Let’s seize this moment to enhance food systems governance overall
The governance of food systems has changed dramatically over the last 50 to 60 years with the industrialization of agricultural markets, consolidation, and diminished state roles. Across the world, food systems governance is marked by exclusionary processes that typically favour the interests of powerful actors at the expense of processes built on democratic principles. Today, food policy is siloed across different government departments, civil society is increasingly disconnected from decision-making, and a limiting “productivist” narrative of what’s possible shapes everything from public policy to research agendas and advertising slogans.
As the impact of COVID-19 compounds the structural inequalities in our societies, undermining food security, human rights, and global justice, the case for food systems transformation has never been more urgent. In this context, the Global Alliance is co-hosting a side-event at this week’s 47th Meeting of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS-47) on how to further strengthen effective and inclusive food systems governance at all levels.
In the spirit of facilitating meaningful dialogue and convening diverse voices, tomorrow this side-event will focus on upholding integrated, participatory, and inclusive governance through the CFS, the forthcoming UN Food Systems Summit (UNFSS), and other mechanisms. Championing inclusive, integrated, participatory, rights-based approaches to governance is one of our seven bold Calls to Action published last October — available here — and it is the linchpin to all the others.
From agroecology, regenerative approaches and healthy diets to the financial flows that heavily impact the entire value chain, integrated governance is central to achieving a better recognition and understanding of problems and solutions and to advocating for systemic change. Equally, it is intrinsic to promoting shared action through active and meaningful participation of diverse stakeholders, especially those at the “sharp-end” of food systems such as women, vulnerable workers and smallholder farmers.
The most fundamental measures that can be taken to transform food systems include building processes and policy platforms based on democratic principles and shared power, while concurrently opening up decision-making to include a plurality of voices that are demanding change. In doing so, we can tackle existing food systems lock-ins that are preventing systemic change. We know from our work with the Beacons of Hope that transformation goes hand-in-hand with challenging “deep structures”, societal rules, behaviours, and established practices.
Just last week, The Dasgupta Review on The Economics of Biodiversity asserted through multiple examples that regions where civic engagement was greater hundreds of years ago enjoy greater levels of civic engagement and better governance today. The complexity of systems transformation is real and challenging but business-as-usual is not an option. The status quo isn’t working anymore.
Now is the time for us to question our assumptions, engage in deep dialogue, and challenge both inertia and deepening global polarization. Crucially, it has never been more important for us to uphold and protect the institutional spaces where differences and critical political views can be shared and debated. At the Global Alliance, we believe that deep and lasting change can only come from the confluence of perspectives and dialogue across multiple sectors that do not ordinarily work together, in order to build trust and to seek a collective path forward.
So, how do we seize this moment to enhance food systems governance overall? How do we get more people engaged in the conversation about how food systems are governed and, more so, should be governed? How can people be truly empowered to participate in meaningful and authentic ways? And, looking ahead to moments like the CFS this week, the UNFSS in September, and beyond, how can we ensure the robust governance required for resilient, renewable, equitable, healthy, diverse food systems?
A full recording of the live event is now available to view on YouTube here. Videos with interpreted Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, and Spanish are also available on our channel. A written summary of the side event outcomes can be found on the FAO website here.
Speakers include: Amb. Céline Jurgensen (France), Amb. Mario Arvelo (Dominican Republic), Amb. Thanawat Tiensin (CFS Chairperson), Sofia Monsalve (FIAN International/Civil Society Mechanism), Shalmali Guttal (Focus on the Global South/Civil Society Mechanism), Jessica Vega Ortega (Global Indigenous Youth Caucus, Mexico; Vice-Chair — Indigenous Peoples, UNFSS Champions Network), Michael Fakhri (UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food), Olivier de Schutter (IPES-Food; UN Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights), and Paul Newnham (SDG2 Advocacy Hub).
