全球粮食安全与营养论坛 (FSN论坛)

Dear Colleagues,

With compliments to the HLPE FSN team for the draft of Report on Reducing inequalities for Food Security and Nutrition (FSN), following comments and suggestions are offered on Sl. No. 1. , Conceptual Framework, Sl. No. 2. Coverage of FSN dimensions and Sl. No. 5 on layers of structural drivers.

1. In the subject theme of inequality, the aspect of measurement of inequality in FSN context is equally important, if not more, along with characterisation of inequality and inequity and the Scope of FSN in its  expanded six-dimensional. Though the aspect of FSN measurement is sparsely reflected in the draft report, it may be meaningful to have a section on measurement of FSN inequality with its accentuating needs, key methodological features, constraints and complexities in current and future context.
2. The measurements of inequality with application of tools like Gini Coefficient depend on specific parameters on the scale of time (point or period of time), domain and territory (such as rural and urban and degree of urbanisation).  In my analysis, distinct relations were observed between Undernutrition, Obesity and Dietary Energy Supply with degree of Urbanisation and Economic Conditions (per capita GDP) and corresponding synthesis of inequality may lead to distinct policy perspective.   Thus, the specificity in measurement of inequality is relevant for prompt decision support and interventions for FSN, that is expected to be more exigent for those in vulnerable periphery of its iniquitous space. 
3. Such parametric specificity is apparently more in measurement of nutritional aspects (e.g. undernutrition, stunting, wasting and obesity). However, for the complexly and diversely characterised domain of Food Security and its inequality, there is need to review specificity of convergent measurement and awareness of appropriate use in policy and decision making.
4. The earlier four-dimensional conceptual framework of Food Security (Availability. Access, Utilisation and Stability) could possibly be more convergently related to an integrated measures of dietary energy supply and demand, balanced food basket and prices on time and territory. The expanded framework of Food Security with dimensions of Agency and Sustainability add to the complexity of measuring inequality of FSN. 
5. The Agency, as is understood to be socio economic dimension of choice and preference of food production and consumption by sections of society, may have differentiated significance on layers of inequality, less food secured segments may have less options of choice of food produced and consumed. The aspect of sustainability will be more on food system on longer time scale.
6. This also invite a reference to objective forecasting the plausible trends of inequality and early warning and vulnerability mapping, a situation that has been experienced in Covid-19 pandemic.

With best compliments and greetings for a very happy year 2023 to FSN fraternity.

Rajiv Mehta

 [email protected], [email protected]

Dear colleagues

Thank you very much for this important discussion on – Reducing inequalities for food security and nutrition. …. One of the key resources to reduce inequality in access to food and nutrition is expanding access to finance to marginalized section of the population like rural women, youth, persons with disabilities, etc. As highlighted in the report, the challenge still remain!!

In many African countries like Ethiopia, the access to (formal) financial services (credit, savings, insurance, payments, etc) has been expanding for the last couple of decades -- particularly since the introduction of microfinance following the issuance of microfinance regulation 40/96 by the National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE). Yet the recent Global Findex database (World Bank) suggests that the percentage of adults (15+) with an account with a bank is just 35%. Only 11 % adults could borrow from a financial institution, and only 18% of adults reported being able to raise emergency funds from savings; others would turn to family and friends, or sell their assets. Though the agricultural sector, mostly represented by smallholder farmers, makes up a significant share of the Ethiopian economy, the sector represents only 11% of loan portfolios of financial institutions

In fact, the regulatory environment has been increasingly relaxed allowing especially MFIs to offer increasingly larger (and longer period) loans demanded by companies with the potential to create employment opportunities for others, including the introduction of alternative collaterals (movable collateral), agent banking, lease financing, etc,. Yet, institutions have been quite slow in adopting such modalities as they still enjoy a huge, untapped market, using their traditional (often group lending) modalities.

Business women are more likely to be affected since they are less likely to own properties which can serve as collateral, and enjoy much less connections with financial service providers, thus leaving the potential benefit from banking with them in-terms of unleashing their potential contribution to the economy, improving household welfare (including those of women) and their bargaining power. The youth also continue to have very little access as they (especially those from poor families), could not afford the material collateral, nor can they benefit from the mainstream Grameen style ‘’group lending’’ as they (especially those unmarried!!) enjoy the least social capital in many communities.

