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 . The form should be sent back to the 10YFP Secretariat ( 10yfp@unep.org
) by 14 th April
2015.
Please note that this consultation is conducted in parallel through the Food Security and
Nutrition Network.
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.
Name and Title Organization
Elise Golan, Director for
Sustainable Development,
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Type: x Government ministry;
Local authority
University/ Scientific/Research
Business organization
NGO or not-for-profit
Financial Institution
Other (please specify):
Regional Organisation
National Cleaner Production Centre (NCPC)
Primary Producers Organization (e.g. farmers, pastoralists, fisherfolks)
Indigenous group or community based organization
Media
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Email egolan@oce.usda.gov
Telephone(202) 720-2456
Would you like your contribution to be made public on the 10YFP website?
Inter-governmental organization
United Nations agency or programme
Mailing address
USDA, Whitten Building, rm 112-A, 1400 Independence
Ave, SW, Washington, DC. 20250
Fax (202) 690-4915
Country USA
Yes xX No
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Instructions
General “Sustainable Food Systems” Programme Feedback
Feedback Question Select One Provide Your Additional Comments
Having reviewed the draft Concept
Note , does it adequately identify the main global challenges for sustainable food systems?
Yes x No
The concept note does not seem to even attempt to identify the main global challenges for sustainable food systems. The introduction is a litany of problems confronting the food system, from obesity to food waste to urbanization. It does not do a good job of linking these issues to sustainability and sustainable food systems. It does not offer a ranking of challenges. Most of this material could be cut and replaced with a shorter statement to the effect that without more sustainable food systems, we will not be able to meet the food and nutrition needs of wealthier and growing populations, increase wages and grow incomes; and protect and enhance natural resources and ecosystems.
The introductory material could also underscore problem areas with solutions to be found in the 10YFP focus areas such as resource efficiency (e.g. referencing growing water deficits, to be addressed through water use efficiency); degrading ag lands (to be addressed through sustainable use, addressing most serious ag pollution areas (e.g. nutrient pollution —esp. nitrogen), and waste (especially food waste).
Teeing up these problem areas up front in the challenges would help justify priority focus/work areas that should follow. Though currently, the work areas do not provide any ranking of challenges. (We are not proposing a particular ranking at this time.)
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Having reviewed the proposed
Vision and Goal, do they adequately address the needs of the global programme? x Yes x No
Having reviewed the proposed objectives, do they adequately address the needs of the global programme? x Yes
No
In general, the draft does not articulate a cohesive vision for the SFSP.
This may be partly due to the fact that it includes a mix of source material, including old language from a 2011 draft and the results of a brainstorming exercise at the final meeting of the Agri-Food Task Force.
The introduction to the vision statement (lines 92-93) consists of selected sentences taken from the front section and vision statement of “A 10-year framework of programmes on sustainable consumption and production patterns” (Annex to the letter dated 18 June 2012 from the permanent
Representative of Brazil to the United nations addressed to the
Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable
Development). Better to state that the SFSP will support and contribute to all the objectives of the 10YFP instead of calling out a select few.
Specific vision statement OK, recognizing desire to conform to UN
Committee on World Food Security (although, this definition is rather unclear … e.g. what are economic, social and environmental bases).
The continuation of the vision statement in lines 112-117 loses the vision of sustainability as a balance of environmental, social and economic objectives. The vision could be improved by rewriting the first sentence to focus on more efficient food supply systems and more efficient resource use (not jumping straight to protecting natural resources).
Efficiency helps provide a balance among the sustainability objectives.
These are adequate, but note that these address more the “hows” of the initiative, and less on the what (problems to solve). This is
OK as long as the “what (problems to address)” is captured in the work areas. The objectives do not point to a desired result unless they are focused on a particular problem area.
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Programme Objectives
Programme Objective 1: Raise awareness on the need to shift to sustainable food systems and applying a systems approach to addressing food security and nutrition.
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.
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.
No Comment
(check the box)
Provide Your Feedback
Suggested Text Change
(Please insert your text)
Please insert “more” in the sentence “…need to shift to more sustainable food systems….”
Additional Feedback
(Please insert your text)
“uptake” w/o an s.
Please insert “science-based and/or empiricallydemonstrat ed” ” and “farmers” and “contribute to” into the sentence “accessible and actionable, science-based and/or empiricallydemonstrated information tools and methodologies to support
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Programme Objectives Provide Your Feedback
. governments, the private sector, farmers, consumers…to contribute to 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 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? x x x
Select One
Yes
No
Yes
No
Provide Your Additional Comments
None of the current objectives explicitly include goals around increasing efficiency and sustainable use of resources - two objectives stressed in the 10YFP
The descriptions of the work areas are very dense and difficult to understand. They do not describe a core set of work areas to target
SFSP activities – and they do not align well with the objectives of the programme. We would support a rewrite of the work areas that better matched the objectives. We also support introducing activities on information sharing and capacity building to reduce, recover and recycle food loss and waste. As written, it is unclear which work areas would be
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Programme Work Areas
No Comment
(check the box)
Programme Work Area 1: Increase the availability, accessibility and sharing of actionable knowledge, information and tools for SCP.
the best fit for these activities.
As suggested above, this section might target a few high priority problem areas that fall under the 10YFP focus areas: e.g. water use efficiency in agriculture; nutrient pollution; and, especially, reducing food waste.
