systems, some of the main barriers to overcome include the lack of policy coherence and coordination, insufficient capabilities and engagement of key stakeholders, increasing gender inequalities and socio-economic disparities within and among countries and the asymmetry of power and economic interests that are at the core of the political economy and the control of the agrifood system. For example, measures that seek to protect biodiversity and mitigate climate change may affect the rights of those with the lowest incomes and those who depend on natural resources for their livelihoods; measures that seek to combat obesity through stricter regulation may affect the economic interests of private companies that sell ultra-processed products, and a progressive paradigm shift in agricultural production from an external input-dependent agriculture to a more sustainable, less chemical-dependent agriculture that prioritizes the production of more diverse foods for local consumption to meet both livelihood and community nutrition objectives- still seems to run counter to the dominant model. 

Furthermore, in many cases, policies and laws are not aligned with the transformative goals, and not adapted to existing, institutional arrangements, political structures, raising inequalities and capabilities. Yet, these strongly influence the chances for them to be implemented (or not) on the ground and generate desired outcomes.

Conveners:

Corinna Hawkes, Director, Agrifood Systems and Food Safety Division (ESF)

Donata Rugarabamu, Legal Counsel

Stefanos Fotiou, Director, Office of SDGs (OSG)

 

RATIONALE FOR THIS CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

The above issues influence the FAO’s capacity to appropriately support country-members in the design and implementation of transformative paths towards sustainable agrifood systems. It is therefore key for the Organization to continue to reflect on what it means for it to approach food and agriculture relevant policies as a “system”, rather than as multiple actions towards a common goal.

It is against this background that this online call for submissions is being organized jointly by the Office of SDGs, the Agrifood Systems and Food Safety Division, the Governance and Policy Support Unit, and the Development Law Service, to engage various stakeholders and gather examples of governance-related measures and interventions with transformative impact for agrifood systems. 

We invite you to provide inputs related to the following kind of measures/interventions:

  • Institutional mechanisms/governance arrangements for systems-oriented ways of working;

  • Measures to align policies and laws with the transformative goals;

  • Budgeting and financing for cross-sectoral work in agrifood systems;

  • Measures to rebalance asymmetries in power and decision-making in the agrifood system, including through gender-responsive and gender-transformative approaches;

  • Measures to redress inequities and inequalities in the agrifood systems;

  • Concrete means and evidence of how the impact of these measures has been measured.

The submissions should look at transformative efforts in the above areas, from an economic, social and environmental perspective, and they should illustrate the way this transformative change[4] has been potentially documented and measured. 

The results emerging from your submissions will contribute to informing FAO’s work with governments and other stakeholders related to policy, law, and governance for more inclusive, resilient, and sustainable agrifood systems. 

Proceedings of the contributions received will be made publicly available on this consultation webpage. Feel free to consult the documentation and resources for more information about agrifood systems transformation in the references.   

The Call for Submissions is open until 1 April 2024.

How to take part in this Call for Submissions

To take part in this Call for submissions, please register to the FSN Forum, if you are not yet a member, or “sign in” to your account. Please download the submission template in any of six UN languages (English, French, Spanish, Russian, Arabic and Chinese) and upload the completed form in the box “Post your contribution” on this webpage. Please keep the length of submissions limited to 2,000 words and feel also free to attach relevant supporting materials. For any technical questions or assistance please contact [email protected].

We thank you in advance for your input and we look forward to learning from your experiences.

Co-facilitators: 

Dubravka Bojic, Programme Officer, Governance and Policy Unit (DDCG)

Jose Valls, Policy Officer, ESF

Margret Vidar, Legal Officer, Development Law Service (LEGN)

Hajnalka Petrics, Programme Officer, OSG

Olena Ovchynnikova, Technical Officer, OSG

[1] The CFS Voluntary Guidelines on Food Systems and Nutrition (VGFSN) were endorsed by CFS session 47 held on 8-11 February 2021. CFS_VGs_Food_Systems_and_Nutrition_Strategy_EN.pdf (fao.org)

[2] Governance relates to “formal and informal rules, organizations, and processes through which public and private actors articulate their interests and make and implement decisions” (http://www.fao.org/3/mg015e/mg015e.pdf )

[3] Making food systems work for people and planet UN Food Systems Summit +2 Report of the Secretary-General. p.20. unfss2-secretary-general-report.pdf (unfoodsystemshub.org)

[4] Please note that “transformative change” refers to innovative, pro-active changes away from “business as usual” that merely addresses surface-level issues or symptoms. “Transformative change” results in change in underlying factors and drivers leading to problems addressed. 