The focus of financial institutions has been largely on ''credit'', assuming that ‘’every one is a potential entrepreneur’’. As a result there has been scant attention to services like insurance and saving, otherwise valuable services for poor people leading vulnerable livelihoods. Evidences suggest that services like saving can be as important as (or even more important than) credit services for poor people. Especially for women facing ‘’patriarchal risk’’ safe and convenient saving devises can provide a secure mechanism to control income; and in fact such women who are not sure of controlling their hard-earned income could be reluctant to apply for an income generating loan – even when such services are available nearby, and easily accessible!!

There seem to be a lot of work to be undertaken at policy level, and making sure that well-intentioned policies are implemented on the ground). Strategies are also needed to work on patriarchal norms, which often dictate what are expected, valued and allowed for men/women, or boys/girls, as well as gender relations within the household. This requires more collaborative interventions among stakeholders.

See also discussion at

https://www.findevgateway.org/blog/2022/06/how-do-savings-contribute-fi…

Regards, Getaneh 

Dear contributors, 

Thank you for your insightful and sharp contributions. 

The HLPE-FSN invites participants to address some or all of the proposed guiding questions, as relevant to their experience, and provide examples as appropriate. The contributions will be compiled and analyzed by the HLPE-FSN experts working on the upcoming report on “Reducing inequalities for food security and nutrition”. 

 The HLPE-FSN is constantly working to address the many issues facing both policymakers and food and nutrition practitioners alike, and your valuable insights are fundamental in our working process, in order to ensure legitimacy and a high degree of scientific quality. Likewise, we look for the incorporation of diverse forms of knowledge and expertise, to make sure that world policy making for food security and nutrition is based upon reliable science and evidence, and science-policy processes ensure that due recognition, acceptance and prominence are given to traditional knowledge. 

We look forward to receiving your valuable inputs and to learning from your experiences.

Best regards, 

Évariste Nicolétis, Co-facilitator of this consultation, Coordinator of the HLPE-FSN 

Proposed box for p.93/94 on agency and power

Case study – Scientific attempt to measure agency – and increase community agency by unpacking power

In Cape Town, a group of community researcher accompanied by students from Humboldt-University in Berlin tried to measure agency (Paganini et al., 2021). This process, and the triangulation of food security findings, empowered the community and increased their agency to play a role in communal food dialogues processes. In triangulating, discussing, and contextualising their research results, the co-researcher team realised the importance of active participation in food governance processes through these dialogues.

Agency was measured by  identifying five domains for inclusion in our assessment of agency, in line with HLPE: diet sovereignty, food production, food processing, food distribution, and voice in food policies and governance. For each domain, we developed a set of questions corresponding to the type of empowerment an individual can have within a domain. We asked the participants about their perception before COVID-19 and now. An increase in the calculated index would potentially translate into a higher status of empowerment or agency in the respective domain (ibid, p.47)

The adjusted Agency Module for the household survey consists of 16 questions and reflects on individual perceptions of own situations, but also on communal situations pre-COVID-19 and “in these days”. For all domains, we asked if the respondents considered themselves as having knowledge, having the opportunity to make choices (for example on what food one wants to eat or what products to grow), having the power to change at the household level, and having the power to make changes in the community (ibid, p.48).

The survey with more than 1800 households showed that there is a positive relation between having a perceived agency and living in a food secure households. Respondents who live in food secure or mildly food insecure households have significantly more agency than respondents in moderately and severely food insecure households. This proves that there is a relation between food security and having a sense of having agency in the food system. Therefore, the quantitative operationalisation of agency in the Agency Module has potential for future refinement. Furthermore, it indicates that the newly introduced dimension of food security agency is related to the FIES, which measures the dimension of food access of an individual or household. In conclusion, having agency in the food system increases access to food and vice versa (ibid, p.93) Socio-economic characteristics such as age, gender, and employment status only play a minor or no role on agency. Variables which strongly influence agency are education and the place in which the respondent lives. Having a formal job or working as an urban farmer, fisher, vendor, community kitchen owner, or spaza shop owner increases agency as well. (ibid, p.94)

From this study, community researchers developed visions, among them to destigmatise hunger, to collaborate in dialogues to increase awareness on the right to food and to rethink community kitchens as hubs for change. These food dialogues held the potential to build on the initial momentum and relationships that had been developed through the Agency study into more established ward level food dialogues (Buthelezi and Metelerkamp, 2022).



