Introduction and Background

AUDA-NEPAD is providing technical backstopping to National FSS Conveners in their work to organise and run National Food Systems Dialogues, leading up to the UN Food Systems Summit in September 2021. This involves ensuring the Dialogues interrogate in an inclusive and systems approach manner, both thematic priorities and issues of implementation. The support includes facilitating linkages and content input from Independent Dialogues and Action Tracks on science and evidence-based articulation of national perspectives, priorities, and action pathways. 

On the 29th June, AUDA-NEPAD in collaboration with Action Track 5 (AT5) on Resilient Food Systems convened a technical Dialogue to enable national and regional Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP) and Nutrition focal point persons to exchange on AT5’s emerging key issues of the AT5 objective of “Build resilience to vulnerabilities, shocks and stresses” in food systems. The interaction exposed the National and Regional CAADP and Nutrition focal point persons to Action Track 5, its Action Areas and Solution Clusters. The dialogue enabled more than hundred and ten (110) participants included National and regional (Regional Economic Communities) CAADP and Nutrition focal points, SUN focal points including Food Safety and IFNA focal points to understand and explore ways to articulate the AT5 priorities with those emerging from National and regional Dialogues, as well as regional initiatives already ongoing within the AUDA-NEPAD framework.  Most importantly, the dialogue focused on “Action Area 2 – Universal Food Access to Build Resilience” specifically “Enhancing Local Production for Local Consumption” and “National Food Supply Chains”.

The meeting objectives were as follows:

1. Provide an open platform to share and exchange on emerging national and regional priorities, evidence and articulation with global priorities for resilient food systems and possible food systems transition pathways on the issue of building resilience to vulnerabilities, shocks and stresses.
2. Explore key issues (challenges, opportunities) and regional, national and sub-national priorities from an agriculture and nutrition perspective to accelerate implementation to achieve scale in building resilience to vulnerabilities, shocks and stresses within the context of Africa’s food systems.
3. Include in Action Area 2 “Universal Food Access to Build Resilience” the issues that reflect Africa’s specific needs and priorities, mindful of the Continent’s wide diversity in socio-economic and environmental eco-systems
4. Discuss and gain agreement on countries that will co-lead and champion the Solution Clusters – “Enhancing Local Production for Local Consumption” and “Local Supply Chains” for building a global coalition for post-Summit implementatio.
5. Explore opportunities to continue building post-Summit implementation coalitions, as part of Summit follow up and the Food Systems Transition Pathways to be developed at national and regional levels.
6. Identify specific areas of collaboration for implementation through partnerships and for finance mobilization