SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS PROGRAMME OF THE
10-YEAR FRAMEWORK OF PROGRAMMES ON
SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION (10YFP)
FEEDBACK FORM
NOTE TO ALL:
Please use this form to provide your general and more specific comments as indicated
below, for the proposed 10YFP Sustainable Food Systems draft concept note.
NB** all contributions received will be taken into account as much as possible. Due to limited capacity, we
will unfortunately not be in a position to inform respondents (individuals &/or organizations) on how their
suggestions have or have not been included in the final programme that will be submitted to the 10YFP
secretariat. Thank you for your understanding.
INDIVIDUAL OR ORGANIZATIONAL CONTACT INFORMATION
Name and Title
Organization
Marta Messa
Slow Food
Policy Officer
Type: International Association
Ministry;
Local authority
University/ Scientific/Research
Business organization
X NGO or not-for-profit
Financial Institution
Other (please specify):
Regional Organisation
National Cleaner Production Centre (NCPC)
Primary Producers Organization (e.g. farmers,
pastoralists, fisherfolk)
Indigenous group or community based
organization
Media
Inter-governmental organization
United Nations agency or programme
Email
Mailing address
m.messa@slowfood.it
Piazza XX settembre 5, 12042 Bra (CN), Italy
Telephone +390172419602
Fax
Country Italy
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Instructions: Please provide your feedback for each of the proposed questions on the Sustainable Food
Systems Programme by completing the following matrix. If you do not have any comments please check
the “No comment” box.
General “Sustainable Food Systems” Programme Feedback
Feedback Question
Select One
Having reviewed the draft Concept
Yes
Note, does it adequately identify the
X No
main global challenges for
sustainable food systems?
Provide Your Additional Comments
The Concept Note does not adequately identify the main global challenges for
sustainable food systems, as it does not take into account the following issues:
1. Ensuring the socio-cultural sustainability of food production and
consumption (see below)
2. Global food production, food wastage, access to natural resources and
to food: according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the
United Nations (FAO), the world already produces enough food to feed
every child, woman and man and could feed 12 billion people, or
double the current world population. This underlines clearly that there
is a clear global challenge of access to food, access to the resources for
producing it, and the state of these resources. The current food
production and consumption system not only has a considerable impact
on the environment, but also on the access of local communities to
limited resources. The incidence of land grabbing, as well as heavily
export oriented policies supporting the cultivation of export crops (e.g.
sugar cane, soya for animal feed etc.) provide clear evidence of the
socio-cultural, environmental and economic unsustainability of the
current global food system.
3. Granting the right to food for everyone: The proposed vision of the
10YFP-SFSP should also make reference to global challenge of the
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fulfillment of the right to food, as defined by Olivier De Schutter: the
right to have regular, permanent and unrestricted access, either directly
or by means of financial purchases, to quantitatively and qualitatively
adequate and sufficient food corresponding to the cultural traditions of
the people to which the consumer belongs, and which ensure a physical
and mental, individual and collective, fulfilling and dignified life free of
fear.1
4. Loss of traditional knowledge: local and global communities are
experiencing a loss of traditional knowledge and values, which goes
hand in hand with a decline in cultural diversity and the dilution of a
sense of community. This process of impoverishment of traditions is
reflected in the present global food system which, hinging on the idea
that local agriculture must serve the global market, transforms food
into a mere commodity and compels people to conform to a single way
of producing and consuming food. In this scenario, cultural, social and
environmental costs are extremely high. In order to counter such
phenomena, it is essential to undertake projects aimed at gathering,
reinforcing, preserving and promoting traditional material and
immaterial heritage, which must be perceived as the founding element
of any community. Traditional knowledge is in the process of reemerging as a priority at the global level, and is increasingly being
recognized as constituting the tangible and intangible heritage of
humanity. Slow Food defends traditional knowledge, as a source of
wisdom and know-how that lies at the core of technical and scientific
learning. If properly protected, it can become a vital element in local
economic systems and help spread environmentally friendly methods of
food production and consumption
5. Globalized markets vs local food supply chains: In today’s world, the
1
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Food/Pages/FoodIndex.aspx
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globalized market economy is showing its many limits in terms of
wastefulness and damage to the environment. The micro-economies of
local communities have the potential to work in a way that is financially
rewarding and respectful to surrounding ecosystems, human health and
cultures. Shorter distribution chains allow producers to sell their
products directly to consumers (direct sale). It is an alternative strategy
enabling producers to regain an active role in the food system, focusing
on local production - decentralized regional food systems that minimize
the number of steps involved and the distance travelled by food (food
miles), as well as all costs and potential losses (i.e. food losses) involved.
A short supply chain also makes it easier to achieve a fair price, as
consumers can better understand the “real” costs of agriculture and
food production. In addition, the often-high costs charged by
distributors can be split fairly between producers and consumers,
allowing producers to receive a dignified income for their work, and for
consumers to pay less, knowing exactly what they are paying for. Local
food production must be appreciated as a form of both cultural and
physical nourishment for any community, and for this reason must be
supported and promoted.
