Global Forum on Food Security and Nutrition (FSN Forum)

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    • Dear colleagues,

      Thanks for the opportunity to contribute to such an important and timely report. 

      Please see the contributions from the FAO's Responsible Fruits Project in the attached document. We remain available should you have any questions or need further information.

      Thanks,

      María

      Contributors: María Hernández Lagana, Michael Riggs and Pascal Liu, Markets and Trade Division, FAO.

      1. Existing programmes and policies to promote resilience – a gap analysis of current strategies and recommendations:
      • Are there current or recent partnerships / initiatives proven to contribute to building resilience? What are the lessons learned?

      The Responsible Fruits Project, launched in 2020, exemplifies a recent initiative that has contributed to building resilience in global avocado and pineapple value chains. This project, through its engagement with a dynamic network of value chain actors, has identified key resilience and sustainability challenges and organized activities to address these issues effectively. Some of the main contributions from the project are:

      • Identification of resilience and sustainability challenges and opportunities for addressing them: Working with the network of stakeholders, including producers, packers and exporters, their associations, and other value chain businesses, has enabled a comprehensive understanding of the primary challenges facing global avocado and pineapple industries. A resilience assessment has been published. This collaborative approach has been essential in guiding the project's technical work, ensuring the knowledge products and practical tools are demand-driven, targeted and impactful. (See a list of resources below.)
      • Risk assessment and mitigation: One of the significant achievements of the project is the heightened awareness and implementation of risk assessments in tropical fruit value chains. By conducting thorough environmental, social and economic risk mapping, value chain actors can proactively identify and mitigate potential negative impacts. This has been facilitated by practical guidance developed under the project, aligning with the OECD-FAO Guidance for Responsible Agricultural Supply Chains.
      • Capacity development: The project's technical assistance and training on risk-based approaches and measuring carbon and water footprints in pineapple value chains has empowered various stakeholders to adopt sustainable practices. This is critical to minimize environmental and social impacts of production, processing and trade.
      • Climate change adaptation and mitigation: Through technical guides on climate change adaptation and carbon and water footprint measurement tools, the project has equipped value chain actors to contribute to climate action goals. These resources help stakeholders not only improve their adaptive capacity to current and future climate hazards, but also take concrete steps to mitigate climate change drivers, such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions and preventing natural resource degradation.
      • Collaboration and stakeholder engagement: The success of the Responsible Fruits Project underscores the importance of collaboration among all value chain actors. Engaging a broad group of stakeholders has ensured that the approaches developed are context-specific and effective. This inclusive engagement is crucial for tailoring solutions that address both local and global challenges.

      Over the four years of project implementation, there are some important lessons learned. First, multistakeholder collaboration and dialogue are vital to understand and address complex and multifaceted resilience and sustainability challenges. Also, there is a strong need for capacity development, especially for groups that tend to benefit less from global supply chains, including small-scale growers and companies, women and youth. Investing in capacity development ensures that all stakeholders are equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to implement sustainable practices effectively and build long-term resilience capacities.

      Efforts to improve resilience should include a focus on continuous risk assessment, management and reporting. By implementing risk-based due diligence processes, value chain actors can identify risks and address the risks in a timely manner before they grow bigger. Tracking progress and reporting on results can foster transparency and build trust, while ensuring that the resilience and sustainability actions taken are achieving the intended goals.

      Finally, resilience building interventions should always be context specific. Tailoring solutions to specific contexts and engaging a broad range of stakeholders leads to more effective and sustainable outcomes.

      Responsible Fruits Project resources:

      Our guides and practical tools are available in English, French and Spanish. Responsible Fruits Project webpage https://www.fao.org/markets-and-trade/areas-of-

      work/emerging-trends-challenges-and-opportunities/building-responsible-global-value-chains- for-the-sustainable-production-and-trade-of-tropical-fruits

      Resilience assessment of avocado and pineapple value chains https://doi.org/10.4060/cc5967en

      Responsible business conduct in the avocado industry: a guide for producers and exporters

      https://doi.org/10.4060/cd0963en

      Responsible business conduct in the pineapple industry: a guide for producers and exporters

      (available in July 2024, refer to project webpage)

      Adapting to climate change in the tropical fruit industry: a technical guide for avocado producers and exporters https://doi.org/10.4060/cc9309en

      Adapting to climate change in the tropical fruit industry: a technical guide for pineapple producers and exporters https://doi.org/10.4060/cc9310en

      Introduction to measuring carbon footprints in pineapple value chains (video): www.youtube.com/watch?v=APdrly9YyVs&ab_channel=FoodandAgricultureOrganizationoftheUnit edNations

      Introduction to measuring water footprints in pineapple value chains (video): www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1xH69V0q2s&ab_channel=FoodandAgricultureOrganizationoftheUn itedNations

      Measuring carbon and water footprints in pineapple value chains – a methodological guide (available in July 2024, refer to project webpage)

      Gap analysis to support due diligence in the avocado and pineapple sectors www.fao.org/markets- and-trade/areas-of-work/emerging-trends-challenges-and-opportunities/building-responsible- global-value-chains-for-the-sustainable-production-and-trade-of-tropical-fruits/gap-analysis-tool/

      Technical briefs on various resilience-related topics https://www.fao.org/markets-and- trade/publications/en/?news_files=120351

      Other resources:

      Increasing the resilience of agricultural supply chains https://www.fao.org/markets-and- trade/areas-of-work/emerging-trends-challenges-and-opportunities/agricultural-markets-supply- chains-and-sustainable-development/increaseresilience/en/

      OECD-FAO Guidance for responsible agricultural supply chains https://www.fao.org/markets-and- trade/areas-of-work/emerging-trends-challenges-and-opportunities/oecd-fao-guidance-for- responsible-agricultural-supply-chains/en/

      OECD-FAO Business Handbook on Deforestation and Due Diligence in Agricultural Supply Chains https://openknowledge.fao.org/handle/20.500.14283/cc6595en

      Reducing carbon and water footprints on banana plantations https://www.fao.org/world-banana- forum/projects/reducing-carbon-and-water-footprints-in-banana-plantations/en/

      See the attachments: