Foro Global sobre Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutrición (Foro FSN)

The Near East and North Africa (NENA) region is facing key challenges including ending poverty and hunger as well as responding to climate change and the conservation of natural resources to avoid further degradation.

• How does/did the COVID-19 outbreak exacerbate the challenges faced by small-scale family farmers (SSFF)?

It has been found that both lives and livelihoods are at risk from the COVID-19 outbreak among small-scale family farmers (SSFF) in the Near East and North Africa (NENA) region. Though in some countries, the spread of the pandemic has been slowing down and cases are decreasing, in others, COVID-19 is resurging or continuing to spread quickly. This is still a global problem calling for a global response. All nations/regions in the NENA region are confronted with unfavourable food situation resulting from the COVID-19 crisis. The SSFF (small-scale family farmers) are faced with challenges they will continue facing in the years/decades to come. This is due mostly to a lack of access to food. As incomes fall, remittances are lost, and in some contexts, food prices rise. In countries already affected by high levels of acute food insecurity, it is no longer a food access issue alone, but increasingly a food production issue.

[Source: http://www.fao.org/2019-ncov/covid-19-crop-calendars/en/, accessed on August28, 2020.]

• And what are the main areas of interventions that could efficiently build SSFF resilience and ensure sustainable livelihood?

The global community, including the NENA region, is faced with the COVID-19 at a time when hunger or undernourishment keeps rising. According to the latest estimates published by the United Nations (UN), an additional 83 million people, and possibly as many as 132 million, may go hungry in 2020 as a result of the economic recession triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. This would be in addition to the 690 million people going hungry now. At the same time, 135 million people suffer from acute food insecurity and in need of urgent humanitarian assistance.

In situations where people suffer from hunger or chronic undernourishment, it means that they are unable to meet their food requirements over a prolonged period. This has long-term implications for their future, and continues to present a setback to global efforts to reach Zero Hunger. When people experience crisis-level, acute food insecurity, it means they have limited access to food in the short-term due to sporadic, sudden crises that may put their lives and livelihoods at risk. However, if people facing crisis-level acute food insecurity get the assistance they need, they will not join the ranks of the hungry, and their situation will not become chronic.

Most importantly, although globally there is enough food for everyone, too many people are still suffering from hunger, the food systems are failing, and the pandemic is making things worse. According to the World Bank, the pandemic's economic impact could push about 100 million people into extreme poverty. Soaring unemployment rates, income losses and rising food costs are jeopardizing food access in developed and developing countries alike and will have long-term effects on food security for the SSFF. Furthermore, the pandemic may plunge national economies into recession, and countries ought to take urgent measures to mitigate the longer-term impacts on food systems and food security.

There is a serious concern that producers might not being able to plant this year, or not plant enough, as normally. If the policy makers do not help producers to plant this year, this will translate into a lack of food later this year and in 2021. This is one prominent area that requires intervention. Equally urgent is the compounding threat of the pandemic on existing crises - such as conflict, natural disasters, climate change, pests and animal diseases - that are already stressing the food systems and triggering food insecurity around the NENA region. Interventions in such areas will ensure sustainable livelihood.

[Source: http://www.fao.org/2019-ncov/covid-19-crop-calendars/en/, accessed on August28, 2020.]

• Can you share success examples in the region?

For the purpose of ensuring sustainable livelihood the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has successfully  implemented the “Climate Change and Adaptation Solutions for the Green Sectors of Selected Zones in the NENA Region” project with special focus on Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon. The project used state-of-the art climate change projections, and the AquaCrop. The AquaCrop is the FAO’s model for crop yield response to water and climate change, to assess changes in yield of key crops in selected NENA countries under various climate scenarios. The aim of the intuitive was to provide evidence for a regional dialogue and strategic thinking about adaptation responses necessary for coping with the challenges of climate change, water scarcity and food security.

In the year 2017, the project resulted in a contribution to the Arab Climate Change Assessment Report, within the framework of the Regional Initiative for the Assessment of Climate Change Impacts on the Water Resources and Socio-Economic Vulnerability in the Arab Region (RICCAR). The RICCAR is implemented through a collaborative partnership involving the FAO and 10 other implementing partner organizations. Additionally, a regionally focused and forward looking technical report Climate Change and Adaptation Solutions for the Green Sectors in the Arab Region, currently under preparation, will be issued under this project.

While farmers are the direct beneficiaries of the project, scientists and research institutions also benefit from the ability to design their research strategies and programmes taking into consideration impacts of climate change. Evidence from the project can also be used by policymakers in the agriculture and water sectors to better plan and manage limited land and water resources available. While the project itself was focused on a selection of crops and countries, the methodology is easily scalable. The project nurtured strong cooperation and coordination with other international and regional organizations, such as the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) and the Arab Center for the Studies of Arid Zones and Dry Lands (ACSAD), creating a positive impact on the quality of the reports produced, and also on FAO relations with its partners in the region.

[Source: http://www.fao.org/partnerships/stories/story/es/c/1180588/, Accessed on August 28, 2020.]

2) Sustainable transition towards more sustainable agri-food systems: In order to meet the needs of a growing population, it is essential to accelerate the transition toward more sustainable food systems with special consideration to the degradation of the already scarce natural resources and climate change impact in the NENA region.

• Can you give brief description of key CC impact factors on productivity of main farming systems in the region?

The COVID-19 pandemic is spreading at a fast pace in the Near East and North Africa region, albeit at slower pace than in other regions. As of 21 April, more than 40,000 people have been confirmed positive. Since the declaration by WHO of COVID-19 as a global pandemic on 11 March, governments of the Near East and North Africa region have imposed a series of measures to slow down the spread of the disease. This policy brief aims at assessing the potential impacts of COVID-19 and associated lockdown and social distancing on agriculture and food security in the region and proposing measures to mitigate the impacts on food security and nutrition with special attention to the most vulnerable segments of societies. NENA countries remain vulnerable to the multiple risks triggered by COVID-19. The NENA countries have differentiated exposure levels to the impact of COVID-19. While most countries may withstand the initial supply- and demand-side shocks associated with the COVID-19, a deepening of the global economic recession and prolonged period of disruption in the global and local supply chains may have considerable impacts on production, availability and access to food.

[Source: http://www.fao.org/3/ca8778en/CA8778EN.pdf, Accessed on August 28, 2020.]

• How can innovation and digital solutions accelerate such transition of the agi-food systems?

For producers, manufacturers and distributors, the heightened regulatory focus on the security and integrity of the food supply chain has placed additional emphasis on accurate record-keeping, transparent accountability and end-to-end traceability. To meet the needs of the modern regulatory landscape, food chain stakeholders require robust systems and tools to manage their quality control (QC), environmental monitoring and chain of custody data. Despite this, many businesses still handle this information using paper-based approaches or localized spreadsheets, which can compromise operational efficiency and regulatory compliance.

The fundamental flaw of these traditional data management approaches is their reliance on manual data entry and transcription steps, leaving information vulnerable to human error. To ensure the accuracy of data, some companies implement resource-intensive verification or review checks. However, these steps inevitably extend workflows and delay decision-making, ultimately holding up the release of products at a high cost to businesses. Moreover, as paper and spreadsheet-based data management systems must be updated by hand, they often serve merely as a record of past events and are unable to provide insight into ongoing activities. The time lag associated with recording and accessing supply chain information means that vital insight is typically unavailable until the end of a process, and data cannot be used to optimize operations in real-time.

Furthermore, using traditional data management approaches, gathering information in the event of an audit or food safety incident can be extremely challenging. Trawling through paperwork or requesting information contained in spreadsheets saved on local computers is time-consuming and resource-intensive. When it comes to establishing accountability for actions, these systems are often unable to provide a complete audit trail of events.

Given the limitations of traditional workflows, food supply chain stakeholders are increasingly seeking more robust data management solutions that will allow them to drive efficiency, while meeting the latest regulatory expectations. For many businesses, laboratory information management systems (LIMS) are proving to be a highly effective solution for collecting, storing and sharing their QC, environmental monitoring and chain of custody data.

One of the most significant advantages of managing data using LIMS is the way in which they bring together people, instruments, workflows and data in a single integrated system. When it comes to managing the receipt of raw materials, for example, LIMS can improve overall workflow visibility, and help to make processes faster and more efficient. By using barcodes, radiofrequency identification (RFID) tags or near-field communication, samples can be tracked by the system throughout various laboratory and storage locations. With LIMS tracking samples at every stage, ingredients and other materials can be automatically released into production as soon as the QC results have been authorized, streamlining processes and eliminating costly delays.

By storing the standard operating procedures (SOPs) used for raw material testing or QC centrally in a LIMS, worklists, protocols and instrument methods can be automatically downloaded directly to equipment. In this way, LIMS are able to eliminate time-consuming data entry steps, reducing the potential for human error and improving data integrity. When integrated with laboratory execution systems (LES), these solutions can even guide operators step-by-step through procedures, ensuring SOPs are executed consistently, and in a regulatory compliant manner. Not only can these integrated solutions improve the reliability and consistency of data by making sure tests are performed in a standardized way across multiple sites and testing teams, they can also boost operational efficiency by simplifying set-up procedures and accelerating the delivery of results. What’s more, because LIMS can provide a detailed audit trail of all user interactions within the system, this centralized approach to data management is a robust way of ensuring full traceability and accountability.

This high level of operational efficiency and usability also extends to the way in which data is processed, analysed and reported. LIMS platforms can support multi-level parameter review and can rapidly perform calculations and check results against specifications for relevant customers. In this way, LIMS can ensure pathogens, pesticides and veterinary drug residues are within specifications for specific markets. With all data stored centrally, certificates of analysis can be automatically delivered to enterprise resource planning (ERP) software or process information management systems (PIMS) to facilitate rapid decision-making and batch release. Furthermore, the sophisticated data analysis tools built into the most advanced LIMS software enable users to monitor the way in which instruments are used and how they are performing, helping businesses to manage their assets more efficiently. Using predictive algorithms to warn users when principal QC instruments are showing early signs of deterioration, the latest LIMS can help companies take preventative action before small issues turn into much bigger problems. As a result, these powerful tools can help to reduce unplanned maintenance, keep supply chains moving, and better maintain the quality and integrity of goods.

While LIMS are very effective at building more resilient supply chains and preventing food security issues, they also make responding to potential threats much faster, easier and more efficient. With real-time access to QC, environmental monitoring and chain of custody data, food contamination or adulteration issues can be detected early, triggering the prompt isolation of affected batches before they are released. And in the event of a recall or audit, batch traceability in modern LIMS enables the rapid retrieval of relevant results and metadata associated with suspect products through all stages of production. This allows the determination of affected batches and swift action to be taken, which can be instrumental in protecting consumer safety as well as brand value.

Increasingly, LIMS are helping businesses transform food security by bringing people, instruments and workflows into a single integrated system. By simplifying and automating processes, providing end-to-end visibility across the food supply chain, and protecting the integrity of data at every stage, these robust digital solutions are not only helping food supply chain stakeholders to ensure full compliance with the latest regulations; they are enabling businesses to operate more efficiently, too.

[Source: https://foodsafetytech.com/feature_article/the-digital-transformation-of-global-food-security/, Accessed on August 28, 2020.]

• How can the UNDFF provide tools and measures that help SSFF facing the climate and socioeconomic challenges?

While continuing to give priority to the health crisis, governments need to ensure that all of their populations have access to adequate food and that all the necessary measures are taken to keep food systems working safely and efficiently. The following actions may be considered as a part of a strategic COVID-19 food security action plan:

1. Countries in the region should play their role in ensuring that the global food supply chain is kept alive, through international advocacy, implementing appropriate tax policies, facilitating trade flows and monitoring food prices.
2. Ensure institutional coordination and consultation with all the food value chain actors while implementing health measures to stop the spread of COVID-19. More than ever, the COVID-19 crisis requires the inclusion of the private sector and civil society in public decision-making to ensure that decisions are inclusive, understood and shared and that everyone involved plays their role in keeping the local food supply chain functional, to identify bottlenecks and respond to needs in a timely way.
3. Protect those who have lost their jobs and vulnerable groups including farmers. Scaling up social protection measures, to the highest possible extent, is crucial to ensure the basic needs of vulnerable people who have lost their jobs because of lockdowns including the daily wage workers, and to avoid compounding the health crisis with food a security crisis.
4. Support smallholder producers and rural youth and promote innovation. The COVID-19 crisis and its containment measures are having an impact on all sectors of the economy, including smallholder farmers, who represent a vulnerable group and need urgent assistance in terms of access to markets, inputs and credit. Digitalization can be used to facilitate access to input and output markets and to financial support. Thus the crisis should be used to advance agriculture modernization and transformation. A range of innovation options is available and should be applied to support small-scale farmers under the emergency conditions to build stronger and more resilient farming communities. Countries should take this opportunity to accelerate the digitalization of agriculture.
5. Promote healthy diets during and after the pandemic. People affected by obesity, diabetes and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are at high risk from COVID-19. This underlines the importance of healthy diet as a frontline defence for disease prevention. During the pandemic and lockdown directives to stay at home, the risks of eating unhealthily become higher. It is therefore essential that governments advise all segments of society to maintain a nutritious and healthy diet.
6. Support regional collective action to protect people affected by crises in the region. People in crisis situations depend crucially on humanitarian assistance for their food security and their survival. More than ever, regional collective action and solidarity are needed to support health systems in countries affected by conflict and to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on food security.

[Source: http://www.fao.org/3/ca8778en/CA8778EN.pdf, Accessed on August 28, 2020.]