6. Finding adequate tools for traditional virtuous small scale farmers:
tools and schemes that are bureaucratically too cumbersome, or that
demand investments tailored for large / industrial productions, make it
impossible for small farmers to adhere to such schemes, and drive them
out of the process.
Having reviewed the proposed
Yes
Vision and Goal, do they adequately
X No
address the needs of the global
programme?
The proposed Vision and Goal do not take into account a fundamental aspect of
food production and consumption: culture. We suggest amplifying the
definition of sustainability, so as to also include socio-cultural sustainability: a
socio-culturally sustainable food system guarantees fair access to fundamental
rights (safety, health, education, etc.) and conditions of well being (education,
social relations, etc.) within a community, provides opportunities to create and
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develop internal and external relations involving the community, and recognizes
the cultural value of a product.
All three aspects of sustainability (economic, environmental, socio-cultural)
cannot be considered separately. They are strongly interrelated and need to be
analyzed using an integrated, holistic approach.
A holistic approach entails recognizing the close interdependence of different
aspects of food production and consumption, generally perceived as distinct
features: economic aspects, environmental aspects and socio-cultural aspects.
Objectives such as protecting biodiversity, fighting climate change, developing
local economies and small-scale production and safeguarding local knowledge,
traditions and culture should not be interpreted separately. Instead, each goal
must be set and pursued as part of an overall strategy that takes all the other
elements into account simultaneously. We need a holistic approach because
food is a living system, whose fundamental constitutional characteristic is
complexity.
The Goal should also read: “whilst granting the right to food for every human
being”
Having reviewed the proposed
objectives, do they adequately
address the needs of the global
programme?
Yes
X No
As indicated in the Concept Note, the premise of the objectives is the following:
112 In order to pursue this goal, the 10YFP-SFSP must aim its activities towards
protecting natural
113 resources and promoting a more efficient use of natural resources,
products and recovered materials.
The focus on the efficient use of natural resources, products and recovered
materials (i.e. environmental sustainability) risks being misleading if sociocultural and economic sustainability are not taken into consideration at the
same time, as explained above.
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114 This has to be done based on a solid scientific and policy knowledge base,
by improving resource
115 efficiency and reducing the pollution intensity of food systems, all along
food chains, from production
116 to consumption, while improving food and nutrition security.
The activities of the 10YFP-SFSP should not only be based on scientific and
policy knowledge, but must also be grounded in traditional knowldge.
Innovation and research should go together with preserving traditional
knowledge and the dialogue between these realms is more than necessary.
Traditions should be preserved through a vertical dynamic exchange between
generations and a horizontal exchange among communities of different
countries or of different worlds (science and traditional knowledge).
Provide Your Feedback
Programme Objectives
Programme Objective 1: Raise
awareness on the need to shift to
sustainable food systems and applying
a systems approach to addressing
No Comment
Suggested Text Change
Additional Feedback
(check the box)
(Please insert your text)
(Please insert your text)
Raise awareness on the need to
shift to sustainable food
systems and applying a
systems approach to
The proposed vision of the 10YFPSFSP should also make reference
to the fulfillment of the right to
food, as reported above.
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Programme Objectives
Provide Your Feedback
food security and nutrition.
addressing food security and
nutrition, with particular
attention to the right to food.
Programme Objective 2: Build
capacity and enabling conditions for
the uptake of sustainable practices
across food systems and facilitate
access to financial and technical
assistance.
Build capacity and enabling
conditions for the uptake of
sustainable practices across
food systems, support already
existing sustainable practices
and facilitate access to
financial and technical
assistance.
It should be acknolwedged that
sustainable practices already exist
and should be supported, shared
and their replication encouraged.
Programme Objective 3: Take
stock of, categorize and disseminate –
and if needed develop – accessible and
actionable information tools and
methodologies to support governments,
the private sector, consumers and other
relevant stakeholders to act towards
more sustainable food systems.
Programme Objective 4: Bring
together initiatives and develop
partnerships to build synergies and
cooperation to leverage resources
towards the mutual goal of
promoting, enhancing and facilitating
X
The participation of farmers in
these processes is an essential
element in ensuring the spread of
sustainable practices and, for this
reason, the horizontal sharing of
knowledge among farmers is of
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Programme Objectives
Provide Your Feedback
crucial importance, as well as
among communities of different
countries or of different worlds
(science and traditional
knowledge).
the shift towards more sustainable
food systems
Feedback Question
Are there additional fundamental
objectives that the programme
should respond to in your view?
Having reviewed the proposed
work areas, do they adequately
address the needs of the global
programme?
Select One
X Yes
Provide Your Additional Comments
Granting the right to food to all human beings and future generations.