Best,

Nomonde Buthelezi & Nicole Paganini

1. Respecto al Derecho Humano a la Alimentación y los Sistemas Agroalimentarios (Sección 6 del documento), es adecuado enfatizar e incidir para que todos los países reconozcan en sus Constituciones Políticas el Derecho Humano internacional de sus poblaciones a una Alimentación Adecuada y Nutritiva, y a los recursos necesarios para tener de manera sostenible una seguridad alimentaria nutricional adecuada. ¡Este paso es fundamental para todos los países, sin embargo, ahora resulta insuficiente!

En Bolivia, hace años que se reconoce el Derecho humano a la Alimentación, no sólo a través de la Constitución Política del Estado sino también a través de una serie de Leyes y disposiciones legales (sobre la alimentación, sobre el cuidado de la madre tierra, sobre el acceso a los recursos productivos y otros). Sin embargo, estas disposiciones quedan sólo en la teoría ya que, por ejemplo, en Bolivia, en el año 2019, existieron disposiciones gubernamentales de cercar las principales ciudades del país para impedir el acceso de alimentos a su población, para de esa manera lograr el objetivo político de que la población urbana suspenda los bloqueos ante la renuncia del presidente (Evo Morales).

En el 2022, también se realizó un cerco a la ciudad de Santa Cruz durante varias semanas, para impedir el acceso de los alimentos básicos a su población que exigía la realización del Censo Nacional de Población y Vivienda; disposición que fue implementada por organizaciones afines al partido de gobierno (medida que supuso no sólo una escasez de alimentos provenientes del sector rural sino también un alza de precios, especulación, disminución del consumo de alimentos de poblaciones pobres y otra serie de consecuencias a nivel productivo y social).

Por lo tanto, se deben elaborar otras disposiciones (o mecanismos) internacionales para obligar a los Estados a cumplir con el derecho humano de acceso a la alimentación en todo momento, de todos sus habitantes, sin discriminación política, ni discriminación de origen, sexo, etc. Es decir, debe ser un Derecho Humano vinculante.

Asimismo, deben estipularse reglamentaciones para que los grupos/instituciones/agrupaciones de la sociedad civil puedan exigir al Estado, el cumplimiento del Derecho Humano a la Alimentación sin ser marginados, enjuiciados, perseguidos.

2. Respecto al contexto internacional en que vivimos por el conflicto Rusia-Ucrania y la crisis de alimentos, desabastecimiento, alza de precios de los productos, comercio internacional, etc; lo primero que deben hacer los Estados es asegurar el abastecimiento interno de alimentos de las poblaciones pobres, rurales y periurbanas; de los campesinos y pueblos indígenas. Y si hay excedentes en los alimentos básicos, recién exportar al mercado internacional.

Un segundo aspecto en el que se debe enfatizar es en la lucha contra la especulación y alza de precios de los alimentos básicos que se efectúa internamente en cada país, ya que hay diversas empresas/individuos especuladores que con el pretexto de la guerra Rusia-Ucrania han ocultado alimentos (e insumos para la elaboración de alimentos para el ganado, por ejemplo) para incrementar los precios internos. Entonces los Estados tienen la obligación de abastecer a los habitantes (como a los productores de alimentos con insumos necesarios) precautelando el abastecimiento adecuado (a través de las reservas de alimentos, compras directas de alimentos de otras regiones, subvenciones al productor, distribución directa de alimentos y otros).