3) Towards an inclusive and equitable growth: Improving the productivity and sustainability of small-scale family farmers alone will not be sufficient to achieve the UNDFF milestones or SDG goals in the NENA region. The engagement of adolescents and youth, women and individuals in vulnerable situations such as migrants, will be critical to long term, inclusive and equitable growth.

• Based on your experience, what are effective strategies, instruments or mechanisms to ensure adequate access to services, resources and social protection among marginalized or vulnerable groups, including in humanitarian contexts?

As a human right that is intrinsic to all, the international community recognizes the need to design and implement social protection systems according to the principle of social inclusion, underlying the particular need to include persons in the informal economy. Delivery systems should, therefore, be particularly attuned to the challenges and obstacles faced by vulnerable and disadvantaged groups and take special measures to protect these. Indeed, a “human rights-based approach” to social protection requires that States give special attention to those persons who belong to the most disadvantaged and marginalized groups in society. This entails guaranteeing non-discriminatory treatment as well as adopting proactive measures to enable those suffering from structural discrimination (for example, ethnic minorities or indigenous peoples) to enjoy their rights. Affirmative action and other proactive measures should aim at diminishing or eliminating conditions that give rise to or perpetuate discrimination, and at countering stigmas and prejudices.

Policy makers and sustainable development scientists recommends the use of a range of laws, policies and programmes, including special measures to tackle discrimination. The measures that States adopt should pay attention to the specific human rights problems that emerge with relation to, for example, gender, age, disability, migration and displacement. Of particular relevance in this context are the obligations imposed by:

1. the Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW),
2. the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC),
3. the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), and
4. the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and their Families.

Further, it is required that all national governments not only to ensure that women enjoy their right to social security on an equal basis to men, but also to undertake appropriate special measures so as to provide women with equal opportunities in public life, education, employment, health care, economic and social life, and marriage and family relations. In order to redress disadvantages associated with gender, both contributory and non-contributory social protection programmes should be made gender-sensitive. This means contributory programmes taking into account the factors that prevent women from making equal contributions, such as intermittent participation in the workforce on account of care responsibilities and unequal wage outcomes. Furthermore, non-contributory programmes should consider that women are more likely to live in poverty than men and often have sole responsibility for the care of children. In any case, States have obligations to take into account the whole range of women’s rights. Also, national governments must take appropriate measures to modify the social patterns that accord differential status to men and women and ensure the equality of women in rural areas as well.

From a human rights perspective, social protection programmes should also be child-sensitive in their design, implementation and evaluation. The CRC (the Preamble, Articles 2 and 23 in particular) emphasizes that the best interests of children should be respected at all times, and their special needs should be accommodated. A child-sensitive social protection programme is one which ensures the rights of the child, and takes into account all the factors that might place children in a vulnerable position. Programmes are required to factor in age- and gender-specific risks and vulnerabilities at each stage of the life course, especially considering the needs of families with children. Special provisions should be made for children without parental care and those who are marginalized within their families due to gender, disability, ethnicity, HIV/AIDS status or other markers of identity. To achieve these ends, it is necessary that intra-household dynamics be carefully considered, including the balance of power between men and women. A child-sensitive programme must also include the voices and opinions of children and youth, and their caregivers in design and implementation processes.

Persons with disabilities face various impediments to the enjoyment of their human rights, and thus social protection programmes must employ the utmost sensitivity with regard to their needs. Programmes must ensure their effective coverage and access to social protection benefits, support services as well as to information related to assistive technology and other facilities. Social protection programmes must incorporate the following principles:

1. respect for inherent dignity, individual autonomy including the freedom to make one’s own choices, and independence of persons;
2. non-discrimination;
3. full and effective participation and inclusion in society;
4. respect for difference and acceptance of persons with disabilities as part of human diversity and humanity;
5. equality of opportunity;
6. accessibility; and
7. equality between men and women.

Lastly, various other characteristics, such as ethnicity, health status, sexual orientation or geographical location can also impede the equal enjoyment by some people of their economic, social and cultural rights, including their right to social security. Each of these characteristics must be taken into account when a social protection programme is designed and implemented. Inclusion of those who are disadvantaged and marginalized is the first step but it is not enough. The provision of quality social services needed by different groups is equally important. For example, building maternal health clinics in rural areas does not necessarily meet the state’s obligations if the services provided in those clinics are worse than in clinics elsewhere in the country or if they do not meet standards set in similar contexts.

[Source: https://socialprotection-humanrights.org/inclusion-of-vulnerable-groups/, accessed on August 28, 2020.]

• Despite the informality of the agriculture sector, any support for smallholder family farming can and should go hand in hand with the promotion of the Decent work Agenda. Family farmers are engaged in arduous and sometimes hazardous work to cut costs and compensate for the farm’s low productivity to an extent of involving children too, based on your experience please give three priority actions to enable decent employment for rural smallholders, youth and women and to eliminate child labour in family farming.

Three priority actions to enable decent employment for rural smallholders, youth and women and to eliminate child labour in family farming are outlined below:

1. Trade: Several countries in the region depend on agriculture for much of their export earnings. A high portion of such earnings from agriculture means that these countries are particularly exposed to any shocks emanating from global agricultural markets. Conversely, countries which export commodities, but are net food importers, could face a situation where dwindling revenues from the export of non-agricultural products undermines their ability to buy enough food on the international markets. Global economic forecasts suggest a sharp decline in overall economic activity, which, in turn, is a factor weighing on international commodity prices through a weaker import demand globally. Net agricultural importers would stand to benefit from lower import prices, easing possible contractions in purchasing power that may arise from internal economic recessions. Lower import prices could function as an automatic stabilizer for food security in low-income food-importing developing countries, allowing them to import food at lower prices. However, exchange rate swings may affect both the quantity and price of foods available to domestic consumers.
2. Tourism: The lockdown associated with COVID-19 since mid-March 2020 has led to a collapse in worldwide travel, including in most countries of the region. Travel bans in many countries and the temporary closure of associated business activities have led to an almost complete cessation of travel to and from the NENA countries. This has meant an immediate halt to all tourism, and uncertainty about the lockdown’s duration is translating into cancellations of bookings and a complete paralysis of the tourism industry. Local tourism is also affected by the lockdown imposed by governments in the NENA region. Box 3 analyses the impact of the reduction in tourism on regional food security.
3. Energy markets: Amid lower economic activity and decreasing demand because of COVID-19, crude oil prices have fallen sharply. While the extent and the depth of a possible economic contraction are still unknown, lower growth and reduced movements of goods and people are likely to take a particularly high toll on energy prices. Lower energy prices will have diverse impacts on the region’s agriculture and food markets.

On the agricultural output side, lower energy prices will reduce the amounts of agricultural feedstock used to produce biofuels. Typical feedstock products such as sugar cane and maize are likely to see the most pronounced contractions in demand and the most significant downward pressure on prices. However, this will benefit countries in the region overall since they are net importers of maize.

On the agricultural input side, lower energy costs will translate into reduced production costs, particularly in more capital-intensive farming in the region. Direct impacts include lower energy costs for all forms of mechanization, including the power needed to till fields, to irrigate and for transportation. Indirect impacts will be channelled through the lower cost of energy-intensive inputs such as fertilizers, pesticides and electricity. These lower input costs would act as an automatic stabilizer for farm incomes and attenuate the direct impact of the COVID pandemic in general.

On the negative side, low energy prices will affect incomes and the economies of oil-export-dependent countries in the region (GCC countries, Algeria and the State of Libya mostly). The inevitable return of overseas workers from the GCC will be a double blow to many economies in the region. Remittances to the Middle East and North Africa region are projected to fall by 19.6 percent to USD47 billion in 2020, following the 2.6 percent growth seen in 2019. The anticipated decline is attributable to the global slowdown as well as the impact of lower oil prices in GCC countries. This may have a ripple effect on the economies and on food security in the region through their impact on employment, remittances, investment flows and aid.

[Source: http://www.fao.org/3/ca8778en/CA8778EN.pdf, Accessed on August 28, 2020.]

4) Enabling environment for the implementation of UNDFF: Building an enabling environment for the implementation of UNDFF regional action plan means that there are adequate resources and that governance and institutional arrangements are effective and inclusive.

• How do you define roles of Governments, development agencies, farmers’ organizations, civil society and private sector in implementing the UNDFF in the region?

After an intense campaign led by civil society, on 17 December 2017, the United Nations General Assembly unanimously and supported by 104 countries, adopted the Resolution (A/RES/72/239) declaring 2019-2028 as the United Nations Decade of Family Farming (UNDFF). The UNDFF is a historic opportunity to stimulate the development of public policies and investments in favour of family farming from a holistic perspective, unlocking the transformative potential of family farmers and making a huge contribution to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). It places family farmers at the centre of food systems, ensuring food security, improving livelihoods, better managing natural resources, protecting the environment, maintaining culture and achieving inclusive and sustainable development. The UN General Assembly designated FAO and IFAD to lead the implementation of the Decade, along with a range of other actors, including National Committees for Family Farming, other platforms for policy dialogue and family farming organizations.

Governments are the primary actors in the physical, social, and economic aspects of a nation’s food security, so any attempts to improve agriculture and food security outcomes must also consider the role of governance. It is a two-way relationship. Stable agriculture and food security systems can help to establish stable and transparent governments, which contribute to more inclusive and effective agriculture and food security systems. The intricate connections between agriculture, food security, and governance suggest that attempts to reduce chronic hunger must integrate all three elements. In particular, certain principles of governance (participation, accountability, transparency, effectiveness, and the rule of law) should be integral parts of programs for agriculture and food security. Such efforts could work across multi-sector actors and food systems, empowering all stakeholders to make changes to increase food security and reduce malnutrition. Explicit attention to governance and public policies pertaining to agriculture can also help governments realize their food security goals.

Efforts to integrate governance within food security work have recently gained traction as traditional approaches have failed to prevent the occurrence of global food crises. Such integration efforts have found support in instances where food security work coincides with other efforts to improve governance. After the food crisis of 2007 and 2008, it became apparent that food security required good governance at international, national, and local levels. Indeed, some analyses indicate that certain trends affecting governance on all levels (including globalization, the power of transnational corporations, and weak public regulation) are major drivers of food insecurity in the world.6, 7 The challenges are exacerbated by rising food demands across the globe, which have put further pressure on already-strained political systems.6 The effective coordination of governance, food security, and agriculture work is the key to addressing some of these large problems.

[Sources: (1) https://www.familyfarmingcampaign.org/en/que-es-el-decenio/, accessed on August 28, 2020), and (2) https://www.fhi360.org/sites/default/files/media/documents/resource-id-governance.pdf, accessed on August 28, 2020)]

• What are the bottlenecks –any of the above institutions may encounter in achieving the UNDFF implementation in the region and how to overcome them? E.g. in terms of policies, financial resources, technical capacities, etc.

Achieving the goals of the United Nations Decade of Family Farming (UNDFF) in Near East and North Africa (NENA) region need co0ndideration of following three aspects:

1. Poor Governance: Poor governance can be a major driver of food insecurity. Most of the armed conflicts in the world take place in low income, food-deficit countries that depend on domestic agricultural production. Current policies and programs that address agriculture and food security are hindered by complex political processes and interactions between stakeholders (government, private sectors, and farmers) who have unequal power and access to resources. Agricultural systems are often harmed by conflict, poor institutional capacity, and the bad design and implementation of government policies. Most importantly, countries that do not adequately invest in agriculture are more likely to experience chronic food insecurity.
2. Good Governance: Good governance, on the other hand, supports the aims of agriculture and food security through multiple pathways. And a good system of governance must be able to respond to a food crisis and address the complex problems of food insecurity in order to eliminate hunger. The integration of governance allows programs to formulate food security strategies that respond to diverse and ever-changing needs by aligning objectives and actions across all levels of the government. In Brazil, for example, a new ministry coordinated food and nutrition goals as a national priority, which helped to improve food security throughout the country. At the local level, civil society organizations that work with the government can make valuable contributions to food security: (a) by forging better links between decision-makers and the affected population, (b) by facilitating the efforts of multi-sector actors with different levels of government, and (c) by providing resources and knowledge that may be lacking in government agencies. In this respect, integrated programs can address political and socioeconomic obstacles that prevent improvements to nutrition and food security. These programs can also incorporate the ideas of marginalized groups (including poor farmers and women) who are otherwise excluded from decision-making processes.
3. Integration: Integrating principles of good governance programming (e.g., accountability, citizens’ participation) to agriculture and nutrition interventions can also improve service delivery and enhance positive development outcomes. For example, the participation of farmers in the design of agricultural policies in a number of developing countries (such as Senegal, Bolivia, Brazil, and Niger) has led to inclusive agricultural policies that improved farmers’ access to agricultural and food value chains. In Niger, the Nigeriens Feed Nigeriens 3N initiative has invested in the infrastructure and services at 255 sites across the country to help agricultural producers improve their business performance. The services (which are tailored to the local agricultural and ecological contexts and to meet the needs of local populations) have successfully supported the decentralization of authority associated with food and nutritional security

Stable and effective agricultural systems and populations that have food security can also support the aims of governance, including greater civic participation and effective rule of law. Food-secure populations are more likely to participate in political processes, whereas food insecurity can increase grievances against institutions, hinder political participation, and contribute to outbreaks of armed conflict. Removing socio-political obstacles and enhancing food security improves the government’s responsiveness to its citizens (which increases the government’s legitimacy and stability) and strengthens the social contract between local stakeholders and their government. In turn, the empowerment of local stakeholders allows them to participate in policy development and to identify and implement local priorities. Such exchanges have seen positive outcomes in several parts of the world. For example, food security programs in Nepal have improved community relationships with the government and short-term jobs in agricultural programs promoted peace in Liberia. The relationship between food security and governance can be supportive or destructive. Afood-secure population can bolster stable governance, whereas a food-insecure population can destabilize governance.

