Ad Hoc Working Group on The World at 7 Billion and Beyond: Promoting
a Forward-Looking Vision of People-Centred Development
POSSIBLE ROLE FOR FAO
relating to:
A:
B:
C:
Urbanization as a problem and an opportunity in a world of seven billion
Youth as a priority group to guarantee the demographic dividend
Sustainable technologies, as well as patterns of consumption and lifestyles
for a world of seven billion
A1 – Key issues
•
•
•
How to feed growing numbers of low-income urban populations with
safe, good quality and accessible food products (fresh and processed);
understand the impact of urbanization on the organization and logistics
of local food systems and value chains;
strengthen efficiency and dynamism of food supply and distribution
systems and value chains;
and
•
•
•
Support – rather than fight – informal food sector activities;
promote youth’s (micro/small) entrepreneurial opportunities along
agricultural value chains (see B);
reduce food losses and waste (see C).
A2 - Overall objective of FAO’s contribution
“Efficient, sustainable and resilient local food systems and related value
chains to adequately feed low-income rural and urban consumers and
integrating small farmers/operators”, through:
• improving the governance of local food systems involving national, regional
and municipal authorities to meet expanding food demand with
diversified, safe and good quality food supplies;
• strengthening integration between production-processing-distribution
activities in different geographical (rural, peri-urban and urban) spaces and
along agricultural value chains;
• greater participation of low-income farmers and small agro entrepreneurs
in new agricultural markets and in dynamic value chains;
• higher market competitiveness of low-income agricultural households;
• City-City cooperation (S-S, N-S and decentralized cooperation
programmes);
• …
A3 – Key issues
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Efficiency and dynamism of food systems and value chains;
governance of rural-urban food systems development;
food marketing and small farmers/linkages to markets strategies;
role of wholesale markets in promoting small farmers groups’ integration
into national and international markets;
large surfaces and small producers: challenges and opportunities;
agribusiness development;
finance and investment mechanisms for enhanced productivity and risk
management;
….
A4 - Food supply issues
(from rural, peri-urban and urban to consumer areas)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Product assembly and handling rural centres;
food packaging and transport to markets;
food quality and safety issues along value chains;
storage technology and management;
food processing technology;
cold-chains technology and facilities: planning, management and
development;
communication technology for modernizing value chains;
contract farming for supplying large surface outlets;
insurance and other financial products to cope with weather risks.
A5 – Food distribution within urban areas issues
1.
2.
3.
Large surface and supermarkets v. traditional outlets
• consumers’ v. farmers’ perspective;
• contractual opportunities;
• urban planning issues.
Wholesale markets
• infrastructure planning and design issues;
• technological/logistic aspects and development;
• ownership, development and management aspects;
• urban planning issues.
Retailing
• communal/municipal markets planning and management;
• food shops and small self services serving low-income consumers;
• informal fresh food products distribution (ref. Arab Spring);
• urban planning issues.
B1 - Youth as a priority group to guarantee
the demographic dividend
Overall objective of FAO’s contribution
Opportunities available to young entrepreneurs to secure incomes through stable
employment in the agricultural sector and through micro and small agro-businesses
along value chains.
Issues for AGS
• National/local policies and strategies guidelines to promote youth’s
entrepreneurship as well as micro and small agro-businesses along value chains;
• identification of business models and opportunities;
• legislative, regulatory and operational aspects to support youth’s entrepreneurial
development as well as micro and small agro-businesses along value chains;
• access to credit/savings products;
• business-management and technological training needs.
SUPPORT TO DECISION MAKERS for A) and B)
1)
Analysis of challenges and opportunities for the development of local
food systems and value chains supplying urban areas.
2)
Formulation of policies, strategies and local plans linking production to
consumption areas in the context of expanding urban areas and food
demand (regional/metropolitan/municipal level complementing national
food security plans).
3)
Formulation of investment plans (infrastructure):
•
public investments;
•
public & private investment partnerships;
Action plans (legislation and regulations revision, promotion of private
investments, training, advice, inspections, …) for business and capacity
development at macro and meso levels.
4)
C1: Consequences of food losses and waste
(1.3 bn tonnes/year)
•
•
Repercussions on hunger and poverty alleviation, nutrition,
income generation and economic growth;
negative environmental impacts because of the energy,
biodiversity, greenhouse gases, water, soil and other
resources embedded in food that no one consumes.
C2: Causes of food losses and waste
•
•
•
•
•
Production and processing choices, patterns and technologies, internal
infrastructure and capacity, marketing chains and channels for
distribution, consumer purchasing and food use practices;
in low-income countries, they result from wide-ranging managerial and
technical limitations in harvesting techniques, storage, transportation,
processing, packaging and marketing systems;
In high-income countries, they relate to consumer behaviour as well as
to policies and regulations put in place to address other sectoral
priorities;
food regulations removes food that is still safe for human consumption;
consumers’ inadequate purchase planning and failure to use food
before expiry dates.
C3: Components of FAO’s “Save Food”
Global Initiative on Food Loss and Waste Reduction
1.
2.
3.
4.
Awareness-raising on the impact of, and solutions for food loss and waste
(global communication and media campaign, dissemination findings and
results, organization of regional congresses).
Collaboration and coordination of world-wide initiatives on food loss and
waste reduction (public/private partnerships among organizations and
companies).
Evidence-based policy, strategy and programme development for food
loss and waste reduction (field studies on food loss reduction
interventions, on their socio-economic impacts and the political and
regulatory framework affecting food loss and waste.
Support to investment programmes and projects, implemented by
private and public sectors.