3. Referente a la relación entre pobreza y la (in)seguridad alimentaria nutricional, ésta se genera sobre todo por la desigualdad de acceso a los recursos productivos como tierras y agua de riego; a la capacitación/enseñanza técnica; a la tecnología moderna (y adecuada a las regiones agroecológicas, no la maquinaria inadecuada y depredadora de los recursos naturales); y por la desigualdad de acceso a los insumos, semillas, capital.

En Bolivia, por ejemplo, del total de Unidades Productivas Agropecuarias (UPA) existentes en todo el país, el 76,80% de éstas (que poseen entre 1 y 9.9 Hectáreas) poseen tan solo el 6.14% del total de tierras productivas; mientras que el 10.09% de las UPA (empresas agropecuarias consolidadas y latifundios) poseen el 65.76% del total de las tierras productivas (fuente. Censo Nacional Agropecuario 2013).

4. En la mayoría de los países de América Latina y el Caribe, la seguridad alimentaria nutricional todavía depende de la agricultura familiar de pequeña escala. En Bolivia por ejemplo (país muy rico por su diversidad agroecológica), la participación de la agricultura familiar en el abastecimiento de los alimentos básicos era de más del 78% hace pocas décadas, índice que ha disminuido bastante hasta la actualidad (un poco más del 55% del total) debido sobre todo a las importaciones (y contrabando) de alimentos mas baratos (subvencionados en sus países de origen); al escaso apoyo de las políticas públicas (en proyectos y programas) de los gobiernos nacionales y regionales; y al creciente aumento de los productos de exportación (soya, carne vacuna, caña de azúcar y otras oleaginosas) que inciden en un desplazamiento de las áreas cultivadas de los productos básicos (hortalizas, verduras, frutas) por los productos de exportación, a costa inclusive de la deforestación, el monocultivo, el uso intensivo y creciente de agroquímicos y la quema de la Amazonía. En el fondo, se prioriza un modelo de fomento a las exportaciones más que a un autoabastecimiento y agricultura sostenible; y se incide fuertemente en el cambio climático.

5. Contrariamente, en las otras regiones del país (Altiplano y valles), hay un deterioro creciente de la agricultura familiar campesina y de los Pueblos Indígenas, no sólo porque los costos de producción de sus productos básicos no cubren los precios de venta (no generan un ingreso monetario); sino porque hay un creciente abandono de los poblados y localidades, sobre todo por los hombres adultos y los jóvenes (hombres y mujeres) que migran en busca de empleo e ingresos, recargando el trabajo y la responsabilidad de los hogares en la mujer madre de familia. A eso se añade que hay un uso intensivo de la tierra, la cual no es fortificada ni repuesta, más bien está sobre agotada. Para colmo, hay un uso intensivo, creciente y descontrolado de fertilizantes químicos que contaminan el agua, el medio ambiente, la tierra, matan la biodiversidad, entre otros, incidiendo en la dependencia del país hacia el comercio exterior de agroquímicos, y sobre todo, incidiendo también en el cambio climático.

Hello everyone. I answer the very first question in the affirmative. I fully support the addition of new thematic areas to food and nutrition security. In the sense that the right to food exists but unfortunately only on paper. it would therefore be appropriate for future strategies to combat food insecurity to incorporate this agency concept. I therefore confirm the quintessence of the conceptual framework. 

Mr. Mayi may want to consider the following idea based on his recommendations.

• A good seed policy must be put in place and addressed locally;
• Draw up a list of staple crops and develop a value chain around these crops in order to provide solutions in terms of employment and food security;

For Table 5.1 Actions and the Inequalities they address

Action – Improve the diversity of garden seed products available in all parts of Africa so that all African small farmers have at least the same diversity of garden seed products that are available to the South African home gardener

Inequalities they address –African women small farmers have unequal access to garden seed resources needed to produce new consumer products

A home gardener or small farmer in South Africa has access to a wide variety of garden seed products.  See https://livingseeds.co.za/ or https://www.seedsforafrica.co.za/ . For example, the South African small farmer can grow at least 25 types of melons and 20 types of watermelons using the seeds that are available to South African home gardeners.  This allows the South African small farmer to offer the South African consumer a wide variety of products.  In contrast, far less garden seed products are available in other African countries.

