Regional Consultation Meeting
Promoting Healthy, Sustainable, and Inclusive Food Systems in Response to COVID-19 in South Asia
29-30 March 2022 | 10:30 – 14:30 GMT+6 (Bangladesh)
REGISTER
Background
Globally, around 30% of the population suffer from multiple micronutrient deficiencies, around 10 million children die each year before they attain the age of 5 years and 2 out of 5 below the age of 5 years are stunted and malnourished. Despite producing more food, there are still 690 million people hungry and about 2 billion people are overweight or obese, contributing to a growing incidence of food-related diseases (FAO, 2020). South Asia consists of eight countries where one-fourth (1.891 billion) of the world population (7.8 billion) residing of which about 65% live in rural areas, and more than 50% of them relying their livelihoods on agriculture (FAOSTAT, 2019). The average of Prevalence of Undernourishment (POU) in the region is 19.44%, which is much higher in Afghanistan (30.95%) followed by Pakistan (22.26%), India
(18.44%), Bangladesh (16.87%), Sri Lanka (14.66%) and Nepal (13.46%) (FAOSTAT, 2019). Agriculture value added per worker in the region is
estimated to be US$ 2452.63 (constant US$) in 2016, which is lower than in the world average (US$ 3,542).
As half of the land in South Asia is arable, there is high potentiality of the agriculture and food system in the region to effectively address the
widespread poverty, hunger and malnutrition. Food systems encompass all people and the entire range of actors and their interconnected activities growing, harvesting, packing, processing, distributing, selling, storing, marketing, consuming, and disposing of food. The pervasive poverty and hunger in the rural areas, especially women and men farmers who rely on agriculture for a living, infers that the current food systems are unjust and unsustainable. Meanwhile, the health issue is being undermined due to lack of availability of safe, nutritious and healthy food. Severity in food insecurity is being further aggravated by higher rate of food lost/waste estimated to be one-third of all food produced globally. At the same time current food systems contribute up to 29% of all greenhouse gas emissions, including 44% of methane, with adverse impact on biodiversity.
Recent surge of the COVID-19 pandemic has further exposed dangerous deficiencies in the food systems threatening the lives and livelihoods of millions of people around the world. According to IPES-Food (2020), “COVID19 has laid bare the underlying risks, fragilities, and inequities in global food systems, and pushed them close to breaking point. The lockdowns and disruptions triggered by the efforts to contain COVID-19, have shown the fragility of people’s access to essential goods and services.
Therefore, the current food systems need to be transformed and provide a more sustainable, fair and inclusive access to healthy and nutritious food for people. It is also necessary to keep balance between food systems and the natural environment by transforming them to work better with nature and for the climate. Better food systems are critical to build a future with improved health, equality, and peace that create a world with rich biodiversity and ecosystems, and people who are resilient and empowered.
The way food is produced, harvested, processed, distributed, marketed, eaten, and disposed of should promote human, ecological, and animal health and well-being. All actors should actively shape and contribute to healthy, fair, renewable, resilient, inclusive, and culturally diverse food systems. In this context, it is crucial to respond appropriately through sustainable agriculture and food systems promoting nutritious diet and healthy foods.
Under the leadership of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, a Food System Summit in 2021 with the main theme “healthy, sustainable and inclusive food systems” has been held in September 2021 to foster a world without poverty or hunger, a world of inclusive growth, environmental sustainability, social justice, and a world where no one is left behind. FAO Regional Office for Asia and Pacific (FAO RAP), in collaboration with the SAARC Agriculture Centre (SAC), an intergovernmental organization of the eight Member States in the South Asia region, Asian Farmers’ Association for Sustainable Rural Development (AFA) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), intends to organize a regional consultation meeting on “Promoting Healthy, Sustainable and Inclusive Food Systems in Response to COVID -19 in South Asia”.
Objectives
This Post-Summit regional consultation meeting intends to support food systems transformation actions, thereby contributing to resolve hunger and reducing diet-related diseases problems amidst COVID-19 pandemic in the South Asia.
The specific objectives are as follows:
- To increase awareness about the Food Systems Summit outcomes;
- To share the commitments made by Member States and other stakeholders during the Food System Summit last Sept 23, 2021, as well as the Coalitions they are engaged with.
- To share examples of inclusive agriculture value chains and sustainable food systems in the region and highlight how they contributed to limit the impacts of COVID19 and could help preventing or mitigating impacts of similar pandemics in the future.
- To formulate recommendations that will support the food transformation into healthier, more sustainable and inclusive food systems in the region.