There is a lot here right now, too much for defining a strategic set of
“work areas”. Recognizing that this is a framework, however, needing to respond to varying interest, we would at least suggest trying to apply better formatting (e.g. bullets) to make it more readable, perhaps also do some grouping of activities under a heading, and hopefully do some degree of winnowing down the list and focused on those most relevant to a program addressing SCP in agriculture. Some of these activities may be better directed to other non-10YFP programs.
Provide Your Feedback
Suggested Text Change
(Please insert your text)
Additional Feedback
(Please insert your text)
All information and knowledge sharing should be of information and knowledge that is empirically robust. There must be some level of assurance that systems, methodologies, programs and policies that are promoted through the SFSP have been proved effective – and, if
Clarity needed here, as well as explanation of rationale for
“open-source inventory data”.
Not explained here. Would note that this is currently underway in a 10YFP affiliated
LCA effort, so may be that should indicate need to link interest to the ongoing LCA work, and not a project specific
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Programme Work Areas
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.
Provide Your Feedback possible, that the benefits outweigh the costs. This is particularly important for work area 1, but is relevant for all the work areas. The adjective
“actionable” should be joined by “science-based and/or empiricallydemonstrated” to the SFSP.
Suggest following rewrite:
“Facilitate the use and enhance opportunities for voluntary marketbased approaches….”
Delete “and/or voluntary.” All market-based approaches
The work area description does not really match the listing of candidate activities
—so the program work area description needs a rework. The activities listed as a bit of a hodgepodge of ideas (many useful) that might benefit for a more strategic organization, and maybe highlight which areas are expected to get early attentions (i.e. areas where there broad interest and support (incl. expected funding).
Comments similar to those above, and note that this set has a lot of “hows” (similar to the Objectives) and might benefit from more specific indication of problems to be
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Programme Work Areas Provide Your Feedback addressed. should be voluntary. Unclear what the “and/or voluntary” refers to
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? x x
Select One
Yes
No
Yes
No
Provide Your Additional Comments
As observed above, work areas that focus on problems, not actions would entail a completely different set of areas, such as food loss and waste, water use efficiency, soil quality, efficiency, etc. If the focus remains on actions, then identification of a core set of networks and platforms for information sharing would help focus activities, such as networks to share information on extension practices, and consumer education, etc.
Food Waste Reduction and Recovery broadly plus specific interest area from USEPA, looking not at field to market/post-harvest losses, but market/manufacturer/retail to consumer.) Add to list of possible activities in Work Area 3: “(d) promoting initiatives aimed at food waste reduction and recovery through collaborative efforts among government, commercial or institutional food operations, hunger relief organizations
(e.g. food pantries) and other supporting organizations. Efforts could also be directed initiatives that divert food waste, including non-edible food waste, from landfills toward other productive uses including, for animal feed, industrial uses, energy recovery from anaerobic digestions and/or composting, including in order to reduce landfill methane emissions.
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Other Feedback on the document
Line Number
Reference
16
63
68
99
116
154
159
167
183
189
190
192
198
200
Provide Your Feedback
Insert “promoting national effort and” prior to “enhancing international cooperation.
Not clear what is being said here.
“Food systems valorise resources….” The meaning and intent of this sentence are unclear. It should be cut.
This sentence should be updated to reflect language in the 10YFP, ie, “The proposed 10YFP-SFSP should accelerate the shift towards more sustainable food systems, supporting regional and national policies and initiatives.”
“…with particular regards to” is an odd phrasing, used here at elsewhere.
Food and nutrition security, or food security and nutrition: used both ways in this text, eg. 212. Would suggests using the latter.
The description of possible activities is a muddle. This sentence should be cut; it was clearly taken from a different draft or document and does not fit here.
This long sentence also does not fit here and does not make sense given a and b. If not cut, the sentence will need editing to ensure that it is in keeping with international trade agreements.
This sentence begins a series of three sentences ending with colons. The whole description is confusing.
This sentence should be cut. Unclear what is meant by “use existing institutions as platforms” and whether this conclusion refers to the whole work area or only b).
Delete extra “include” before “encompass.”
Cut this sentence – clearly taken from another document.
Need to specify “effective and reliable science-based certification and standards”
Shouldn’t this be a different activity from identification and piloting of innovative market mechanisms? Need to specify “meaningful and reliable science-based communication…”
Very unclear – how is this related to above? Shouldn’t this be a standalone activity? Since broad principles already exist to guide the development of these sorts of claims, should be “Sharing of principles that can guide the
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Line Number
Reference
202
210
216
Provide Your Feedback development and assessment o f sustainability claims.”
202: This doesn’t seem to fit here. Also, unclear what is meant by “leverage points.”
Cut “prioritize policies” to clarify that the 10YFP does not have policy authority.
It is far outside the mandate of the 10YFP-
SFSP to “propose” instruments and sustainability indicators. The
10YFP-SFSP will be composed of a variety of activities involving different sets of stakeholders across different countries, different regions and different food systems, all with different objectives and constraints. Each activity should be evaluated by its own set of indicators. The number of active partnerships and projects developed as a result of the 10YFP-
SFSP is a valid metric of the programme’s impact, particularly over the short to medium term.
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