In other parts of Africa, the woman small farmer entrepreneur is very limited by the types of garden seeds available in their country and the difficulty of obtaining seeds available in other countries.  In most parts of Africa women small farmers cannot buy corn seeds that produce corn with strong stalks that are required by the three sisters gardening technique.  They cannot easily import seeds that were developed by Native Americans such as Navajo melons see https://www.nativeseeds.org/products/2023-seedlisting-catalog .  They also cannot easily import  desert melon seeds that were originally grown in Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Namibia to demonstrate African melon heritage to African consumers.  

I have read the V0 report, which has done a remarkable job on the conceptual framework and which sets the scene for the orientations that need to be deepened and enriched by the specific realities and experiences of the targeted regions.

From the outset, when reading the report, it is clear that injustices, inequities and inequalities are not reflected in the same way in the countries of the North and the South. The proof is that malnutrition is not the same in these two poles. In the former, it means obesity, overweight. On the other hand, in the second, it means undernourishment, stunted growth. This precision is worthwhile in order to differentiate the injustices in the targeted regions.

In Cameroon, the issue of food security can be analyzed on the basis of a triptych: macroeconomics, policy and strategy in the agricultural sector, and related issues (policies, employment, education, culture).

The macro-economy of the state as a whole, its vision. Over the past three decades, we see how Cameroon has been pulling the bull by the horns to try to get its head above water, through its multiple strategic documents. First there was the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP), then the Growth and Employment Strategy Paper (GESP) and today it is the National Development Strategy 2020-2030 (NDS30) which aim at enabling Cameroon to achieve its emergence in 2035. Unfortunately, while these documents may have the merit of being well elaborated, they do not have the merit of being sufficiently implemented. When I finish saying this, the deterioration of the terms of trade is digging into our trade balance and this added to the weight of the debt, would make it difficult for an underdeveloped state like Cameroon to engage in sharp reforms such as those related to food security and nutrition. In other words, the budgets of underdeveloped countries seem insufficient insofar as the majority already goes into debt payment and structuring projects in terms of infrastructure.

Thus, every year, some 100 billion is allocated to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MINADER) to develop agriculture. There is a problem of policies, strategies and implementation. The proof is that when we take into account the budget of MINADER, the aid programs and the support of the action of MINEPAT, it is a lot of money that apparently is injected every year into Cameroonian agriculture without it taking off.

For a good policy, after having identified the agro-ecological zones and production basins, we should identify the producers according to the speculations, I would even say identify the actors of the value chain by speculation, by recording their production capacities, their needs. This data should enable the government to develop effective policies and adopt better strategies. Unfortunately, nothing has yet been done at this level. Good agricultural policies should be based on the farmer. At the BEDELOR (Bureau d'études pour le développement local et rural), we have created a document called the "carnet du planteur" (farmer's notebook), which provides all the technical and financial information on the farmer (production rate, production quantities per speculation, cultivable and cultivated areas, input requirements, financing requirements, etc.). It is on the basis of this information that we can better orient policies in the agro-ecological zones in general and in the production basins in particular.

The poor orientation of our economy or the extraversion of our economy is still hampering the recovery, or even the real take-off of Cameroonian agriculture. Here are some examples:

• Enormous and constant franchises granted to foreign companies in the poultry sector, when this sector had just been relaunched in 2006 with the ban on the importation of frozen chicken cuts;
• The same goes for aquaculture and fishing, with the quasi-monopoly, if not the monopoly, of a local company (CONGELCAM), which imports fish and frozen food instead of developing this sector locally, which is full of job niches;
• In the 2000s, when the maize crisis occurred, the Government opted for imports instead of reviving this sector locally;
• In the rice sector, Cameroon has an abundance of production basins (Yagoua, Ndop, North-West) but our markets continue to be flooded with imported rice (apparently more competitive in terms of price);
• Tubers are scarce and expensive in the markets, as farmers who are not supported by the state most of the time prefer to sell in more lucrative markets, including in neighboring countries (Gabon, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria), which even come to buy locally.