[Source: https://www.fhi360.org/sites/default/files/media/documents/resource-id-governance.pdf, Accessed on August 28, 2020].

5) Partnerships: Partnerships associated with sustainable development initiatives can create synergies to address interconnected challenges that need to be addressed. With the aim to implement the UNDFF action plan in its seven pillars in the NENA region.

• How can innovative partnerships be built and established? And how/what existing initiatives would you propose to replicate or scale up?

In the new millennium, much of the funding for food security projects and programmes is passing through partnerships between different organizations. There are several types of partnerships, each with their own type of cross-sector collaboration: public-non-profit, public-private, private-non-profit, tripartite, and multi-stakeholder partnerships. Within these categories, again, one may find a wide variety of types of partnerships.

A widely-shared expectation is that such partnerships are among the most effective mechanisms to foster development, including in the particular area of food and nutrition security. For example, through partnership constructions the aim is to more effectively address the participation of new actors like emergent small farmers, resource sharing and learning at systemic levels. The assumption is that partnerships would improve food and nutrition security and the inclusiveness of food markets. However, the real impact on food security and food markets is still not clear. Most research is based on the management level of partnerships. The partnership mechanism should focus on knowledge development and sharing and deepening the knowledge in the following areas:

1. Generating impact on food and nutrition through partnerships. What socioeconomic and environmental impacts can such partnerships achieve? How can partnerships improve their impact and do more than just deliver outcomes? In this perspective, scaling-up and scaling-out are key.
2. Creating social impact by combining bottom-up and top-down approaches. This will, include a focus on inclusive partnerships and collaboration with local actors. Most partnerships are quite top-down – there is funding available and established organizations, businesses and institutes are forming partnerships to meet the goals of the proposal guidelines. However, local actors are often marginally involved. What is the best way to improve social impact by combining both approaches?
3. Effective partnership management. This involves creating mutual understanding, mutual respect, and focusing on joint problem-solving and partner relationship management. It is very practical and tries to bridge the different cultures within the partnership. There are already lots of lessons learned here which need to be incorporated in the knowledge agenda on cross-sector partnerships. These can also be used to establish a more bottom-up and participatory management structure within partnerships.

[Source: https://knowledge4food.net/theme/partnerships/, accessed on August 28, 2020.]

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* فتح دورات مستمرة في كافة مجالات الزراعية، خصوصًا في مجال كيفية ادارة الموارد الطبيعية و أنتاج بشكل علمي و حسب احتياجات المنطقة ، و في مجال تصنيع و تحويل منتجات زراعية الى المتطلبات الضرورية اللازمة في سوق..

الإجابة على رقم ٤

* تعزيز دور المؤسسات و المنظمات المحلية التي تعمل في مجال التنمية الاقتصادية و الزراعية في تلك المجتمعات و تحقيق تعاون بين مختلف فئات المجتمع الريفية و غيرها مع الوكالات و المنظمات المجتمع المدني و متابعة شؤون و اعمال بشكلٍ فعال و مستمر.

* من العوائق الرئيسية امام هذه تشكيلات المجتمع المدني كيفية معالجة المشكلات التي تواجه القطاع الزراعي في المنطقة بطريقة يناسب الظروف البيئية والاجتماعية والاقتصادية.

Answer to question 3, paragraph 1



Effective tools and mechanisms

Providing training courses on a continuous basis in all the agricultural areas, especially on how to manage natural resources, apply science to production, and produce according to the region needs. Courses should also tackle the processing of agricultural products to meet the market requirements.

Answer to question 4

• Strengthening the role of local institutions and organizations operating in the field of economic and agricultural development in those communities, and promoting cooperation among the various groups of the rural community on one hand, and cooperation with agencies and civil society organizations on the other, as well as monitoring the affairs and actions in an effective and continuous manner.
  
   
• One of the main barriers to these civil societies is how to address the problems facing the agricultural sector in the region, in a way that suits the environmental, social and economic conditions.

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United Nations Decade of Family Farming Regional Actions Plan for NENA Region

FAO, Yemen

Date: August 31, 2020

Undoubtedly, Yemen and being one of the NENA countries with the armed conflict, severe economic decline, food insecurity and collapse of essential services like health water and sanitation, losing jobs continue to take an enormous toll on the population, exacerbating existing vulnerabilities and driving the country to the brink of famine creating the largest food security emergency in the world. In fact, the country is experiencing a 'humanitarian catastrophe' that remains the worst in the world.

Impact of COVID-19 outbreak in NENA region

When resourceful countries in best possible socio-economic situation have struggled to cope with the scale and magnitude of COVID-19 pandemic, Yemen is indeed be in a catastrophic situation. With the public services already at the brink of collapse. Social isolation for more than 14 million people who are facing acute risks of malnutrition as it is the single largest contributor to disease in the world, and famine that renders an already dire situation to significant crisis proportions. Yemen has been facing lockdown for more than five years now through sea and air and with recent introduction of internal lockdown between north and south, the vulnerability to food insecurity and malnutrition will only continue to grow.

This pandemic is not just a health crisis; rather, tackling COVID-19 is also a humanitarian and development crisis that is threatening to leave deep social, economic and political scars for years to come, particularly in countries already weighed down by fragility, poverty and continuous conflict like Yemen.

Beyond its impact on human health, COVID-19 is disrupting the supply chain could also affect agricultural production; in particular, small-scale family farmers (SSFF) and limit the availability of seasonal agricultural workers, and frozen labour markets. This recession driven by COVID-19 has declined a major source of incomes for poor households, hard currency, and damaged harvests and exacerbate already severe food insecurity, for most countries in the region of Near East & North Africa, particularly in areas affected by conflict; Yemen is dramatically affected.

The main areas of interventions that could efficiently build SSFF resilience and ensure sustainable livelihood, and in order to keep the farmers in the lead, to eliminate restricted access to necessities, and deprived vulnerable Yemenis of the means to support themselves, efforts must be taken to allow them to "participate" consciously and voluntarily, for their own benefit and interests.

• To help small-scale farmers prevent a rural food crisis in the wake of COVID-19, we need to build the sector’s resilience especially for those who have a fragile food security and trade situation. In this regards, FAO projects are focusing on several areas challenged by COVID-19: Local food, access to markets, resilience and sustainability, and sanitary kits (including items like masks) for these farmers.
• To address these challenges and protect the functioning of food systems, making sure that farmers can still get the inputs they need is vital. The proper functioning of market chains and the flow of agricultural products are key factors influencing food security and nutrition. In food crisis contexts, and where possible;
• Maintain and support the continuous functioning of local food markets, value chains and systems focusing on vulnerable smallholder farmers and food workers as well as areas, which are critical to the food supply for vulnerable urban areas with taking into account the preventive measures like social distancing, sanitation, increased use of radio and social media.
• Stabilizing incomes and access to food as well as preserving ongoing livelihood and food production assistance for the most acutely food-insecure populations. FAO’s comprehensive resilience building approach focuses on recovery and development, while meeting the humanitarian needs of more than 2 million resource-poor host and displaced populations across 16 governorates.
• Supporting Small Farmers to Recover Livelihoods in Yemen As preventive and preparedness measures, below is the plan for implementation in the ERRY target areas. The project is intended to reach 8000 households and 50 health centres with the provision of handwashing and water storage kits. The emerging COVID-19 pandemic’s effects on agricultural markets and associated civil society organizations, and provokes suggested actions that can be taken by each to help these groups to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic to alleviate from the negative consequences.

 “Enhanced Rural Resilience in Yemen (ERRY)” Programme aims at enhancing the resilience and self-reliance of crisis-affected rural communities through support livelihoods stabilization, food security, local governance, social cohesion and improved access to sustainable energy.

The overall goal is to make a significant contribution towards improving food security and nutrition and strengthening the resilience of vulnerable rural and peri-urban households while restoring the agriculture including the SSFF sector of the country throughout the following:

- Support implementing partners and community facilitators, beneficiaries in the six southern-targeted districts       with hygienic kits contain of (solid soap, sanitizer, gloves and masks)

- Facilitate IPs to post stickers of Dos and Don’ts leaflets of COVID-19 in public places.

- Support IPs to install handwashing stations in health center.

- Support community health volunteers to conduct awareness sessions as guided by the health authorities, and to      facilitate the preventive guidance and tools.

-Avoid mass gatherings for project awareness and sensitization.

- Where possible, Support Community Radio (to Communicate Key Messaging on COVID-19 Preparedness Measures through locally acceptable dialogues.

In addition, the implementation of this agricultural development strategy should be compatible and accepted by family farmers so, making them ready to bear the related costs, in accordance with their abilities and their means. Furthermore, agricultural development should be compatible with farmer's needs and aspirations and consistent with the extent of the obstacles they face. However, (SSFF) can also be part of the solution considering that they are the source of producing food and the source of life. The drastic implications that COVID-19 is having for the SSFF sector are becoming obvious. Development organizations have a substantial role to play in: creating targeted economic relief packages, protecting workers from COVID-19.

In brief, we can see that questions about the sustainability of investments in rural and agricultural development over the past decade are therefore particularly pertinent today. In the absence of appropriate support mechanisms, gains from these investments may be completely eroded in a short time. This is especially true in contexts like Yemen, where poor rural dwellers’ livelihoods are especially sensitive to a range of internal and external economic factors when and where battle for survival as COVID-19 takes hold!!..

Sustainable transition towards more sustainable agri-food systems

Towards an inclusive and equitable growth

Sustainability is the most significant indicator for success of any project in enhancing the targeting of vulnerable community, and raising incomes and improving or creating sources of income in the ongoing conditions within that project area. FAO_ERRY project targets poor smallholders, particularly women, who are the core producers of agricultural/ livestock production to alleviate poverty, promote development in the countryside, and enhance the sustainability of natural resources.

Rural women face greater constraints than men in accessing land, technology, markets, infrastructure and services. Women are just as good as men in farming: evidence shows that when rural women have the same access as men to productive resources, services and economic opportunities there is a significant increase in agricultural output and immediate and long term social and economic gains, all contributing to the reduction in the number of poor and hungry people.

A real example from the field, one of ERRY’s hero beneficiary called Bushra from Tuban/ Lahj. Bushra is one of thousands of traditional dairy products producers that the project could made a qualitive shift in her and her family life. From an ordinary housewife to having a center that daily produce 300_400 of different dairy products like haqeen, youghurt, ghee, different kinds of cheese.[1]

Enabling environment for the implementation of UNDFFAny interventions developed during the UNDFF must always consider the diversity of family farmers. They should be context-specific, adapted to regional, national, local socio-cultural and socio-economic conditions. To guarantee the success of the UNDFF, all actions should place family farmers at the center and be implemented through bottom-up, participatory and inclusive processes.

The roles of Governments, development agencies, farmers’ organizations, civil society and private sector in implementing the UNDFF in the region may show at the following:

• Implement comprehensive and coherent policies, investments and institutional frameworks that support family farming at local, national and international levels.
• Promote inclusive and effective governance mechanisms and timely and geographically relevant data for well-targeted policy design and implementation.
• Guarantee sustained political commitment and adequate resourcing by state and non-state actors.
• Create and strengthen local, national and international cooperation in support of family farming.
• Develop an enabling policy environment to strengthen family farming. For instance: ensuring food security and diverse and sustainable nutrition, providing sufficient food for the growing population, preserving biodiversity and finding ways of productions that withstand climate change, and reducing inequalities by helping generate income and providing more opportunities to men but also women and youth.

Partnerships

How can innovative partnerships be built and established? And how/what existing initiatives would you propose to replicate or scale up?

Multi-stakeholder platforms form an essential part of the ‘infrastructure’ that is necessary to scale up public-private collaboration for post-2015 development. Creating effective, sustainable platforms, however, is a significant challenge. It requires a whole range of skills, support and processes to engage stakeholders from all sectors and ensure they receive sufficient value to remain engaged; to host innovation labs and other creative dialogues to spark collaboration ideas; to provide technical support to facilitate nascent partnerships; and measure the value partnerships are delivering. And, of course, all the time ensuring the platform has sufficient resources and a sustainable business plan.

Engaging Family Farming in the setting of development priorities by providing direct support to partnerships, the platforms can help to ensure they are set up to be as robust and effective as possible as well as assisting in measuring their value to all their lives sides. As such, it directly acknowledges and tackles the tension between what is theoretically desirable and what is practically feasible under normal, resource-constrained circumstances. While the report is a significant contribution to the art and science of developing effective platforms, the field is still emerging. The Partnering Initiative, through its Family Farming Partners for Development program, is supporting the creation of platforms in a range of countries and will continue to draw out learning from these experiences and develop tools and guides for effective practice such platforms can in turn significantly influence several of the other action areas. Most importantly, through working together in the partnerships the platforms catalyze, business, government and other development actors will naturally build understanding and trust.

At the end and over all, real commitments and stronger partnerships will lead to a shift from traditional sectoral policies to comprehensive, context-specific strategies and programs that adequately support family farmers and their multi-dimensional nature.