REFERENCES 

  1. CFS, 2023. Voluntary Guidelines on Gender Equality and Women’s and Girls Empowerment in the Context of Food Security and Nutrition. 
  2. CFS, 2021. CFS Voluntary Guidelines on Food Systems and Nutrition.
  3. FAO, 2018. Transforming Food and Agriculture to Achieve the SDGs. 20 interconnected actions to guide decision-makers.
  4. FAO, 2021. Transforming agri-food systems. Legislative interventions for improved nutrition and sustainability Preliminary version for public consultation.
  5. Bojić, D., Clark, M. and Urban, K. 2022. Focus on governance for more effective policy and technical support. Governance and policy support framework paper. Rome, FAO. 
  6. Gobena, A. and Vidar, M. 2023. Agriculture and natural resources governance – Legal tools for inclusive and sustainable transformation. Legal Brief, No. 12. Rome, FAO.
  7. FAO. 2023. FAO and the Sustainable Development Goals. Achieving the 2030 Agenda through empowerment of local communities. Rome. FAO. 
  8. UN. 2023. Global Sustainable Development Report 2023. Times of Crisis, Times of Change. Science for Accelerating Transformations to Sustainable Development. UNDESA.

Please read the article of FAO publications on this topic here.

 

Topics

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

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Dear all, 

please find attached our contribution to the call: The Agri-Food Systems Transformation Protocol. It is a concise guide to developing transformation pathways in different contexts and at different levels. It is designed to help a wide variety of decision-makers, stakeholders and actors – including agri-food producers and businesses, grassroots groups, practitioners, researchers, national policymakers, and international organizations – gain a clearer understanding of what must be done and in which sequence. The Protocol has been developed as  part of the FORESEE (4Cs) Report Series (tmg-thinktank.com), which aims to develop a systematic understanding of how food systems can be transformed. 

See the attachments:

Dear Editor,

I am pleased to submit our contributions regarding the transformational efforts undertaken and needed to enhance the resilience of Sri Lanka's livestock and poultry value chain. Our insights stem from a comprehensive analysis of the challenges, interventions, and outcomes in the context of sustainable economic, environmental, and social development. In our submission, we have meticulously outlined the complex approaches adopted to empower small-scale farmers, promote gender inclusivity, improve food safety and quality, and foster stakeholder collaboration. We have highlighted the transformative nature of our interventions in improving the livelihoods of the most disadvantaged sectors of the population and contributing to a more inclusive food system.

Thank you for considering our submission. We look forward to the opportunity to contribute to ongoing discussions and initiatives aimed at building sustainable and resilient food systems.

Warm regards, Dr. Hasitha Priyashantha

See the attachments:

Dear All

With due respect, I would like to share my thoughts with you. Temperature is a crucial component for agriculture and fire breakout. Various Researches show that changes in climate not only create extreme weather but also create warmer, drier conditions, leading to longer and more active fire seasons and increased flammability and combustibility. Like many other sectors agricultural sector is suffering from various natural and man-made disasters including fire. As fire prevention is better than fire protection so I think that from global level to country level if there is a Temperature Management Law to form a Temperature Management Authority, then it would be better. I think that the Temperature Management Authority will be able to promote, patronize, and oblige us to use various sustainable environment friendly, economically viable and energy efficient technologies for better temperature management, and fire management integration into all sectors including agriculture.

L'une des principales façons dont la FAO peut soutenir les pays dans la gouvernance de la transformation des systèmes agricoles est en élaborant des politiques agricoles inclusives. Cela implique de travailler en étroite collaboration avec les gouvernements nationaux pour élaborer des politiques qui favorisent l'innovation, la durabilité et l'équité dans le secteur agricole. En encourageant l'adoption de bonnes pratiques agricoles et en mettant en place des réglementations efficaces, la FAO peut contribuer à transformer les systèmes agricoles de manière positive.