These few examples reflect the malaise of Cameroon's agriculture, which is struggling to organize and structure itself and consequently cannot ensure the sustainable food security of its populations. We have the impression that the Government, through MINADER, does not anticipate events enough, and when crises occur, chooses rather punctual but cheap solutions instead of projecting itself in a real policy of revival which will develop sectors, set up value chains, real guarantees of a sustainable food security and nutrition and of a perennial agriculture.

Obviously, this has consequences or causes that could justify this state of affairs. First of all, when talking about inequalities, we can mention the administrative and geographical division of land, which has allocated relatively smaller areas to demographically dense peoples who practice intensive agriculture. The variety and variability of climate and seasons also reinforce these inequalities. Not all peoples, from a cultural point of view, have the same relationship with the land. While you have the Grassfields (in the western and north-western highlands), especially those in the west, who are aware of the small areas they have inherited for an overly large population, are determined to over-exploit their land to the point of developing agriculture on the slopes of the mountain ranges that litter this region. Meanwhile, we have the pygmies in the East Cameroon region, who do not exert a considerable impact on the land in particular and the environment in general. Over- or under-exploitation of the land in a given area leads to ecological and environmental impacts in that area. These impacts may give rise to resiliencies or habits depending on the region. Rotational farming, which can be practiced in the central-southeastern zone, may not be possible in the western Grassfields, which are overexploiting land that has become insufficient, leading them to make considerable use of fertilizers. Of course, it is in areas where agriculture is intensively practiced that support is more regular and consistent. In this respect, we can see an unequal distribution of state support and assistance in terms of agricultural materials and inputs. In short, some areas benefit from projects and programs more than others. But it should be noted that all these measures are based on two fundamental reasons:

1) Support measures can be applied to further amplify a production that is developed or growing with a view to feeding the rest of the country (as is the case in the Grassfields region);

2) To address a region plagued by hunger and undernourishment (as is the case in the Far North of Cameroon and the East region, and to some extent the Adamaoua and North regions with the issue of refugees from the Central African Republic), which attracts the bulk of humanitarian and assistance programs.

This mapping of projects and programs sufficiently demonstrates the inequities and inequalities in public action in the different regions of Cameroon. From this point of view, it can be observed that

-The Grassfields region has been able to develop Agriculture because it has better addressed the issue of education. Women and young people have access to education. Thus, this human capital allows it to be the production basin of chicken, eggs, thanks to the mastery of technology and modern methods used in Agriculture. Besides, despite all the assistance and humanitarian programs present in the region, the Far North of Cameroon remains one of the least educated regions, due to cultural relays that do not favor access to education for women and youth.

- The Grassfields region, through its dynamism, has been able to develop value chains and is now home to several agricultural inter-professions (organizations), notably IPAVIC in the poultry sector, but also other inter-professions in the coffee sector, etc. These value chains are at the heart of the development of the region. These value chains are at the origin of the development of jobs (job niches) throughout the country. Bafoussam (capital of the West region and focal point of the greater Grassfields region) is the third most important destination for small and medium-sized industries and enterprises after Yaoundé and Douala. This is because this area has been able to organize and structure a pole of activities that necessarily expresses a demand in terms of services, which offers opportunities to SMEs and SMIs. 

Some recommendations:

• Create a file of producers by production basin and by agro-ecological zone, by speculation, with information on their civil status, cultivable and cultivated areas, needs in inputs and phytosanitary products, needs in financing;
• Communicate statistical data on production to the decentralized services of the State and feed the information back to the central level in order to better develop policies and strategies;
• A good seed policy must be put in place and addressed locally;
• Draw up a list of staple crops and develop a value chain around these crops in order to provide solutions in terms of employment and food security;

Thank you for this very comprehensive and relevant review on food security and nutrition.

In the name of our HFST (Humanitarian Food Science and Technology) international working group, I have two comments:

• Humanitarian issues are not directly mentioned in this review. Yet, because of the many recurring humanitarian crises that strike and will strike the world, they do seem to be a major cause of the many disorders that affect food security in many places and one of the key drivers to tackle them when considered through the humanitarian, development and peace nexus.
• Food Science and Technology (FST) is also not mentioned, even though it may appear as one of the most promising and powerful levers for addressing food insecurity; for example, by controlling food safety, improving the nutritional value and convenience of food, optimizing local resources, providing revenues to low-income families and women through generation of employment opportunities, eased access to the market, etc.