[1] Her story is attached

FOCUS 2) Sustainable transition towards more sustainable agri-food systems How can innovation and digital solutions accelerate such transition of the agi-food systems?

SUMMARY

Digital tools achieved tangible results in large-middle farms increasing profitability and reducing risk through better agronomic recommendations & supply chain efficiency.  Small-holder farmers represent the largest world food production segment and aren’t yet fully benefiting from the potential of digital.  COVID-19 showed the fragility of the current food production & supply system. It showed also the potential of digital tools to increase resiliency and adaptability. Governments, local cooperatives, large food buyers should support small-holder farmers adoption of digital tools in a structured & ROI focused way, to increase the world food production system resiliency and efficiency. Such adoption should focus on the food system short term sustainability, long term resiliency and farmers sustainability & resiliency.

__________________

BEFORE COVID-19

Setting the tech stage: while since year 2000, the combination of digital tools and internet have significantly changed the processes of several sectors, agriculture was relatively "untouched", lagging behind digital adoption.

Recently several enabling technologies (such as: IoT (Internet of Things), cloud computing, smartphones, mobile networks reaching remote areas, easy APPs, analytics, AI, drones, robots…) have been converging filling the “digital GAP” to make adoption in agriculture profitable.

This process has already started years ago with the large & middle size farms engaging in digital tools. Most recently the sector is getting more mature slowly switching the focus from “Tech-enthusiasm” to “Tech-Return on Investments”. This attitude is essential for small holder farmers that can’t afford investment in assets with undefined return on investments.

DURING COVID-19

Negative impact: I found extremely interesting reading the several online consultations on the FSN Forum reporting consequences of COVID-19 lockdown in different countries. The ones I’m more interested are:

Past harvest losses (due to):

• Manpower unavailability to harvest/store (mainly because of workers going back to their villages)
• “last mile” supply chain malfunctioning (either because of the farmer unavailability or the missing pick-up of harvest to the fields)

Future harvest losses (due to):

• Manpower unavailability to seed fields (workers going back to their villages)
• (Unavailability of agri-inputs & tools (mainly seeds): this has been scarcely reported yet, but its impact shouldn’t be underestimated in the future)

Positive impact: on the other hands some reported success stories of local farmers being able to cope with the above difficulties, in certain cases even taking profit from it. Most of them reported digital tools as key enabling factors.

LESSON LEARNED & WAY TO GO

1. The recent months showed the fragility of the current “food chain processes” from remote fields to local & international supply chain. Some process reengineering is required.
2. Digital tools aren’t magic sticks but can make the difference (and did make it according to several reports). That’s the way they should be considered: enabling tools to create new more resilient processes

SOME IDEAS of DIGITAL TOOLS ADOPTION (based on personal experiences)

Enabling technologies:

IoT: weather stations & in situ sensors to provide real-time/near-real-time micro-environmental conditions;

Satellites: near-real time climate data along with historical localized climate data;

Cloud Analytics & Big Data: leveraging existing Agronomic algorithms with real-time local data, assessing risk for farmers and insurances, supporting supply chain & logistic, increasing prices efficiencies, and much more

Smartphones (APPs) or traditional GSM phones (USSD): last mile of bidirectional communication to reach farmers with recommendations/information and enabling farmers to share offers & recommendations.

APPLICATIONS

Agronomic recommendations “top-down”: better agronomic actions matching climate data (local & global) with agronomic algorithms to support farmers: crop variety choice, seeding time, harvest time, treatments against pest & diseases, irrigation patterns when water is available. Real cases (personal experiences) showed increases up to 300-400% of production with 50% water consumption reduction. Others adoption resulted in 30% treatments reduction while equally reducing the agronomic risk of pest & diseases. Coordinated actions of local governments, farmers cooperatives and large buyers can support the adoption to remote areas of such tools replicating such results.

Harvest profitability “two-ways”: crop selection & seeding/harvest-time according to analytics based on local & global market demand along with the supply chain capacity. AI and Big Data can support real time adjustments and mitigating impact of exceptional events (such as floods, droughts, pandemic, …); if the system accommodates all food-provisioning players (including small-holder farmers granting them the same level of information and benefits), it would be definitely more resilient.

Digital micro-insurance: leveraging the combination of enabling tools to create efficient, low cost, highly adaptable insurance product to protect small-holder farmers from exceptional events (including pandemic). The current “old school” approach isn’t sustainable, but the convergence of the mentioned digital tools are proving that (weather index) micro-insurance is indeed sustainable also for small holder farmers and the entire ecosystem requiring in future less public subsidies.

(FUTURISTIC) resilience systems adopting “cooperative human artificial intelligence”: several groups of farmers communicate daily through WhatsApp and similar social network to exchange information and recommendations. AI along with Big Data can potentially be trained to interpret local communications matching them with the farmers economic results, their harvests (shared in an anonymized way respecting farmer privacy), supply chain efficiency, impact of remote producing area on global commodities. Continuous learning AI model can be in future adopted to identify patterns in the combination of Big Data & the local communities farmers chats creating a sort of “cooperative human artificial intelligence” increasing resiliency and self-adapting to global and local events.

English translation below

تأثير تفشي فيروس كوفيد - 19 في منطقة الشرق الأدنى وشمال إفريقيا

• هل أدى تفشي فيروس كوفيد - 19 إلى تفاقم التحديات التي تواجهها الزراعة الأسرية للحيازات الصغيرة، وكيف ذلك؟

رفع اسعار المدخلات لانتاج  المحاصيل المختلفة وئلك بسبب تفاقم الازمة الاقتصادية وخاصة في لبنان مع ارتفاع سعر الدولار المستنر وغير المستقر  وكذلك صعوبة الحصول عليها مما اثر سلبيا على اصحاب الحيازات الصغيرة والزراعات الاسرية بسبب ضعف القدرة الشرائية لديهم مع اصرار الشركات على تسلم ثمن البذار والمدخلات نقدا حصرا  .

اغلاق الاسواق العامة والشعبية  قلل من فرصة امكانية تسويق منتجات المزارعين الصغار ادى اكساد المحصول  والبيع باسعار أقل احيانا كي لا تفسد المنتجات مما اثر على دخل المزارع الصغير.

 أدى التباعد الاجتماعي الى عدم القدرة على اجراء اللقاءات مع المزراعين وتوعيتهم  بشكل مباشر على كيفية التعامل ومواجهه الازمات         مع عدم المام اغلبية المزارعين الصغار بطرق أستخدام التكنولوجيا الحديثه أدى الي ضعف التواصل لامكانية التسويق عبر التطبيقات المتاحة عبر الموبايل مثلا ..

خلال فترة الاغلاق والحجر شجعت العديد من المواطنين على تامين مستلزماتهم الغذائية من خلال زراعة المساحات المتاحة لديهم وهذا اثر بدوره على تسويق منتجات اصحاب الحيازات الصغيرة بالرغم من فائدته من ناحية اكتفاء بعض الاسر ذاتيا من ناحية الغذاء

• ما هي مجالات التدخل الرئيسية التي من شأنها أن تعمل على بناء قدرة الزراعة الأسرية للحيازات الصغيرة على التأقلم والصمود، وضمان سبل كسب العيش المستدامة؟

إن مجالات التدخل الرئيسية التي تساعد على أصحاب الحيازات الصغيرة بالزراعة الاسرية على التأقلم والصمود وضمان سبل كسب العيش المستدامة من خلال:

بناء شبكة تسويقية محلية بين أصحاب الحيازات الصغيرة (أصحاب المنتجات) وبين المشترين في المدن المجاورة لضمان تدفق المنتجات وبيعها في الوقت المناسب وبأسعار عادلة. حيث انه في الوقت الحالي أصحاب الحيازات الصغيرة تعتمد على العلاقات الشخصية للتسويق في هذه المدن. لذلك يمكن تنظيمها من خلال تطبيق محلي يجمع الكل

مساعدة هذه الفئات على خلق فرص دخل اضافية بالمساهمه فى زيادة الدخل وعدم والاعتماد الكلى على الزراعة كمصدر للدخل مثل بيع وتصنيع المنتجات من المحاصيل المختلفة سواء الحيوانية او النباتية  من  الانتاج الفائض والغير مباع (تصنيع الاجبان ومنتجات البندورة المختلفة مثلا والتنوع في المنتجات ).

بناء القدرات والتدريب والتوعية لاصحاب الحيازات الصغيرة في مجال الممارسات الزراعية الجيدة والتسويق والإتصال ومواجهة الازمات مع الحفاظ على شروط السلامة العامة واصول التباعد الاجتماعي واجراء اللقاءات عبر مجموعات صغيرة .

الدعم المباشر من خلال المنح الصغيرة من الوزارات المعنية والمؤسسات المحلية المختصة وبرامج الامم المتحدة مثل برنامج الغذاء العالمي او منظمة الفاو وغيرها وذلك عبر تسهيل هذه الفئة للحصول على المدخلات بسعر اقل ممكن او منح صغيرة او بالارشاد والتوعية .

العمل على إدخال المناهج الخاصة بالزراعات الأسرية وتنميتها في التعليم الفني الزراعي بالقرى.

• هل بإمكانك مشاركة أمثلة نجاح في المنطقة؟

يوجد بعض أصحاب الحيازات الصغيرة يعملون من خلال شبكة اتصال مباشرة مع المشترين (اتصال مباشر بالموبيل) وعبر وسائل التواصل الاجتماعي وانشاء صفحات مختصة للتسويق على سبيل المثال صفحة ازرع والعديد غيرها مما سهل عملية التسويق

دعم مزارعي الدواجن ومربي الاغنام والابقار بالحصول على الاعلاف باسعار مخفضة اقل من سعر السوق وذلك عبر وزارعة الزراعة اللبنانية  

هل يمكنك تقديم وصف موجز لأهم عوامل تأثير تغير المناخ على إنتاجية أنظمة الزراعة الرئيسية في المنطقة؟

على الرغم من التقدم التكنولوجي، مثل المحاصيل المحسنة و المعدلة وراثيًا وأنظمة الري فمازال المناخ أحد العوامل الرئيسية في الإنتاجية الزراعية وكذلك الوضع بالنسبة لخصائص التربة والمجتمعات الطبيعية

تحدث حالات الجفاف بشكل أكثر تكررًا بسبب الاحتباس الحراري ومن المتوقع أن تصبح أكثر تواترًا و يؤدي الجفاف إلى فشل المحاصيل وفقدان المروج والمراعي المخصصة للماشية وحدوث الفيضانات في بعض هذه المناطق كان له اثر في انخفاض الانتاج في بعض المحاصيل  الاساسية كالقمح مثلا

وتغير المناخ ايضا يؤدي الى خلل وتغير في التوزيع الجغرافي للممرضات وبالتالي احتمالية دخول امراض جديدة مما قد يسبب خسائر اكبر في المحاصيل ويؤثر على الامن الغذائي في هذه البلدان وكذلك احتمال استخدام مبيدات اكثر لمكافحتها وهذا ايضا يؤثر على النظم البيئية والايكولوجية للانتاج سلبا

وايضا الاحتباس الحراري ممكن ان يؤثر على دورات الحياة للحشرات التي تصيب المحاصيل وحدوث طفرات وراثية بسسب تغير الظروف المناخية لنموها وهذا ايضا يسبب خسائر اخرى في الانتاج

• كيف يمكن أن يساعد الابتكار والحلول الرقمية في الإسراع بوتيرة انتقال نظم الأغذية الزراعية؟
• ان انتشار التكنولوجيات الرقمية وإمكانية نقلها وتنقلها يغيّران الإنتاج الزراعي والغذائي. على وجه التحديد، في قطاع الزراعة والغذية، أدّى انتشار التقنيات المحمولة وخدمات الاستشعار عن بعد والحوسبة الموزعة بالفعل إلى تحسين وصول أصحاب الحيازات الصغيرة إلى المعلومات والمدخلات والأسواق، وزيادة الإنتاج والإنتاجية، وتبسيط سلاسل الإمداد وخفض التكاليف التشغيلية. بالرغم من وجود بعض التحديات مثل اعادة التعلم لهؤلاء المزارعين وايضا ضرورة حماية البيانات ومواكبة الافراد لهذه التكنولوجيا الحديثة
• كيف يمكن أن يوفر عقد الأمم المتحدة للزراعة الأسرية أدوات وتدابير من شأنها أن تساعد الزراعة الأسرية للحيازات الصغيرة على مواجهة التحديات المناخية والتحديات الاجتماعية الاقتصادي

دعم الشباب وضمان استدامة الزراعة الأسرية على مدى الأجيال.

تعزيز المساواة بين الجنسين في الزراعة الأسرية والدور القيادي للمرأة الريفية.

تعزيز منظمات المزارعين األسرية وقدراتها على توليد المعرفة، وتمثيل المزارعين، وتقديم خدمات شاملة في سياق المناطق الحضرية والريفية

تحسين اإلدماج االجتماعي واالقتصادي، والقدرة على الصمود وتحقيق الرفاه للمزارعين األسريين، واألسر والمجتمعات الريفية

تعزيز استدامة الزراعة األسرية لخلق نظم أغذية قادرة على الصمود أمام تغير المناخ

• تتيح هذه الركيزة الفرصة للتصدي في وقت واحد آلثار تغير المناخ  وتعزيز استدامة النظم الغذائية المستدامة وتحسين االستدامة في إدارة واستخدام النظم اإليكولوجية األرضية والمائية  مع إحداث تأثيرات عبر الابعاد الثالثة للاستدامة. فإن وجود ظروف تمكينية يمثل عاملا أساسيا في السماح للمزارعين الاسريين بلعب دورهم بفاعلية كعوامل أساسية في عملية التغيير.