No
X Yes
No
Provide Your Feedback
Programme Work Areas
No Comment
Suggested Text Change
Additional Feedback
(check the box)
(Please insert your text)
(Please insert your text)
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Programme Work Areas
Programme Work Area 1: Increase
the availability, accessibility and sharing
of actionable knowledge, information and
tools for SCP.
Provide Your Feedback
Among the activities
encompassed under this work
area there should also be the
strengthening of food information
to consumers.
Slow Food believes transparent
labels are more conducive to the
promotion of sustainable
production methods. The
conventional approach to food
analysis and information does not
allow us to understand if a food
has been produced in a way that
respects the environment,
animals and social
justice/workers' rights. In fact,
communication is often
purposefully misleading, vaguely
conjuring up rural worlds full of
poetry, supposedly authentic
techniques and ambiguous
references to traditional flavors.
The evocative images often bear
little relationship to the actual
characteristics of the products
being marketed.
Often it is the most natural
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Programme Work Areas
Provide Your Feedback
products and those of sustainable
small scale farmers that end up
being penalized. Their labels are
perfectly legal but brief, and do
not provide much information
about varieties and breeds,
cultivation and processing
methods, areas of origin, animal
welfare. Transparent and
informative labels would allow
sustainable producers to highlight
the qualities of their productions
and consumers to make informed
decisions.
Programme Work Area 2:
Encourage, facilitate and support
inclusive multi-stakeholder dialogue to
help inform interconnected policymaking
towards sustainable food systems at
local, national, regional and international
levels.
Programme Work Area 3: Facilitate
the use and enhance opportunities for
market-based and/or voluntary
approaches throughout supply chain
towards sustainable food systems.
Attention should be paid to the
challenges of enhancing
opportunities for voluntary
approaches. At EU level, for
instance, voluntary approaches in
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Programme Work Areas
Provide Your Feedback
stopping profitable Unfair Trading
Practices have been so far
ineffective (see for instance the
report “Food, Inc. Corporate
concentration from farm to
consumer”, 2003)
Feedback Question
Are there other work areas you
think should have priority, if so,
what?
Can you propose priority activities
under the Work Areas, if so, what?
Select One
Yes
X No
Yes
Provide Your Additional Comments
It is fundamental to involve different actors through different work
areas and activities to ensure the effectiveness of the SCP. If only
part of the actors are involved, or if only a limited range of activities
are implemented, the SCP will not be able to succeed.
As above.
X No
Other Feedback on the document
Line Number
Reference
56-59
Provide Your Feedback
We suggest making reference to the following: according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
(FAO), the world already produces enough food to feed every child, woman and man and could feed 12 billion people, or
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Line Number
Reference
60-63
170-171
Provide Your Feedback
double the current world population.
It should be considered that the current food production and consumption system not only has a considerable impact on
the environment, but also on the access of local communities to limited resources. The incidence of land grabbing, as well
as heavily export oriented policies supporting the cultivation of export crops (e.g. sugar cane, soya for animal feed etc.)
provide clear evidence of the socio-cultural, environmental and economic unsustainability of the current global food
system.
To manage limits is the first sustainability exercise. There are limits that we need to manage, and beyond which there is no
growth but rather regression: economic loss, environmental loss and cultural impoverishment. If the document underlines
the environmental aspect of sustainability without equal attention to socio-cultural and economic issues, it risks providing
an incomplete analysis of the issue.
Reference to sustainable intensification should be accompanied by two clarifications:
1. sustainable intensification has been defined as a form of production wherein “yields are increased without adverse
environmental impact and without the cultivation of more land”2; however, if we look at the data on food production (see
FAO data mentioned above), the challenge of the current and future food system is food security in terms of access to food
and natural resources, rather than in terms of quantity of food produced. It is then questionable whether sustainable
intensification should be the goal of the 10YFP-SFSP.
2. attention should be given to different methods of sustainable management of natural biological processes and their
impacts, see for instance agroecology.
Today, agricultural science and practice are reorienting themselves towards more sustainable practices and are
reconsidering the value of traditional agricultural models. These often use methods that preserve soil fertility, varietal
choices and rotation and intercropping practices that can represent the most efficient and effective way of maintaining the
productive capacity of agricultural systems.
2
The Royal Society (2009). Reaping the benefits: science and the sustainable intensification of global agriculture,
London.
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Line Number
Reference
Provide Your Feedback
172-173
According to Slow Food, sustainable agricultural practices develop around the concept of agroecology: it is is based on the
conservation and management of agricultural resources through participation, traditional knowledge and adaption to local
conditions. One of agroecology’s greatest concerns is agrobiodiversity, considered a primary component of agroecosystems
and a source of ecosystemic services.
The uptake of new technologies should be done in a dynamic exchange with traditional methods, as explained above.
177-178
Local supply chains should be also facilitated as they are key to achieve the goals of the work area 2: encourage, facilitate
and support inclusive multi-stakeholder dialogue to help inform interconnected policymaking towards sustainable food
systems at local, national, regional and international levels.
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