While the role of some food companies has often been blamed for increasing food inequalities due to strategies that seek immediate profit for some rather than sustainable wealth for the majority, this trend could be reversed by raising awareness among stakeholders, including through innovative educational programs and promotion of the specific role FST may play at the various levels of the value food chain, a role that has been poorly understood and emphasized until now.

More information in our paper “The Role of Food Science and Technology in Humanitarian Response: A Review“, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tifs.2020.06.006; other HFST publications: https://www.aifst.asn.au/Humanitarian-Food-Science-and-Technology

Best regards and season greetings

Dominique Bounie

Happy Holidays

In response to Chapter 5 "Actions to reduce inequalities in food and other systems to improve FSN" and  

Question 9 " Can you suggest success stories from countries that were able to reduce FSN inequalities?"

Many African countries have laws that are more suited for medium to large agriculture organizations and not for small farmers. The supplies needed by a small farmer are different that those of a medium or large farmer.  The seed supplies that are offered in many African countries are not diverse, robust, or appropriate if small farmers are to meet FSN needs.  I am pretty sure the lack of appropriate seeds is causing problems for the small African farmer meeting the FSN needs of their country. The FAO needs to clarify their guidance to African politicians so that African seed supplies will meet the FSN needs envisioned by the FAO.

In contrast, the Chinese were able to develop methods between 1979 and 1992 that helped the small farmer provide for the FSN needs in China.  Getting the right supplies to the farmers was addressed by Chinese businessmen while Chinese law makers focused more on land and financial reform.  Some African nations are trending to use the ideas that the Chinese used between 1979 and 1992. Perhaps the FAO can identify exactly what supplies small farmers most need and can afford given their financial constraints so that small farmers can swiftly meet the FSN needs in their country. There was more to the Chinese actions than land and financial reform.

I once tried to grow rare Native American products in South Africa to show cooperation between people of Native American and Zulu descent as a tourist attraction.  The Zulu women farmers with whom I was working considered my ideas as entrepreneurial opportunities that they typically did not get because they were Zulu women.  It took me a couple of years to get permission from the South African government to import a few seeds.  Unfortunately, we ran into a pollination problem that I did not expect. I did not try to export any more of the rare seeds due to my previous agreement on how many seeds I would be allowed to have for export to South Africa.

Success stories from countries that were able to reduce FSN inequalities

Raising goats appears to be the best way for small farmers to get out of poverty and meet FSN needs.  

For those small farmers that cannot afford goats, I recommend that they earn additional income raising onions, sunflowers, green pole beans, and passion fruit first. Small farmers will need to monitor local markets to determine what products offer the best return on investment. They do not want to lose their investment by supplying a particular product that was overproduced. At one time watermelons farming was an excellent investment but there now may be an oversupply in some African countries.

For those small farmers that are in bad shape I recommend that they use the "three sisters gardening technique" to grow corn or sunflowers, green pole beans, and squash. The farmers will need to know how to hand pollinate corn and squash to maximize their production.

Here are some success stories

Goats https://www.worldvision.org/refugees-news-stories/refugee-family-finds-hope-after-receiving-gift-catalog-goats

Onions https://www.newvision.co.ug/news/1521373/grow-onions-taste-money

Sunflowers https://www.bukedde.co.ug/agric.%20%26%20environment/114205/how-to-grow-sunflower

Passion Fruit https://www.africa-uganda-business-travel-guide.com/kaduru-and-his-american-wife-find-fortune-in-uganda-passion-fruit-farming.html

Companion planting/Three sisters gardening https://www.renature.co/articles/companion-planting-is-key-to-food-security/

Hand pollinating corn https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tj4aW-TiD3M 

Hand pollinating watermelons and squash https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqfXPe58Zis and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFRoNfEjDKg

Thank you for considering my comments

Dr. Paul Rigterink