بناء على خبرتك، ما هي الاستراتيجيات أو الأدوات أو الآليات الفعالة التي تضمن الوصول الكافي إلى الخدمات والموارد وتحقيق الحماية الاجتماعية بين الفئات المهمشة أو الضعيفة، بما في ذلك في السياقات الإنسانية؟

يجب ان تعتمد الزلراعات الاسرية على نظام عمل الجمعيات الاهلية المتخصصة في تنمية هذا النمط من الزراعات

دعم نظام العمل التعاوني وتشجيعه بين مجتمعات الزراعات الاسرية والحيازات الصغيرة مما يسهل الحصول على المدخلات والحماية من الاحتكار والتحكم بالاسعار من قبل التجار

تطوير لبنظام الارشادي واسناده الى جمعيات متخصصة وتعليمهم كيفية التخفيف من اثار الازمات ومواجهتها وايجاد حلول بديلة وتشجيع التعلم وادخال التكنولوجيا الرقمية وذلك عبر تطبيقات سهلة الاستخدام

دعم مشاريع الاسر الصغيرة وتشجيعها على الابتكار في التسويق والافكار والمنافسة على التصدير احيانا

من واقع خبرتك، يُرجى عرض ثلاثة من الإجراءات ذات الأولوية لتوفير فرص عمل لائقة لأصحاب الحيازات الصغيرة في الريف، والشباب، والنساء، وكذلك للقضاء على عمل الأطفال في الزراعة الأسرية.

تنمية النساء الريفيات في المجالات المختلفة اجتماعيا وتسويقيا ومن ناحية التواصل والاتصال وتعزيز القدرات وعمل مدارس متخصصة لذلك على غرار المدارس الحقلية

دعم انشاء المدارس الريفية لتعليم الاطفال كيفية الانتاج واسسه الصحيحة وعمل نشاطات ترفيهية وعملية في هذا النموذج من المدارس والتي تمتد على مدة قصيرة او فصل انتاج واحد وخاصة على صعيد الحيازات الصغيرة حتى يكون العمل والتعليم والترفيه هدف واحد مشترك

انخراط عمل الاسر المحلية عن طريق احياء نشاطهم عبر جمعيات متخصصة وتامين عمل للشباب وتحفيزهم عبر تنمية قدراتهم ودعمهم تقنيا وماديا وارشاديا

• كيف تحدد أدوار كل من الحكومات ووكالات التنمية ومنظمات المزارعين ومنظمات المجتمع المدني والقطاع الخاص في تنفيذ إطار عقد الأمم المتحدة للزراعة الأسرية؟

دور الحكومات هو دور اشرافي  بالدرجة الاوللى وايضا تعزيز وتسهيل جميع الامكانيات المتاحة لتحقيق هذه الركائز الاساسية لهذا العقد لما يعود بالمنفعة العامة على جميع  الاطراف

اما وكالات التنمية فيكون عبر الدعم المباشر لهذه الاسر الصغيرة وتشجيعها على توسيع مشاريعها والابتكار وليس الدعم للمعاهد او الجمعيات

اما منظمات المجتع المدني فهي العامل الاساسي في تنشيط الزراعات الاسرية من خلال التدريب والارشاد ونتمية القدرات وتعزيزها واسس التسويق الناجح وتسهيله

ويبقى القطاع الخاص هو حجر الاساس في المساعدة على تصرف هذه المنتجات وامكانية تصديرها وخاصة ذات الجودة العالية

اما العوائق فتتمثل بالدرجة الاولى في النسيق بين كل هذه الاطراف لصالح الزراعات الاسرية ويمكن التغلب والحد من هذا العائق وذلك عن طريق انشاء لجنة محلية لكل منطقة بحيث تكون صلة الوصل بين اصحاب المصلحة والقطاع الحكومي والهيئات المانحة

كيف يمكن بناء وإقامة شراكات ابتكارية؟ وما هي المبادرات الموجودة التي تقترح تكرارها أو زيادتها، وكيف يُمكن القيام بها

لأن خطة العمل العالمية صممت بالاعتماد على سبع ركائز عمل يعزز كل منها الآخر، فإنها توصي بتطبيق سلسلة من الإجراءات المترابطة على المستوى المحلي والمستوى العالمي. ويجب أن تراعي أية تدخلات تم تطويرها خلال العقد دائمًا تنوع المزارعين الأسريين. وينبغي أن تركز على السياق، وأن تتكيف مع الظروف الإقليمية والوطنية والظروف الاجتماعية-الثقافية والاجتماعية-الاقتصادية المحلية. ولضمان نجاح عقد الأمم المتحدة للزراعة الأسرية، ينبغي لجميع الإجراءات أن تضع المزارعين الأسريين في بؤرة الاهتمام وأن يتم تنفيذها من خلال عمليات تصاعدية وتشاركية وشاملة

تكرار تجربة المدارس الحقلية  ffs  وتنوعها

ادخال الزراعة الرقمية ونشرها عبر تطبيقات مجانية لمساعدة المزارعين لمعرفة اسعار المدخلات وامكانية تواجدها باسعار اقل وايضا معرفة اسعار المنتجات المختلفة

ارشاد المزارعين عبر برامج متخصصة لتخفيض تكاليف الانتاج وتشجيع الزراعات النظيفة خاصة على صعيد الحيازات الصغيرة

The impact of COVID-19 outbreak on the Near East and North Africa

• Has the COVID-19 outbreak exacerbated the challenges faced by small scale family farming, and how?

Covid-19 led to an increase in the prices of inputs  required for different crops due to the economic crisis augmentation, especially with the instability of dollar exchange rate in Lebanon. In addition, the difficulty of accessing these inputs has negatively impacted small holders and family farmers due to the poor purchasing power and companies’ insistence on receiving the payment of seeds and inputs only in cash.

The closure of public and flea markets have decreased the possibility of marketing small farmers’ products, which led to crop loss and sometimes, selling crops at lower prices to avoid their wastage. Thus, the small farmers’ income has been affected.

On the other hand, due to social distancing, it was hard to hold direct meetings with farmers and raise their awareness on how to respond to crises. Most of small farmers are not familiar with how to use modern technology; resulting in poor communication and inability to market their products through mobile applications for example.

During the quarantine and lockdown period, many people were encouraged to secure their groceries by cultivating the available spaces which, despite the resulted benefit of some households’ food self-sufficiency, has affected the marketing of small holders’ products.

• What are the main areas of intervention that would build the resilience of small scale family farming and ensure sustainable livelihoods?

The main areas of intervention that would build small scale family farmers resilience and ensure sustainable livelihoods are:

• Developing a local marketing network between smallholders (product owners) and buyers in nearby cities and towns to ensure products timely flow and sale at fair price. In the meantime, smallholders depend on personal connections to market their products in these cities, which can be organized through a local application that brings them together.
• Assisting these groups in creating additional sources of income and improving income earning opportunities without depending entirely on farming as a source of income. For example, they may process and sell the products of different crops or animals, which are in excessive amounts or unsold (i.e. manufacturing dairy products and different tomato products; and creating diverse products).
• Building capacities, providing trainings, and raising awareness for smallholders on the best practices of agriculture, marketing, communication, and crisis response, whilst maintaining public safety standards and social distancing by holding small group meetings.
• Providing direct support through small grants from relevant ministries, local institutions, and UN programs such as WFP or FAO, among others. Support could be in the form of facilitating access of these groups to cheaper inputs and small grants or simply by offering guidance and raising awareness.
• Including and developing curricula on family farming in the agricultural technical education in villages.

• Do you have any success stories to share about the region?

Some smallholders work through a direct communication network with buyers (direct phone calls) and social networks by creating pages for marketing, such as Izraa (plant) page and many others, which facilitated the marketing process.

Poultry farmers and cattle and sheep breeder are supported by the Lebanese Ministry of Agriculture and got fodder at lower prices compared to the market price.

• can you provide a brief description of major climate change impacts on the productivity of basic food systems in the region?

Despite the technological advances, such as improved and genetically modified crops and irrigation systems, weather is still a key challenge in the agricultural productivity, as well as soil properties and natural habitats.

Droughts have been occurring more frequently because of global warming, and they are expected to be even more frequent, causing crop failure and loss of stock meadows and pastures. Moreover, flooding in some of these areas caused a reduction in the productivity of some staple crops such as wheat.

Climate change has also caused an imbalance and change in the geographical distribution of pathogens which might lead to further crop loss and endanger the food security in these countries. In addition, the probability of using more pesticides to combat these pathogens would negatively impact the production ecological and eco-systems.

Also, global warming may affect the life span of insect pests which may in turn, cause a genetic mutation due to the changed climatic conditions; posing other production losses.

• How would innovation and digital solutions help in accelerating the transformation of agri-food systems?

The widespread of digital technology and the possibility of transferring and transmitting it will change the agri-food production. More specifically, the spread of mobile technologies, remote sensing data and services and computerization in the agri-food sector has actually improved smallholders’ access to information, inputs and markets. The production and the productivity have been increased, supply chains have been simplified, and operational costs have been reduced even though there are some challenges such as the re-learning of those farmers, the necessity of securing data and the individuals keeping abreast of modern technologies.

• How could UNDFF provide instruments and measures to help small scale family farming face the climate and socio-economic challenges?

• Supporting the youth and ensure the sustainability of family farming for generations.
• Promoting the gender-equality in family farming and rural woman leadership.
• Strengthening family farming organizations and their capacity to generate knowledge, representing farmers, and providing comprehensive services in the context of urban and rural areas.
• Improving the socio-economic integration and the capacity to withstand and achieving welfare of family farmers, rural families and communities.
• Promoting the sustainability of family farming to create food systems capable of responding to the climate change.

This pillar offers a chance to respond to the climate change impacts and at the same time, promote the sustainability of food systems as well as the management and usage of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. It contributes to the three pillars of sustainability since the presence of enabling conditions is essential to allow family farmers to play their role efficiently, being one of the key factors in the process of change.

• Based on your experience, what are the effective strategies, tools, and instruments, including the humanitarian context, that ensure adequate access to services, resources and social protection among the marginalized or vulnerable groups?

Family farming should be based on the working system of civil society organizations specialized in developing that type of farming.

Cooperative work should be supported and encouraged among the family farming and smallholders’ communities to facilitate access to inputs, protect against merchants’ monopoly and price control.

Guidance should be developed and attributed to specialized societies to educate them on how to mitigate and face the crisis impacts, find alternative solutions, encourage learning, and include digital technology through user friendly applications.

Small family projects should be supported and encouraged in terms of innovation and marketing and to sometimes compete over exporting.

Based on Your experience, please present three priority measures to provide adequate job opportunities for rural smallholders, youth and women as well as ending child labour in family farming.

Social Development of rural women, and building their capacities in different areas including marketing and communication, and establishing specialized schools for such purpose similar to farmers’ field schools.

Support the establishment of rural schools to teach children about production and its fundamentals. In this model, relevant recreational and practical activities should be performed over short terms or over a period of one production season, particularly for smallholders so that work, education, and entertainment become one common goal.

Engaging local families in revitalizing their activities through specialized associations, providing jobs for youth and encouraging them through building their capacities and providing them guidance, along with financial and technical support.

• How would you define the roles of the government, development agencies, farmers’ organizations, civil society organizations and the private sector to implement the UNDFF framework?

Governments role is mainly oversight and supervision. Also, it involves strengthening and facilitating all the available potentials to achieve the main pillars for UNDFF for the benefit of all stakeholders.

Development agencies role is the provision of direct and indirect support to small families and encourage them to expand their projects and enhance innovation. However, their role is not to support institutes or associations.

Civil society organizations are the key players in revitalizing family agricultural activities through training, guidance and capacity development, as well as the main pillar for facilitating successful marketing.  

Private sector is considered the cornerstone in providing assistance in terms of selling agricultural products and the possibility of exporting them, especially those of high quality.

Obstacles are predominantly represented in the coordination among all stakeholders in favor of family farming. Nevertheless, this could be mitigated and minimized by forming a local committee for each region, to form a link between stakeholders, public sector and the donors.

• How could innovative partnerships be built? Which existing initiatives you suggest repeating or expanding and how?

The global action plan is based on mutually reinforcing seven working pillars. Therefore, it recommends the application of a series of interrelated local and international measures. Any amendment or interference made during the decade should always consider the diversity of family farmers, focus on the context and adapt to the regional and national situation as well as the local sociocultural and socioeconomic conditions. To ensure a successful UNDFF, all the measures taken must focus on family farmers and must be implemented through progressive, participatory and inclusive processes.

Repeating and diversifying the Farmer Field Schools experience.

Introducing and sharing digital farming through free applications to assist farmers in keeping up to date with the inputs prices, where to find them at lower prices and the cost of different products.

Guiding farmers through specialized programs to reduce production costs, and encourage clean agriculture for smallholders in particular.

English translation below

تأثير تفشي فيروس كوفيد - 19 في منطقة الشرق الأدنى وشمال إفريقيا

تواجه منطقة الشرق الأدنى وشمال أفريقيا تحديات رئيسية، من بينها القضاء على الفقر والجوع، وكذلك الاستجابة لآثار تغير المناخ والحفاظ على الموارد الطبيعية لتجنب المزيد من تدهور الأوضاع.