Target Participants
At least 60 participants consisting of National Focal Point Experts (government representatives) who convened the Food System dialogue processes in their countries as well as those who delivered their commitments during the Food Summit, representatives from farmers’ leaders, policy makers, intergovernmental organization, development partners, AFA, IFAD, SAC, FAO RAP.
Organizers
FAO Regional Office for Asia and Pacific (FAO RAP), SAARC Agriculture Centre (SAC) and Asian Farmers’ Association for Sustainable Rural Development (AFA), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
Final Agenda (Bangladesh time)
TIME | ACTIVITY |
DAY 1 (4 hours) | |
10.30-10.40 | PRELIMINARIES (Zoom recommendations & guidelines) |
10.40-11.10
(30 min) |
SESSION 1: OPENING PROGRAM Moderator: Pierre Ferrand (FAO RAP)Welcome remarks and objectives of the program Mr. Takayuki Hagiwara, FAO RAP, Regional Program LeaderKeynote Speeches
Group photo |
11.10-12.30
(90 mins) |
SESSION 2: NATIONAL COMMITMENTS FOR SUSTAINABLE AND HEALTHY FOOD SYSTEMS Moderator: Esther Penunia (AFA) Status, Challenges for Food Systems in South Asia Dr. Abha Mishra, Leader, Regenerative Farming, RoundGlass Wellbeing Pvt. LtdBeyond the Food Systems Summit: From Commitments to Actions David Nabarro, Food Systems Summit Dialogues Senior Advisor Stakeholders’ commitments during the Food Systems, with reflections on how to address challenges brought by the Covid-19 pandemic Member states Bangladesh, Mr. Feroj Al Mahmud, Research Director, Food Planning and Monitoring Unit (FPMU), Ministry of Food Bhutan, Mr. Karma Tshering, Chief, Policy and Planning Division, Ministry of Agriculture and Forest The Maldives: Mr. Ali Amir, Ministry of Fisheries, Marine Resources and Agriculture Farmers’ Organizations Ms. Irish Baguilat, Asian Farmers’ Association for Sustainable Rural Development (AFA) Dr. Shamika Mone, Inter-continental Network of Organic Farmers Organizations (INOFO) Research institution Dr. Fergus Sinclair, Chief Scientist, Co-convener Transformative Partnership Platform on Agroecology, World Agroforestry (ICRAF) |
12.30 – 12.45 | Break |
12:45 – 13.35
(50 min) |
Member states
Nepal, Ms. Sabnam SHIVAKOTI ARYAL, Joint Secretary, Food Security and Food Technology Division, MoALD Pakistan, Dr. Ghulam Muhammad Ali, Chairman, Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC) Sri Lanka, Mr. A.S.M. Roshan, Deputy Director, Department of Agriculture
Private sector Mr. Mohit Dave, International Cooperative Alliance-Asia and Pacific (ICA– AP) |
13.35-14.50
(75 minutes) |
SESSION 3: SHARING OF EXPERIENCES IN SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS IN SOUTH ASIA Moderator: Dr. Md. Younus Ali (SAC)Initiatives
Financing The Transition towards healthier and greener food systems
Open Forum |
DAY 2 (3 hours) | |
10.30-10.40 | PRELIMINARIES (Zoom recording and guidelines) |
10.40-12.30
(110 min)
|
SESSION 4: REGIONAL ACTIONS FOR SUSTAINABLE AND HEALTHY FOOD SYSTEMS Moderator: Pierre Ferrand (FAO RAP)Open forum / debrief of Day 1This session aims to identify regional action areas and partnerships. Participants will be divided into two groups. There will be assigned moderators and note takers from SAC, AFA and FAORAP. Orientation on break out groups Breakout session to discuss regional level actions and recommendations (45 min)
Presentation of results of break out groups Open Forum Synthesis of Results of break out groups |
12.30 -12.50 | Break |
12.50-13.50 (60 min) | SESSION 5 ADOPTION OF JOINT COMMUNIQUE FOR A REGIONAL ACTION FOR SUSTAINABLE AND HEALTHY FOOD SYSTEMS IN THE CONTEXT OF COVID 19 Moderator: Irish Baguilat, AFAPresentation and approval of joint communique Responses and solidarity
Member states
|
13.50-14.20
(30 min) |
SESSION 6: CLOSING SESSION Moderator: Dr. Ganga, SACClosing remarks
Vote of Thanks by Dr. Baktear Hossain, Director, SAC |
WATCH DAY 1
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