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:

  1. To increase awareness about the Food Systems Summit outcomes;
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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

  • Dr. Baktear Hossain, Director, SAARC Agriculture Center (SAC)
  • Esther Penunia, Secretary General, Asian Farmers’ Association for Sustainable Rural Development (AFA)
  • Hubert Boirard, Country Program Manager and APFP Task Team Manager, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
  • Chief Guest: Dr. Shaikh Mohammad Bokhtiar, Executive Chairman, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC) (5 min)

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

  • Upscaling Agroecology: Natural Farming, Andra Pradesh, India – Vijay Kumar, Executive Vice Chairman RySS, Government of Andhra Pradesh, India
  • Floating farms: Bangladesh – Dr. Md. Mostafizur Rahman Talukder, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI)
  • Engagement of women in nutrition-sensitive aquatic food systems in South Asia – examples for Bangladesh, India, and Nepal  – Dr. Shakuntala Thilsted, World Fish Center
  • Nepalese experiences on how the prevalence of non-commercial farming in Nepal helped rural people cope with the Pandemic – Dr. Devendra Gauchan, Bioversity International Nepal

Financing The Transition towards healthier and greener food systems

  • Ulaç Demirag, Head, South Asia Hub, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
  • Ms. Mary K. Hollifield, Program Manager, Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP)

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)

  • Following the presentations of Day 1 about Member States and other stakeholders’ commitments for transitioning towards more sustainable and healthier food systems, what are the main common areas of interest and challenges?
  • What are the main actions and initiatives needed at regional level to support the implementation of different commitments for more sustainable and healthier food systems?
  • Who should be the stakeholders to engage to put into action the Member States’ commitments at regional level?

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

  • INOFO
  • ICA-AP

Member states

  • Bangladesh
  • Bhutan
  • India
  • The Maldives
  • Nepal
  • Pakistan
  • Sri Lanka
13.50-14.20

(30 min)

SESSION 6: CLOSING SESSION
Moderator: Dr. Ganga, SACClosing remarks

  • Mr. Jamal Uddin Ahmed, Director ARD & SDF, SAARC Secretariat, Nepal
  • Ms. Saraswati Subba, Women Farmers’ Committee Chairperson, AFA
  • Mr. Sridhar Dharmapuri, Agriculture and Food Systems Stream Leader, Senior Food Safety and Nutrition Officer, FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific

Vote of Thanks by Dr. Baktear Hossain, Director, SAC

WATCH DAY 1 

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