• هل أدى تفشي فيروس كوفيد - 19 إلى تفاقم التحديات التي تواجهها الزراعة الأسرية للحيازات الصغيرة، وكيف ذلك؟

كلا

• ما هي مجالات التدخل الرئيسية التي من شأنها أن تعمل على بناء قدرة الزراعة الأسرية للحيازات الصغيرة على التأقلم والصمود، وضمان سبل كسب العيش المستدامة؟

تعزيز تقنيات الزراعة الحديثة للمزارعين من التصنيع و التموينو تقديم معدات زراعية,

تعزيز الارشاد الزراعي بما يتناسب معمع الاصناف التي تناسب الحيازة الصغيرة’ التدريب على التسبيغ (الكومبوست)

• هل بإمكانك مشاركة أمثلة نجاح في المنطقة؟

بعض المزارعين يعمد الى زراعة مزروعات تموينية مثل الحمص و العدس و الفول لتامين الاكتفاء الذاتي لعائلته و تامين بذور لزراعتها في المواسم المقبلة

2) الانتقال المستدام نحو نظم غذائية زراعية أكثر استدامة

من أجل تلبية احتياجات النمو السكاني، من الضروري تسريع الانتقال نحو أنظمة غذائية أكثر استدامة مع إيلاء اهتمام خاص لتدهور الموارد الطبيعية النادرة بالفعل وتأثير تغير المناخ على منطقة الشرق الأدنى وشمال إفريقيا.

• هل يمكنك تقديم وصف موجز لأهم عوامل تأثير تغير المناخ على إنتاجية أنظمة الزراعة الرئيسية في المنطقة؟
• التمليح وإرتفاع الحرارة تؤدي الى زيادة الأمراض، إرتفاع الرطوبة في غير أوقاتها تؤدي الى زيادة الأمراض التي تؤثر على الإنتاج نوعاً وكماً.
• كيف يمكن أن يساعد الابتكار والحلول الرقمية في الإسراع بوتيرة انتقال نظم الأغذية الزراعية؟
• قدرة إكتشاف الأمراض وسبل تحسين الإنتاج عن طريق الوسائل الرقمية.
• سرعة التواصل مع المعنيين من أجل الإستشارة وإيجاد الحلول.
• تطور عمليات تصريف الإنتاج باستخدام وسائل التواصل الإجتماعي والتقنيات الرقمية.
• كيف يمكن أن يوفر عقد الأمم المتحدة للزراعة الأسرية أدوات وتدابير من شأنها أن تساعد الزراعة الأسرية للحيازات الصغيرة على مواجهة التحديات المناخية والتحديات الاجتماعية الاقتصادية؟
• تحسين وسائل الريّ باستخدام التقنيات الحديثة.
• إدخال أصناف جديدة تلائم التغيرات المناخية.

3) نحو نمو شامل وعادل

لن يكون كل من تحسين إنتاجية واستدامة المزارعين الأسريين أصحاب الحيازات الصغيرة وحدهم كافيًا لتحقيق إنجازات عقد الأمم المتحدة للزراعة الأسرية أو أهداف التنمية المستدامة في منطقة الأدنى الأوسط وشمال إفريقيا. إن إشراك المراهقين والشباب والنساء والأفراد الذين يعانون من أوضاع هشة مثل المهاجرين، سيكون حاسمًا لتحقيق النمو الشامل والعادل على المدى الطويل.

• بناءً على خبرتك، ما هي الاستراتيجيات أو الأدوات أو الآليات الفعالة التي تضمن الوصول الكافي إلى الخدمات والموارد وتحقيق الحماية الاجتماعية بين الفئات المهمشة أو الضعيفة، بما في ذلك في السياقات الإنسانية؟

توزيع الادوار بما يتناسب مع الفئة المعنية على سبيل المثال:

الشباب:زراعة محاصيل تصنيعية

النساء:التصنيع الغذائي و المونة

العمالة الاجنبية:المساعدة في العمليات الزراعية المختلفة حسب الحاجة

• على الرغم من الطابع غير الرسمي لقطاع الزراعة، فإن أي دعم لزراعة الأسر الصغيرة يمكن، بل وينبغي، أن يسير على خُطى تعزيز جدول الأعمال الخاص بالعمل اللائق. ينخرط المزارعون الأسريون في عملٍ شاقٍ وخطيرٍ في بعض الأحيان لتقليل التكاليف وتعويض انخفاض إنتاجية المزرعة، لدرجة أنهم يُشركون الأطفال أيضًا في العمل. من واقع خبرتك، يُرجى عرض ثلاثة من الإجراءات ذات الأولوية لتوفير فرص عمل لائقة لأصحاب الحيازات الصغيرة في الريف، والشباب، والنساء، وكذلك للقضاء على عمل الأطفال في الزراعة الأسرية.

تعزيز العمل التعاوني

ارشاد عائلي حول خطورة عمالة الاطفال وتامين ادوات تربوية مفيدة للاطفال

ادخال البلديات بتامين اماكن للتنزه وتجمع العائلات

4) البيئة التي تُمكن من تنفيذ عقد الأمم المتحدة للزراعة الأسرية

إن خلق بيئة تمكن من تنفيذ خطة العمل الإقليمية لعقد الأمم المتحدة للزراعة الأسرية يعني توافر ما يكفي من موارد، كما يعني أن الحوكمة والترتيبات المؤسسية فعالة وشاملة.

• كيف تحدد أدوار كل من الحكومات ووكالات التنمية ومنظمات المزارعين ومنظمات المجتمع المدني والقطاع الخاص في تنفيذ إطار عقد الأمم المتحدة للزراعة الأسرية؟

تعزيز عمل مراكز الارشاد

تعزيز ثقافة الاهتمام بالحيازات الصغيرة عند مراكز الارشاد

تدريب حول الاصناف البديلة والملائمة للحيازة الصغيرة

الشؤون الاجتماعية:التدريب على اهمية و خطورة عمل الاطفال و صحة المراة

دائرة التعاونيات: تعزيز العمل التعاوني ودعمه لاهيتة للحيازة الصغيرة

وكالات التنمية: تعزيز التنثيق فيما بينها واستهدافها للحيازة الصغيرة

• ما هي العوائق التي قد تواجهها أي من المؤسسات المذكورة أعلاه عند تنفيذ عقد الأمم المتحدة للزراعة الأسرية في المنطقة، وكيفية التغلب على هذه العوائق؟ على سبيل المثال، من حيث السياسات، والموارد المالية، والإمكانات التقنية، وما إلى ذلك.

الثقافة الاجتماعية

الخلافات السياسية و العشائرية

ضعف الامكانيات

5) الشراكات

من شأن الشراكات المرتبطة بمبادرات التنمية المستدامة أن تخلق أوجهًا للتآزر للتغلب على التحديات المترابطة التي ينبغي مواجهتها. وبهدف تنفيذ الركائز السبع لخطة عمل عقد الأمم المتحدة للزراعة الأسرية في منطقة الشرق الأدنى وشمال إفريقيا،

• كيف يمكن بناء وإقامة شراكات ابتكارية؟ وما هي المبادرات الموجودة التي تقترح تكرارها أو زيادتها، وكيف يُمكن القيام بها ؟

الشراكة على ثلاثة صعد

• • الشراكة بين مراكز الحكومية كمراقبين للتنفيذ وتسهيل الامور القانونية
  • جمعية تقدم استشارات تقنية للمشروع
  • جمعية منفذو

The impact of COVID-19 outbreak on the Near East and North Africa

The Near East and North Africa region is experiencing major challenges, including eradicating poverty and hunger, responding to the climate change impacts and preserving natural resources to avoid further deterioration of conditions.

Has the COVID-19 outbreak exacerbated the challenges faced by small scale family farming, and how?

No it has not.

What are the main areas of intervention that would build the resilience of small scale family farming and ensure sustainable livelihoods?

• Promoting modern agricultural technologies for farmers in terms of manufacturing and supply, and providing agricultural machines.
• Strengthening agricultural extension in line with the items suitable for small scale holdings, including training on using compost.

• Do you have any success stories to share about the region?

Some farmers intend to grow crops included in the ration card system such as chickpeas, lentils and beans to secure self-sufficiency for their households and to secure seeds for planting such crops in the coming seasons.

2. Sustainable transition towards more sustainable agri-food systems

In order to meet the needs of the growing population, there is a need to accelerate the transition towards more sustainable food systems, giving particular attention to the deterioration of the already scarce natural resources and the impact of climate change on the Near East and North Africa region.

Could you provide a brief description of major climate change impacts on the productivity of basic agricultural systems in the region?

Pathology increases due to salting and high temperatures, as well as high humidity at unusual, which in turn affects both the quality and quantity of production.

How would innovation and digital solutions help in accelerating the transformation of agri-food systems?

• Ability to detect diseases and ways to improve production through digital means.
• Prompt communication with stakeholders for consultation and finding solutions.
• Developing the process of marketing production using social media and digital technologies.

• How could UNDFF provide instruments and measures to help small scale family farming face the climate and socio-economic challenges?

• Improving irrigation methods using modern technologies.
• Introducing new varieties resilient to climate changes.

3. Towards inclusive and fair growth

Improving the productivity and sustainability of small scale family farmers alone will not be enough to achieve the goals of the UN Decade of Family Farming or the Sustainable Development in the Near Middle East and North Africa. Engaging adolescents, youth, women and vulnerable people such as migrants, will be critical to achieving inclusive and fair growth in the long term.

Based on your experience, what are the effective strategies, tools, and instruments, including the humanitarian context, that ensure adequate access to services, resources and social protection among the marginalized or vulnerable groups?

Distribute the roles according to the concerned category, for example:

Youth: Growing industrial crops.

Women: Food processing.

Foreign labor: Assistance in the various agricultural processes as needed.

• Despite the informal nature of the agricultural sector, any support to small scale family farming can and should be aligned with enhancing the decent work agenda. Family farmers are engaged in hard and sometimes dangerous work to reduce costs and compensate the low productivity of the farm, to the extent that they involve children in agricultural work. According to your experience, please outline three priority measures to create decent employment opportunities for smallholders, youth, and women in rural areas, as well as to eliminate child labor in family farming.
• Enhancing cooperative work.
• Raising households’ awareness of the risks of child labor, and providing useful educational tools for children.
• Providing places for hiking and family gathering in municipalities.
  
   

4. The environment which enables the implementation of UNDFF

Creating an enabling environment for the implementation of the UNDFF regional action plan implies that adequacy of the required resources. It further indicates that governance and institutional arrangements are effective and inclusive.

How would you define the roles of the government, development agencies, farmers’ organizations, civil society organizations and the private sector to implement the UNDFF framework?

• Enhancing the role of the extension centers.
• Promoting the culture of interest in small holdings in extension centers.
• Training on alternative and suitable varieties for small holdings.
• Social Affairs: Training on the importance of ending child labor due to its risks and the importance of women's health.
• Department of Cooperatives: Promote and support cooperative work due to its importance for smallholdings.
• Development agencies: strengthening coordination and targeting of smallholdings.

What are the obstacles that any of the aforementioned entities may face when implementing the UNDFF in the region, and how to overcome these obstacles? For example, in terms of policies, financial resources and technical capabilities, etc.

• Social culture.
• Political and tribal disputes.
• Poor potentials.

5. Partnerships

How could innovative partnerships be built? Which existing initiatives you suggest repeating or expanding and how?

There are three levels of partnerships:

• Parenting with the government centers as implementation observers, and with a view to facilitate legal matters.
• Parenting with an association that provides technical consultations for the project.
• Parenting with the implementing association

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ENGLISH TRANSLATION below

تأثير تفشي فيروس كوفيد - 19 في منطقة الشرق الأدنى وشمال إفريقيا

تواجه منطقة الشرق الأدنى وشمال أفريقيا تحديات رئيسية، من بينها القضاء على الفقر والجوع، وكذلك الاستجابة لآثار تغير المناخ والحفاظ على الموارد الطبيعية لتجنب المزيد من تدهور الأوضاع.

•    هل أدى تفشي فيروس كوفيد - 19 إلى تفاقم التحديات التي تواجهها الزراعة الأسرية للحيازات الصغيرة، وكيف ذلك؟

-    لا بد من الإشارة الى تأثير تفشي فيروس كوفيد-19 على القطاع الزراعي بشكل عام خاصة مع اعلان حالات التعبئة المتكررة في البلاد، ولا سيما على زراعة الحيازات الأسرية الصغيرة التي تأثرت سلبا" بعمليات التنقل للمزارعين بين المناطق إما لشراء مستلزمات للزراعة من بذور وأسمدة ومبيدات ومعدات من المحلات المختصة التي بدورها كانت تعاني من حالات الاقفال أو عدم توفر المنتج المطلوب في وقتها. كما تخوف العديد من أصحاب الحيازات التنقل بين المناطق تجنبا" لإنتقال العدوى لهم اذ وصل الحال بهم الى ملازمة منازلهم فترات طويلة.

-    بالمقابل تشجع عدد كبير من مزارعي الحيازات الصغيرة الذين توقفوا عن الذهاب الى أعمالهم اليومية بسبب التزام المنازل القصري (التعبئة في البلاد) الى استثمار حيازاتهم الصغيرة للعمل والزراعة بهدف تأمين ولو جزء" صغيرا" من الاكتفاء الذاتي خلال هذه الفترة وبالتالي تقليل امكانية التنقل كثيرا" لشراء المنتجات التي قد توفرها لهم أرضهم.

-    أيضا" كانت المعاناة كبيرة في بيع وتسويق المنتجات الزراعية لديهم بسبب الاجراءات التي حصلت للحد من تفشي فيروس كوفيد-19.

