The ICA-AP regional office participated in an online Regional Consultation on Promoting Healthy, Sustainable and Inclusive Food Systems in Response to Covid-19 in South Asia on 29-30 March 2022. It was organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in collaboration with the SAARC Agriculture Center (SAC), the Asian Farmers’ Association for Sustainable Rural Development (AFA) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). The workshop was attended by 66 participants (including 15 women) from seven SAARC Member States (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka), as well as family farmers’ organizations, cooperatives, NGOs, intergovernmental organizations and research institutions.
This regional consultation aimed to support food systems transformation actions, thereby contributing to resolving hunger and reducing diet-related diseases amidst the Covid-19 pandemic in South Asia. Participants shared the commitments made by the Member States and other stakeholders during the UN Food System Summit held in September 2021, and the coalitions they are engaged with. They shared examples of inclusive agriculture value chains and sustainable food systems in the region and highlighted how they contributed to limiting the impact of Covid-19 and could help in preventing or mitigating the impacts of similar pandemics in the future.
Mr. Mohit Dave, Head - Partnerships and Resource Mobilization represented ICA-AP. He made a presentation in the session, “Stakeholders’ Commitments During the Food Systems, with reflections on How to Address Challenges Brought by the Covid-19 Pandemic.” He explained how the Covid-19 pandemic has exposed the deficiencies in the food systems with adverse effects on the lives, health and livelihoods of people around the world, particularly the most vulnerable and those in fragile contexts. It is crucial to respond and rebuild appropriately through sustainable agriculture, inclusive value chains, and healthy food systems while recognizing the critical role of cooperatives in transforming the foods systems sustainably.
Participants discussed why better food systems are critical to building a future with improved health, equality, and peace, rich biodiversity and ecosystems, and resilient and empowered people. There must be a critical shift from a food security focus to food systems thinking: thinking about food, people, and the planet, that requires multi-level approaches with multi-stakeholders. Non-state actors like family farming organizations and cooperatives need to be in equal partnership in the implementation of commitments to sustainable food systems, especially in the area of agroecology and climate-resilient agriculture. A Joint Communique highlighting the key discussions during the meeting, including the agreed action points at the regional level, will be issued in a month. Going forward, the ICA-AP office will continue its engagement to formulate recommendations that will support the food transformation into healthier, more sustainable and inclusive food systems in the region.
