Leave no one behind: Four Betters to transform agri-food systems in Tanzania

By

Dr Nyabenyi Tipo

The United Republic of Tanzania and the rest of the world have once again celebrated World Food Day on October 16. In the country, the national celebrations were held in the Simiyu Region in Tanzania Mainland, while in Zanzibar, they will take place in Pemba.

Building on the momentum created by the United Nations (UN) Food Systems Summit last year, this year’s World Food Day theme “Leave no one behind: better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life,” called for the transformation of more efficient, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable agri-food systems for improved production, nutrition, the environment, and a better life for all, leaving no one behind.

In 2021, the Food Systems Summit laid the groundwork for global food systems transformation and accelerated action to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Governments, the private sector, civil society, and academia all have a role to play, but so do our individual actions.

Global agri-food systems need to change both for the people and for the planet. They are currently failing to provide healthy and nutritious food to people in an equitable manner. Resources and land are being depleted at an alarming rate, and biodiversity loss is a major concern.

Food systems contribute up to one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions while also being crippled by the effects of climate change. A major transformation is needed to feed 10 billion people worldwide by 2050, leaving no one left behind.

The Ministries of Agriculture (mainland and Zanzibar) as well as UN agencies in Tanzania and other stakeholders, organized a week-long series of collaborative outreach activities and events to raise awareness and action to eliminate hunger, food insecurity, and malnutrition. They included exhibitions at the Bariadi Town Council showcasing various technologies for agri-food systems (from farm to fork); a tree-planting campaign; a traditional food fair; a Village Health and Nutrition Day (VNHD) and Junior World Food Day activities such as the airing of animated cartoons on healthy diets, and a Girl-led Action on Nutrition- Sensitive Agriculture galvanizing for more "food champions" to drive forward agenda 2030 and the launch of various strategies/guidelines/ toolkits to support agri-food system transformation.

What is an agri-food system?

The UN defines the agri-food system as "the journey food takes from farm to table, including when it is grown, fished, harvested, processed, packaged, transported, distributed, traded, bought, prepared, eaten, and disposed of." It also includes non-food products that contribute to people's livelihoods, as well as the activities, investments, and decisions that contribute to the availability of these food and agricultural products” (Working definition of agri-food systems - as per the report of the FAO Council, 166th session, 26 April - 1 May 2021).

Agri-food systems are critical in Tanzania for social, economic, and environmental reasons. Food is derived from natural environments, which include land and water bodies that provide food crops, livestock, fish, wild game, fruits, and vegetables. Food systems vary across the country based on agro-ecological zones, socioeconomic status, food market infrastructure, traditions, and cultural norms and habits.

Agri-food systems include the inputs, institutions, infrastructure, and services that enable all of these elements to function, as well as the role of diets and cultural practices in shaping outcomes. Agri-food systems are made up of subsystems (for example, farming systems, waste management systems, and input supply systems) and interact with other key systems (such as the energy system, trade system, and health system).

Why do agri-food systems need to change?

Agri-food systems need to be transformed to increase access to healthy diets, make better use of our natural resources and reduce the impact on our environment. Agri-food systems are expected to sustainably feed a growing global population, which is expected to reach 10 billion by 2050, with FAO estimating that $40 to $50 billion in annual investments on targeted interventions are required to end hunger by 2030.

Climate change is also having an impact on the functioning of agri-food systems, resulting in lower crop yields and livestock productivity, declines in fisheries, aquaculture, and agroforestry production, and changes in the nutrient composition of major staples, with protein, mineral, and vitamin reductions.

As a result, transforming our food systems will require building long-term resilience to shocks (such as the COVID-19 pandemic, conflict, climate change, inequality, rising prices, and international tensions)

"Transforming our food systems is among the most powerful ways to change course and make progress towards all 17 SDGs and ‘build back better from COVID-19." - FAO Director-General QU Dongyu

What does it take to transform– the four betters?

Ultimately, transforming our country's agri-food systems for better production, nutrition, the environment, and a better life is dependent on our actions - each of us is a game changer with a role to play, whether as producers, distributors, consumers, policymakers, the private sector, academia, development partners, or civil society. Our collective actions, as well as each of our individual actions, have an impact on the future of our agri-food systems.

To understand how to accelerate transformative processes while also improving multi-stakeholder collaboration across sectors, levels of governance, and disciplines, our country's agri-food systems require the adoption of a systems approach, accompanied by an integrated analysis of our current agri-food systems.

To transform our country's agri-food systems for improved production, we need to scale up interventions to ensure efficient, sustainable consumption and production patterns, as well as inclusive food and agriculture supply chains at all levels.

Transforming our country's agri-food systems for better nutrition entails implementing and scaling up evidence-based policies and investments to end hunger, promote nutritious foods, and increase access to healthy diets, which can help reduce food loss and waste and ensure open and accessible markets and trade.

Transforming our country’s agri-foodsystemsforabetterenvironment means protecting, restoring, and promoting sustainable use of terrestrial and marine ecosystems, promoting a good environment for farming systems, and combating climate change through reduction, reutilization, recycling, and residual management approaches.

Reducing inequalities between urban and rural areas, between rich and poor, between men and women, and between men and women, as well as promoting inclusive economic growth, are all part of transforming our country's agri-food systems for a better life.

The "four betters" reflect the interconnected economic, social, and environmental dimensions of agri-food systems and advocate for a strategic, systems-oriented approach to agri-food system transformation. The "four betters" represent a new way of working and a renewed call to action for all stakeholders to help make our agri-food systems MORE efficient, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable through better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life for all, leaving no one behind.

To that end, World Food Day this year provides a unique opportunity for us to reflect on, highlight, harness, and amplify the momentum generated by the UN Food Systems Summit process to transform our agri-food systems by implementing previously unthinkable structural changes.

Aritcle by FAO Representative, Tanzania