•    ما هي مجالات التدخل الرئيسية التي من شأنها أن تعمل على بناء قدرة الزراعة الأسرية للحيازات الصغيرة على التأقلم والصمود، وضمان سبل كسب العيش المستدامة؟

-    أولا" مع مبدأ علمني ثم ساعدني...

من الضروري جدا" اكساب أفراد هذه الأسر ذكورا" واناثا" المعرفة الزراعية وتعليمهم المبادئ الأساسية لمن يفتقر لها وبناء القدرات الفردية عندهم لينتلقوا في مجال الزراعة ضمن امكانياتهم ومن ثم العمل على تقديم المساعدة العينية من معدات أساسية أو بذور أو أسمدة وغيرها... تساعدهم على تخفيض كلفة الانتاج وتشجعهم على الاستمرار خاصة في المحاولات الأولى دون يأس. ثم يستمر التقدم بتوفير الخبرات والتقنيات الحديثة تباعا" ليصبح كل فرد قادرا" على الصمود بنفسه ومتمسكا" بأرضه (الاستدامة) طالما هي ملاذه الأول والأخير في كل الظروف وخاصة الحالية مع فيروس كوفيد-19.

•    هل بإمكانك مشاركة أمثلة نجاح في المنطقة؟

-    بالطبع، وهي عديدة ومنها شخص يعمل في مجال تركيب الألمينوم وبعد تراجع عمله انتقل وزوجته الى جمع المعلومات عن بعض الزراعات الموسمية والدائمة من عدة مصادر ليتمكنوا من استصلاح قطعة أرض لديهم وزراعتها بخمسة أنواع مما سمح لهم بتأمين حاجتهم المنزلية من هذه المنتجات وبيع قسم في السوق المحلي بهدف المردود المالي وكان رده عند الاستفسار عن الوضع بجملة وهي "مستورة ويا ريت من زمان عملنا مزارعين أنا أهل بيتي"... مما يعني أن أفراد من هذا القبيل يعتمدون على معرفة بسيطة ويتكبدون كلفة عالية في الانتاج يمكن مساعدتهم علميا" وبالخبرات والتقديمات أن ينتقلوا الى التمسك أكثر بالزراعة ولا يرغبون بترك حيازاتهم...

ملاحظة : الاقبال على الزراعة في هذه الفترة كان هائلا" ومن خلال التواصل معنا للاستفسار عن العديد من المعاملات الزراعية.

...

 

3) نحو نمو شامل وعادل

لن يكون كل من تحسين إنتاجية واستدامة المزارعين الأسريين أصحاب الحيازات الصغيرة وحدهم كافيًا لتحقيق إنجازات عقد الأمم المتحدة للزراعة الأسرية أو أهداف التنمية المستدامة في منطقة الأدنى  الأوسط وشمال إفريقيا. إن إشراك المراهقين والشباب والنساء والأفراد الذين يعانون من أوضاع هشة مثل المهاجرين، سيكون حاسمًا لتحقيق النمو الشامل والعادل على المدى الطويل.

•     بناءً على خبرتك، ما هي الاستراتيجيات أو الأدوات أو الآليات الفعالة التي تضمن الوصول الكافي إلى الخدمات والموارد وتحقيق الحماية الاجتماعية بين الفئات المهمشة أو الضعيفة، بما في ذلك في السياقات الإنسانية؟

•    على الرغم من الطابع غير الرسمي لقطاع الزراعة، فإن أي دعم لزراعة الأسر الصغيرة يمكن، بل وينبغي، أن يسير على خُطى تعزيز جدول الأعمال الخاص بالعمل اللائق. ينخرط المزارعون الأسريون في عملٍ شاقٍ وخطيرٍ في بعض الأحيان لتقليل التكاليف وتعويض انخفاض إنتاجية المزرعة، لدرجة أنهم يُشركون الأطفال أيضًا في العمل. من واقع خبرتك، يُرجى عرض ثلاثة من الإجراءات ذات الأولوية لتوفير فرص عمل لائقة لأصحاب الحيازات الصغيرة في الريف، والشباب، والنساء، وكذلك للقضاء على عمل الأطفال في الزراعة الأسرية.

 

5) الشراكات

من شأن الشراكات المرتبطة بمبادرات التنمية المستدامة أن تخلق أوجهًا للتآزر للتغلب على التحديات المترابطة التي ينبغي مواجهتها. وبهدف تنفيذ الركائز السبع لخطة عمل عقد الأمم المتحدة للزراعة الأسرية في منطقة الشرق الأدنى وشمال إفريقيا،

•     كيف يمكن بناء وإقامة شراكات ابتكارية؟ وما هي المبادرات الموجودة التي تقترح تكرارها أو زيادتها، وكيف يُمكن القيام بها ؟

-    أولا" من خلال خلق نواة بشرية مختلطة تعنى بايجاد خطط ومقترحات قابلة للتنفيذ مثلا" اتحادات على اختلافها.

-    ثانيا" تشجيع انشأ التعاونيات الزراعية والتصنعية والتس

The impact of COVID-19 outbreak in the Near East and North Africa

The Near East and North Africa region is experiencing major challenges, including eradicating poverty and hunger, responding to the climate change impacts and preserving natural resources to avoid further deterioration of conditions.

Has the COVID-19 outbreak exacerbated the challenges faced by small scale family farming, and how?

- It is important to highlight the impact of Covid-19 outbreak on the agricultural sector in general, especially with the repeated announcement of mobilization in a country. Covid-19 has negative effects on the small scale farming due to the movement of farmers among regions to buy agricultural inputs such as seeds, fertilizers, pesticides and equipment from the specialized stores, which were closed, or due to the lack of the required products. Furthermore, many of the smallholder farmers preferred not to move from one place to another to avoid infection, they even preferred to stay home for longer periods.     

- On the other hand, a large portion of the smallholder farmers who stopped their daily work due to the mandatory orders to stay homes (mobilization) used their small farms to work and cultivate in order to achieve self-sufficiency, even in a small measure, during such period, which would reduce errands to buy the products they could obtain from their own farms.

- In addition, they suffered a lot to sell and market their agricultural products due to the measures taken to limit the Covid-19 outbreak.  

What are the main areas of intervention that would build the resilience of small scale family farming and ensure sustainable livelihoods?

- First: adopting the approach “Teach me first, then help me”.

All the members, males and females, of the small farming families must acquire agricultural knowledge, and be familiar with the basics, and their personal capacities must be developed, thus they can move forward in the field of agriculture. They should also be provided with in-kind assistance including basic equipment, seeds, fertilizers, etc., as this would help them reduce the production costs and encourage them to proceed without despair, especially at the beginning. More progress can be achieved by providing expertise and modern technologies. Accordingly, small farmers could be more resilient and hold on their lands (sustainability), being their first and last resort in all circumstances, especially those experienced with the Covid-19.

Do you have any success stories to share about the region?

- Of Course, these are many. For example, a worker in the field of Aluminum windows lost his work, so he decided to reclaim a plot of land which he owned. He and his wife began to gather information on some permanent and seasonal crops from several sources. They cultivated five crops, and managed to secure their household needs. They could also sell a portion of the yield in the local market to gain money. When he was asked about his financial status he replied “Things are good, we should have worked as farmers long ago”. This means that such people depend on little knowledge and incur high production costs, so they should be supported with scientific means. With experience and development, they would hold on farming and never leave their holdings. 

Note: Demand for agriculture during this period was noticeable, and many people contacted us to inquire about several agricultural transactions.  

3) Towards an inclusive and fair development

Improving the productivity and sustainability of small scale family farmers alone will not be enough to achieve the goals of the UN Decade of Family Farming or the Sustainable Development in the Near Middle East and North Africa. Engaging adolescents, youth, women and vulnerable people such as migrants, will be critical to achieving inclusive and fair growth in the long term.

According to your experience, what are the effective strategies, tools or mechanisms that ensure adequate access to services, resources and social protection among the marginalized or vulnerable groups, including in humanitarian contexts?

Despite the informal nature of the agricultural sector, any support to small scale family farming can and should be aligned with enhancing the decent work agenda. Family farmers are engaged in hard and sometimes dangerous work to reduce costs and compensate the low productivity of the farm, to the extent that they involve children in agricultural work. According to your experience, please outline three priority measures to create decent employment opportunities for smallholders, youth, and women in rural areas, as well as to eliminate child labor in family farming.

5) Partnerships

Partnerships related to sustainable development initiatives create the synergies required for overcoming the interconnected challenges, and for implementing the seven pillars of the United Nations Decade of Family Farming action plan in the Near East and North Africa.

How can innovative partnerships be built and maintained? What are the existing initiatives that you propose to repeat or scale up, and how these can be implemented?

Firstly: By creating groups of people with different experiences, such as various forms of unions, focused on developing actionable plans and proposals.

Secondly: By encouraging the establishment of agricultural and industrial cooperatives.

Dears,

Please find below, on behalf of the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture, ICBA, our contributions to the online FSN consultation.

With best regards,

Diletta

1) Impact of COVID-19 outbreak in NENA region

• How does/did the COVID-19 outbreak exacerbate the challenges faced by small-scale family farmers (SSFF)?

The COVID-19 outbreak had a major impact on small-scale family farmers. Restrictions to movement and the lockdown imposed by authorities in several countries reduced their physical access to markets, both to sell their products and to purchase agricultural inputs (mainly seeds and fertilizers). Similarly, potential buyers changed their consumption habits switching to a daily consumption of fresh food to preserved food when possible, with a consequent drop in the demand for SSFF’s fresh produce. Farmers whose production is linked to export markets suffered from the restricted capacity to ship products from one country to the other. And farmers who normally hire seasonal laborers or have family members hired somewhere else for specific tasks (land preparation or harvest to list a few examples) struggled in finding available work force or moving.

• And what are the main areas of interventions that could efficiently build SSFF resilience and ensure sustainable livelihood?

Improved food storage and food processing facilities in areas where SSFF can have easy access could be one of the solutions on a medium term, while trainings on basic domestic food processing techniques should be proposed on short term. On a longer term, in the view of a probable second outbreak, local authorities could coordinate with farmers and act (or identify someone on their behalf) as intermediary between sellers and buyers so that fresh products can reach the consumers by respecting all safety measures and guarantee safety for all the actors involved in the transaction.

• Can you share success examples in the region?

Although the restrictions to movement in NENA region has hampered ICBA from implementing an immediate response to the challenges faced by SSFF during the pandemic, the center is actively working with local partners to plan future steps.

A success story of how a local women’s cooperative in Morocco transformed raw quinoa in value-added products, with a longer shelf life, could be read on our website: https://www.biosaline.org/news/2019-06-20-6821

2) Sustainable transition towards more sustainable agri-food systems

In order to meet the needs of a growing population, it is essential to accelerate the transition toward more sustainable food systems with special consideration to the degradation of the already scarce natural resources and climate change impact in the NENA region.

• Can you give brief description of key CC impact factors on productivity of main farming systems in the region?

Droughts, a hazard the region is particularly vulnerable to, are predicted to increase in severity, intensity, duration, extent and frequency in the NENA region. The impacts of droughts can linger long after the event if mitigation responses are not prompt and adequate. The case of rainfed agriculture is the most revealing example of drought impacts. Specifically, for the most vulnerable communities such as agro-pastoralists, droughts result in lack of grazing and losses in herds and overall wealth. Similar adverse impacts on wealth are experienced by cereal and fruit tree growers due to the reduction in crop yield or even complete failure. In all cases, these impacts can continue to be experienced in subsequent years if livestock, seed supplies or fruit trees cannot be recovered. One consequence of drought is also the outmigration of farm labour, usually to urban areas, in search of employment opportunities and a cash income that can be sent back to support the family. It is often young men that leave, with women and older/younger family members remaining to continue to tend the land or animals. However, the devastation brought about by long-term droughts can force entire families and communities to migrate both within and outside country borders, as various capital stores of wealth – animals, seed, savings – are depleted or lost.

It should be emphasized that women in the North Africa region are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of drought. In general, male-dominated agricultural tasks, like harvesting and threshing of cereals, decrease during drought due to the reduced yields. Conversely, rural women’s workloads tend to increase, as they often take on more productive responsibilities on-farm or off-farm in order to compensate for the decreased household income. Droughts also compel women to walk longer distances in search of water for their households and fields. This may include fetching water from wells where water is not certified as safe, which leads to higher incidence of diarrheal diseases and malnutrition, particularly among children, as well as seeking water in remote areas that may not be secure, putting the women at risk of gender-based violence.

Increased salinity in the NENA is another indirect impact of CC when caused by inappropriate irrigation practices that result in waterlogging, as well as by seawater intrusion into coastal farming areas due to a combination of rising sea levels and over-pumping. Higher salinity results in declining agricultural productivity or loss of it in such areas. Mitigation and prevention of salinity is therefore important to further agricultural development in the region, particularly when it transitions from traditional rain-fed agricultural systems to intensive irrigated agriculture.

• How can innovation and digital solutions accelerate such transition of the agi-food systems?

It is necessary to propose holistic solutions towards more sustainable food systems that lie in equipping smallholder farmers with technologies and skills that can improve agricultural productivity while conserving and improving the natural resource base. These technologies and skills may include: soil and water management practices that improve fertility and mitigate/avert salinization; low-cost, water and energy-efficient small-scale irrigation technologies; best management practices that improve the productivity of existing cropping systems; and adapted innovative climate-smart crops with high tolerance to drought and salinity, and high nutritional and economic value (e.g. quinoa, legumes, ...).

