Officials of the World Food Programme in Cameroon have in partnership with the ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MINADER), the Climate Smart Agriculture Youth Network Global (GCSAYN) and other partners opened an initiative aimed at building resilience and reducing vulnerabilities in food systems in the country.
WFP, MINADER, other stakeholders pose after opening of inclusion dialogue
The high level inclusion dialogue on youth, women, people living with disabilities and other vulnerable groups opened at the Djeuga Palace Hotel in Yaounde Tuesday 8 June 2021 with a hybrid participation on videoconferencing of others in different parts of the country in strict respect of COVID-19 preventive guidelines.
The dialogue comes in prelude to the UN Food Systems Summit billed for September 2021 in New York, USA in the margin of the 76th UN General Assembly. It will be preceded by a pre-summit between 26-28 July 2021 in Rome with wide range stakeholders from smallholder farmers to CEOs and scientists as well as identify ways of shaping future food systems towards achieving the sustainable development goal 17.
Talking to reporters at the launch, Ntiokam Divine, UN Food System Summit Champion, said the dialogue was called after studies showed some target groups which are key to food systems transformation were not included in the entire process.
Ntiokam Divine, UN Food System Summit Champion
He said the outcome of the meeting will fit into the national report for Cameroon’s position as far as the summit is concern. He saluted the financial and technical contribution of the WFP in ensuring the success of the dialogue and challenged all and sundry to play the role of food systems champions at their little corner.
Ibraima Hamadou, WFP Programme Policy Officer said the body is through the dialogue promoting a social inclusion programme wherein youth, women and people with disabilities and other vulnerable groups are not left behind in the drive for resilience in food systems knowing the important role agriculture plays in the country.
Ibraima Hamadou, WFP Programme Policy Officer
He said the meeting also aims at having a national dedicated platform for the target groups working on food value chains to have access to participate and contribute to the food systems dialogue, get proposals on how to take concrete actions to strengthen resilience, reduce vulnerability and develop a communique that will present inputs and other vulnerable groups at the final validation conference on food systems.
The meeting will help participants to understand the objectives of the upcoming summit, define clear actions to be captured in key discussions as well as emphasize that sustainable food system delivers food security and nutrition for all, such that the socio-economic and environmental bases that generate food security and nutrition for future generations are not compromised.
WFP she noted is supporting government in building resilience to vulnerabilities, shocks and stresses on all entry points framed by the humanitarian, development and peace nexus. “The collaboration with government, UN agencies, NGOs, smallholder farmers, people living with disabilities, rural women, urban poor, refugees, IDPs is critical to ensure inclusivity,” WFP Country Director, Wanja Kaaria said.
Opening the dialogue, Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Gabriel Mbairobe harped on the importance of inclusion in finding ways to resilience within the food systems. The meeting hinged on five key thematic including promoting indigenous food systems knowledge and experiences, engaging with school health and nutrition strategies and other safety net initiatives that support home grown school feeding, strengthening the capacities of the vulnerable populations impacted by conflicts and disasters, making communication on food systems accessible and enhancing sustainable climate change smart agriculture to support vulnerable groups.
By Doh Bertrand Nua
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