Un autre aspect essentiel de l'action doivent etre la promotion de l'innovation technologique dans l'agriculture et les bonnes pratique agricole en promouvoir les biotechnologies. En soutenant la recherche et le développement de technologies agricoles avancées, la FAO doit aider les pays à moderniser leurs pratiques agricoles, à accroître leur productivité et à s'adapter aux défis environnementaux et climatiques. De plus, en facilitant l'accès des agriculteurs aux nouvelles technologies, la FAO doit contribue à réduire les inégalités et à renforcer la résilience des communautés agricoles.

La FAO doit encore  s'engager  à renforcer les capacités des acteurs locaux, y compris les agriculteurs, les coopératives et les organisations de la société civile, pour favoriser une gouvernance efficace des systèmes agricoles. En fournissant une formation, un soutien technique et des ressources financières, il doit aider les acteurs locaux à améliorer leurs compétences, à promouvoir la durabilité et à participer activement aux processus.

I am writing regarding animal agriculture.  Very little has been said by UNFAO regarding animal welfare in #Food. 

If the people in charge of UNFAO and OIE really saw what went on in the world, perhaps they would speak to governments about it much more.  In the opening statement for the SDGs it does say all animals are sentient and all animals deserve protection.  However not much more has been said since especially by FAO.

Why do animal rights organisations and activists always have to send petitions to government's on the horrible issues like boiling alive, dismembering alive, steaming alive, live export where animals die from heat, dairy calves freezing to death, force feeding?  Governments should have been humane and banned these things decades ago.  None of these animal production methods are green or have anything to do with the OIE Terrestrial Code or EU 5 Freedoms.  The animal rights organisations send in thousands of letters to governments for help. But the governments ignore it time and time again.   In the EU they have the 5 Freedoms, yet ducks and geese are force fed, using an ancient Egypt method that cause their back sides to split open and the torture goes on for weeks and octopus are cooked alive. The governments don't care about animal welfare, if they did they would pay attention to the petitions sent in. But they ignore them.  It would help if the UNFAO and the OIE were much more vocal about the atrocities that occur.  And the UNFAO had a proper pact that governments signed up to on animal welfare. Not just in food. But animals are used everywhere, fashion, medicine, sports, work. FAO should start it though.

The UN has forgotten to talk about sentient beings in the SDGs. Governments don't care. As FAODG says, Food System Transformation is required, especially with animal production(torture) yet dogs and cats are routinely boiled alive in China for food, using the traditional method by workers who are left behind using 2000 year old live processing.

Here is an idea: 

https://sentientism.info/sentientism-in-action/sentientist-development-goals

Here are some of the issues, that the governments just ignore time and time again, In fact in USA, those that try to report on issues like live scalding and live dismemberment are considered terrorists. I hope the UNFAO carefully discuss each of these issues. And find a way to get governments to address it,. I believe the UN Animal Welfare Officer needs to take such issues to governments. Have a big meeting where they all watch the videos and agree on a pact. Otherwise there is no green agriculture. The UN will have failed on food production goals if all this continues on and on.

https://mercyforanimals.org/blog/uk-study-thousands-of-farmed-animals-scalded

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8372727/Thousands-pigs-steamed-death-Iowas-largest-pork-producer.html

https://www.kinderworld.org/videos/meat-industry/pigs-burned-alive-china/

https://animalsaustralia.org/our-work/farmed-animals/lynn-simpson-a-life-live-export-stories/

https://mercyforanimals.org/blog/sickening-new-video-reveals-calves-freezing/

 

I repeat, if all of this carries on, then the SDGS is a failure because animal sentience comes over many of the squares, you just don't see it.

 

 

Dr. John Coonrod

Movement for Community-led Development
United States of America

The most important shift we recommend to FAO is to base policies on a "woman small-holder"-centric systems approach. As past FAO studies have shown, if the food system worked for her, there would be 150 million fewer hungry people. I wrote a paper on this subject at this link. One aspect is to focus more attention on that market power of rural women from village up to district market level, focusing on the goal of a local food system that be far less dependent on global value chains and therefore more resilient.