GIS and remote-sensing technologies can be deployed for a wide range of purposes, and have the potential to be largely utilized because they require data that does not involved ground-level tasks. ICBA have developed models to monitor evapotranspiration, drought, vegetative productivity, and other key indexes to better understand how environmental resources are utilized, as well as to flag any critical changes that could indicate losses in productivity and changes to the geoclimatic setting in key areas. Our work also involves drones, which facilitate small-scale high-resolution mapping of agricultural activities on individual farms. Moreover, with an ever-increasing expansion of drone capabilities and technologies, ICBA scientists aim to explore the possibility of seeding, pollination, and farming using automated drone systems. And finally, ICBA in-house GIS capabilities utilize all available open-source spatial data layers related to global vegetative cover to provide insight into the environment and agricultural productivity globally. For instance, available satellite imagery can be used to gain insight on the location and productivity of farms, as seen in the image below.

All these digital solutions can gather data that help monitor the transition toward more sustainable food systems, analyze the progress and plan for future.

More on digital solutions during COVID-19 could be read at: https://www.biosaline.org/blogs/2020-06-18-7143

• How can the UNDFF provide tools and measures that help SSFF facing the climate and socioeconomic challenges?

UNDFF should advocate for the development of effective and implementable drought policies and plans for the countries of the North Africa region. Alongside actions centred on preparedness and mitigation efforts, these policies and plans should include actions and incentives to promote adaptive capacity and resilience building at the level of communities and economic sectors, including transition to drought-resilient cropping systems and/or water management practices. Response efforts that are solely reactive and crisis-led result in higher costs to people.

Given the wide range of experience both within countries and among regional partners, there could be real value added in the sharing of knowledge, experience and practical steps taken so far as a way to prompt the enhancement of drought management and resilience in the region. With this greater capacity development and technology transfer, drought management and climate change adaptation capabilities to manage future droughts would be strengthened. UNDFF could take the lead on knowledge sharing.

3) Towards an inclusive and equitable growth

Improving the productivity and sustainability of small-scale family farmers alone will not be sufficient to achieve the UNDFF milestones or SDG goals in the NENA region. The engagement of adolescents and youth, women and individuals in vulnerable situations such as migrants, will be critical to long term, inclusive and equitable growth.

• Based on your experience, what are effective strategies, instruments or mechanisms to ensure adequate access to services, resources and social protection among marginalized or vulnerable groups, including in humanitarian contexts?

ICBA, in partnership with Mercy Corps and other organizations, implemented a USAID funded project in Jordan named Water Innovation Technologies. The project aims to save 18.5 million cubic meters of water over a time lapse of five year and targets mainly stone fruits farmers, in Jordan’s Northern governorates, who overirrigate their crops. The project adopted a Market System Development (MSD) approach, meaning project staff members do not intervene directly in the installation of new irrigation systems and farmers do not receive any free devices. Rather, the project team facilitates farmer adoption by supporting suppliers and linking them to potential clients. Empowering suppliers through trainings, advocacy for flourishing business environments, better access to loan facilities, market linkages, etc. is a strategy to avoid market distortions usually provoked by free aid and too generous subsidies. The MSD approach to work with existing market actors ensures the sustainability of the actions even once the project is over.

• Despite the informality of the agriculture sector, any support for smallholder family farming can and should go hand in hand with the promotion of the Decent work Agenda. Family farmers are engaged in arduous and sometimes hazardous work to cut costs and compensate for the farm’s low productivity to an extent of involving children too, based on your experience please give three priority actions to enable decent employment for rural smallholders, youth and women and to eliminate child labour in family farming.

This aspect is not directly covered by ICBA work, although we understand the huge importance of eliminating child labour in family farming.

4) Enabling environment for the implementation of UNDFF

Building an enabling environment for the implementation of UNDFF regional action plan means that there are adequate resources and that governance and institutional arrangements are effective and inclusive.

• How do you define roles of Governments, development agencies, farmers’ organizations, civil society and private sector in implementing the UNDFF in the region?

Governments and development agencies should be the priority players in enabling policy environment to strengthen family farming (this includes the provision of funding), while farmers’ organizations and civil society should interiorize the importance of supporting youth ensure the generational sustainability of family farming while promoting gender equity in family farming and the leadership role of rural women. Private sector will have a key role in ensure the socio-economic inclusion of SSFF, while knowledge should be created at all levels and all actors should work towards the sustainability of family farming and the safeguard of biodiversity, the environment and culture.

• What are the bottlenecks –any of the above institutions may encounter in achieving the UNDFF implementation in the region and how to overcome them? E.g. in terms of policies, financial resources, technical capacities, etc.

In addition to the bottlenecks already listed above, work overload of local governments’ representatives and the difficulty in having them participating in key meetings and activities should be taken into consideration. Planning in advance could help overcome this challenge. Availability of funds is also key and actors should combine their effort to increase awareness on UNDFF initiative and fundraise for it.

5) Partnerships

Partnerships associated with sustainable development initiatives can create synergies to address interconnected challenges that need to be addressed. With the aim to implement the UNDFF action plan in its seven pillars in the NENA region,

• How can innovative partnerships be built and established? And how/what existing initiatives would you propose to replicate or scale up?

AWLA (Arab Women Leaders in Agriculture) is an innovative way to gather people from different institutions together and build a solid partnership. AWLA is a fellowship program launched by ICBA in collaboration with the Islamic Development Bank, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and CGIAR Research Program on Wheat, which aims to develop women researchers who can make a positive impact in their workplaces, communities and countries. AWLA is an occasion for Arab women researchers to strengthen their intellectual collaboration by exchanging ideas, good practices and stories on the difference women can make in agriculture. We strongly recommend scaling up this initiative because of its success in creating cooperation among individuals belonging to different background and working in different institutions. It is by meeting physically, spending time together and work on a common aim that partnership is established.

More on AWLA could be found here: https://www.awlafellowships.org/

1) Impact of COVID-19 outbreak in NENA region

How does/did the COVID-19 outbreak exacerbate the challenges faced by small-scale family farmers (SSFF)?

We conducted two rapid-assessment activities which assessed the impact of COVID-19 and associated partial lockdowns and curfews-imposed in Egypt on 1) a dairy value chain and 2) an artichoke value chain in May-June 2020.  

For dairy farmers, the curfew interrupted the cows’ milking schedule. Farmers were not able to milk their cows at 7pm as generally scheduled, and were left with two options: 1) to milk their cows earlier which results in less milk supply, and 2) to milk their cows as scheduled but not sell the last batch of milk. In both scenarios, farmers sold less milk, and thus earned less. In addition, the full-day curfew during the weekends meant that farmers could not sell the milk they produce on these days. Farmers who quantified their loss indicated that it is about a quarter or a third of output. A few farmers had to incur some extra costs as some of them started to sanitize their barns.  Another farmer complained about the unavailability of veterinary services, due to COVID-19, which puts them at risk if any of the cattle become sick.

For artichoke farmers, market disruptions in Italy and Spain meant that the demand for Egyptian artichokes plummeted as almost all production is exported.   In a very good season the price per artichoke bud can go as high as EGP 5, this season amid the international market lockdowns and the decrease in exports, the artichoke price started at EGP 2 earlier this season and dropped down to EGP 0.50 in March and April. All farmers in the sample reported to have sold their harvest at a loss at a price of EGP 0.50.  Some farmers left artichokes unharvested and tried to switch to other crops, but many were bound by contracts with traders to deliver the harvest even at unprofitable prices.

And what are the main areas of interventions that could efficiently build SSFF resilience and ensure sustainable livelihood?

For dairy farmers, the government of Egypt wisely allowed exceptions to the imposed law (for the implementation of curfew hours and the free movement of food trucks). Yet, better coordination with other government officials at the local level is needed, since milk collection centers were not exempted from the curfew hours, and some trucks were stopped by local officers unaware of the policy.

For artichoke farmers, access to information on commodity market prices can help safeguard farmers from further losses and unfavorable payment conditions with traders. Additionally, the current contracting arrangements between farmers and exporters are very simple and either place the risk on the farmer in the case of payment at harvest or on the exporter in the case of pre-payment.  This burden could be shared more fairly through the promotion and enforcement of legally binding contractual arrangements between exporters and farmers or distributed more widely through the development of futures markets.

Can you share success examples in the region?

There are some relatively better experiences from Jordan (see a discussion here). Digital solutions and digitalization of payments and essential government services is mentioned as an important factor in reducing COVID-19 related disruptions to food systems.

2) Sustainable transition towards more sustainable agri-food systems

How can innovation and digital solutions accelerate such transition of the agi-food systems?

Digital tools and innovations can help to connect smallholders with markets and international markets. Although smallholders produce large share of global food, they are usually marginalized by major actors and markets. Digital tools can help these smallholders leapfrog the benefits from larger and international markets.

How can the UNDFF provide tools and measures that help SSFF facing the climate and socioeconomic challenges?

UNDFF can help SSFF by supporting and working with partners who are engaged in the production of climate resilient innovations and new knowledge that can improve farmers’ resilience to climate change.

3) Towards an inclusive and equitable growth

Based on your experience, what are effective strategies, instruments or mechanisms to ensure adequate access to services, resources and social protection among marginalized or vulnerable groups, including in humanitarian contexts?

Cash transfers are an effective mechanism for social protection, including in humanitarian contexts.  IFPRI conducted impact evaluations of a national cash transfer program, Takaful and Karama, in Egypt, and a cash-plus intervention titled “Cash for Nutrition” in Yemen.   Takaful is a conditional cash transfer program, but conditionalities had not yet been implemented at the time of the evaluation.  “Cash for Nutrition” features a soft conditionality in which households receiving cash are told that they must attend mandatory nutritional training sessions. In practice, there was no penalty for not attending the sessions, but the vast majority of beneficiary households attended the sessions and even some non-beneficiary women from the same communities also attended.   The targeted households in Yemen were poorer than the beneficiaries in Egypt, so the cash transfers in Yemen represented a more significant increase in household budgets.

Our evaluation of Takaful in Egypt found a significant impact on beneficiary consumption and decrease in poverty.  Notably, beneficiaries used the transfers to invest in higher quality diets, with increased consumption of fruit and meat/poultry.  Beneficiaries also increased spending on school supplies and transportation for their children.  While the cash transfers benefit the household as a whole, we did not find evidence that the transfers increased women’s bargaining power within the household, in spite of the transfers being directed to women.

Our evaluation of Yemen’s Cash for Nutrition program found that cash transfers combined with nutritional education had significant positive impacts on maternal and child dietary diversity, child weight-for-height, and child height-for-age, and significantly decreased the probability of children being diagnosed with moderate or severe acute malnutrition. The greatest impacts tended to be among the poorest tercile of households included in the program.

Despite the informality of the agriculture sector, any support for smallholder family farming can and should go hand in hand with the promotion of the Decent work Agenda. Family farmers are engaged in arduous and sometimes hazardous work to cut costs and compensate for the farm’s low productivity to an extent of involving children too, based on your experience please give three priority actions to enable decent employment for rural smallholders, youth and women and to eliminate child labour in family farming.

• Connect smallholders with local and international markets
• Revamp existing poorly equipped extension services to support smallholders.
• Encourage and invest in sustainable resource use (including land and water resources).

4) Enabling environment for the implementation of UNDFF

What are the bottlenecks –any of the above institutions may encounter in achieving the UNDFF implementation in the region and how to overcome them? E.g. in terms of policies, financial resources, technical capacities, etc.

Access to high quality data is critical for evidence-driven policy.  Too often, government ministries collect data that it never published or shared, even with other ministries, leading to duplication of efforts.  While there a valid privacy concerns, there should also be an effort to build a culture of transparency with government data, which enables the research and academic community to provide independent analysis and evaluation of the effectiveness of government policies.

The need for rethinking the approaches that best guarantee environmental, social, institutional, and economic sustainability has been acknowledged and documented by researchers, social scientists, and government agencies throughout the world. Recognition, however, is the easy part. What remains to be understood is the means by which social, economic, and environmental sustainability can be best achieved.

What do people mean when they speak of “Sustainability”?

However, it is not feasible to translate the Bruntland definition of sustainability into actions, and much less to accomplish a “sustainable development,” without a conceptual knowledge and understanding of human organizations and their underlying behaviours.

What is Ideal-Seeking Behaviour?

Most definitions of “sustainability” seem to share at least two things in common:

They are all obviously anthropocentric.

They all speak of an ideal process or state.

Based on these two observations and on the seminal work of Ackoff and Emery (1972), the only operational definition of sustainability to this day is the following:

Sustainability is a Socio-Ecological Process Driven by Ideal-Seeking Behaviour.

This behaviour is characterized by the desire and the ability (i.e., opportunity & resources) to:

Progress towards a common ideal by choosing a new goal when one is achieved (or the effort to achieve it has failed), and

Sacrifice a goal for the sake of the ideal.

IDEAL: An unattainable state or process (in a given point in time/space) but endlessly approachable.

Only ideals serve as appropriate guidelines within a context of uncertainty and complexity because only ideals are time-free, hence, intrinsically pro-active-adaptive in themselves. 

The four universal ideals are:

1) Homonomy

2) Nurturance

3) Humanity

4) Beauty

(Emery, 1993).

Ideal-seeking behaviour is what builds Tropophilia into any process or organization allowing it to thrive within Black Swan Domains.

REF: <https://medium.com/@JCWandemberg/tropophilia-beyond-resilience-antifrag…;