1.
Food Systems Analysis:
assembling the puzzle
CIRAD – FAO – DEVCO
21 and 25 September 2020

2.
Why a "food system" approach?
• Consensus on the unsustainability of food systems (degradation of
natural resources linked to the intensification of production systems and
impact on CC, persistence of malnutrition in all its forms, increasing
health risks, financialization driving price instability and land grabbing...)
• Systemic 'food system' approach is promoted to
• understand the multiplicity of issues - food security, economic, social,
environmental and territorial balance
• understand dynamic interactions between drivers/actors & activities/outcomes,
including feedback loops
• identify certain levers/actions to move towards more sustainability - more
effective/transformative interventions
2

3.
Personal
determinants
of foodchoices
Feedback
effects
generate
influence
Flowsof food produce
Flowsof co-products
and waste
Productionand delivery proximateenvironment
Non-
food
sectors
Consumption
environment
Proximate
environments
influence
Core system
Food Import
/ Export
Biophysicaland
environmental
drivers
Governanceand
territorialdrivers
Infrastructureand
technology drivers
Politicaldrivers
Socio-economic
drivers
Demographic
drivers
ENVIRONMENTAL
OUTCOMES
TERRITORIALBALANCE
OUTCOMES
SOCIO-ECONOMIC
OUTCOMES
FOODSECURITY,
NUTRITIONAND
HEALTH
Drivers OUTCOMES
interlinkagesbetween
drivers/ between
outcomes
Feedback
effects
Plantproduction
Animalproduction
Transportaggregation
storage Processing Distribution Consumption
Wastemanagement
Supplychain
segments
The analytical
framework

4.
Essential methodological features
The assessment:
• Identifies the contributions of FS to the SDGs from a multi-dimensional perspective by
considering 4 objectives; 1) Food security, nutrition and health, 2) socio-economics, 3) territorial
balance and 4) environment
• Highlights spatial heterogeneities, with a territorial approach
• Identifies current and future sustainability challenges to feed political debate
• Relies on quantitative AND qualitative data, as well as participatory approach, to build a
coherent narrative of the key challenges faced by FS, supported by figures
The process:
• targets and involves policy- and decision makers, as well as donors and stakeholders
• fosters synergies with other analysis processes and political debates related to food systems
... and all this in virtual conditions

5.
• Co-build a consistent and systemic narrative on the key current and
future issues faced by food systems that takes spatial heterogeneity
into account
• Promote policy dialogue among FS stakeholders to build a shared
vision and inform discussions on future interventions to improve the
sustainability and resilience of FS
Expected results of the process
5

6.
The assessment process AG Moisa 3 / 07 / 2020
Workshops Desk
STEP E
Synthetise national and
regional FS profiles
Interviews
STEP D Dialogue
and shared
understanding
Further policy dialogue
-
In depth analysis on priority
territories/dimensions
STEP A
Framing the
issues
STEP C
Consulting and mapping
STEP B
National-level
assessment

7.
Assessment modalities and support
Who leads the assessment ?
 Three national consultants, in collaboration with EU delegations, FAO focal points and CIRAD
How long does the assessment take?
 1 week preparation (to initiate several weeks before start-up), 3 weeks assessment, 2 weeks policy brief
writing
What is provided by the global team ?
 Methodological guide + toolbox (29 tools/guidelines)
 Training (2 days of virtual session), technical support all along the assessment and review of the
analytical syntheses (Cirad)
 Overall management and administration and support to policy dialogue (FAO)
 Workshops facilitation (OuiShare)

8.
Step A: Framing the issues (1)
Objectives
• Identify the main FS challenges and obstacles to sustainability in the 4 dimensions,
to circumscribe the scope of the assessment
• Involve key stakeholders in the joint assessment process
Method
• Kick-off workshop, 1 day / 20 to 30 participants
• Participants : national authorities, key players in the agricultural sectors, public and
private actors linked to FS, research, NGOs...
Preparation
• Characterize public policies, government strategies and programs on the four
dimensions of a sustainable food system; review of reports and analyses published
by different actors (NGOs, PO, FAO, EU...)
• Identify governance mechanisms (scale, decentralization, inter-ministerial
coordination, ongoing political dialogues, informal institutions, etc.)

9.
Step A: Framing the issues (2)
Expected results: Co-construct a shortlist of FS's key issues/problems at the national
level to improve sustainability
Based on 4 dimensions of a sustainable food system:
1) Food security, nutrition and health: Ensure food security and provide healthy,
balanced and nutritious diets, to contribute to health for all.
2) Socio-economy: Provide decent livelihoods and jobs for all food system actors,
notably smallholders, women and youth, contributing to inclusive economic growth
through the food sector (from production to distribution) and an improved food trade
balance.
3) Territorial balance: Contribute to balanced power distribution and territorial
development, fostering stability and equity among food system actors.
4) Environment: Manage, preserve/regenerate ecosystems and natural resources and
limit their effects on climate.
9

10.
Step B: Documenting and analysing available data (1)
Objective :
Generating an initial overview of :
- The dimension affected by the FS and the mains challenges identified
- The cause, i.e. the drivers of the FS and/or the functioning of the core FS
Method :
• Analysis of a set of indicators (quantitative and qualitatives), including trends
• Compare with other LIC/LMIC
• Analyse of food balances and fundamental statistics as regards agricultural
(with a specific focus on food commodities)

11.
Step B: Documenting and analysing available data (2)
Dimension
Sub-
Dimension
Indicators
8 dimensions 56 (quantit + qualit)
Biophysical and environment
Demography
Policy
Governance & balanced
territorial development
Infrastructures & technical
services
Socio-economy
Consumption environment
Production & delivering
environment
Food security, nutrition &
health
Toolbox:
- Selection of indicators
- Indicator sheet for each indicator
- Calculated indicators LMIC-LIC, and ranking
- Database availability per country
- Narratives support
- ….
(ex of outcomes)
Outcome &
impact
Food security,
nutrition & health
Undernourishment x %
Stunting x %
Obesity x %
Anemia X %
Protein, sugar, sodium,
sat. Fats, protein
xx g/cap/yr
Micronutriments x %
Socio-economic
Poverty x %
Jobs in agriculture x %
Underemployment x%
Share of GDP x %
Import dependency x %
… xxx
Governance and
territory
Rural/urban poverty
gap
x %
Rural / urban stunting
gap
x %
Displaced people xx xxx
… x %
Environment
Water stress x %
Deforestation x %
C02 emission/ha xxx kg/ha
Energy use x %
- Quantitative indicators
- Literature review
- Trend analysis => potential risks
Focus on the main challenges identified during the
kick-off, and the major causes

12.
Step B: Documenting and analysing available data (3)
Tool box
• Guidance for selecting
strategic products
• Guidance to calculate food
trade balance, thanks to
FAOstat data (example for
Senegal)
• …
Source : FAOSTAT data. This makes it possible to identify dependence on
imports as well as the diverse use of food calories.
Ex: Senegal
53%
47%
6%8%
20%
65%
Food balance (in calories)
Production
Import
Export
Stocks
Others & non-food
uses
Food
Use Supply
Food balances:
- Production / import / export
- By group of products
- In calories, protein, fats
- Trends

13.
Step C: consultation and spatialization (1)
Objective
• Complement the “critical” quantitative indicators by qualitative insights (by
experts)
• Explore the diversity of situations within the country
• Characterise and map key actors and activities of each FS segment - and major
non FS actors
Method
Semi-structured interviews (~20 )
Mapping main challenges from stakeholders point of view
+ exploring existing maps
Identify impact pathways between the components of the FS
LIVELIHOODS ZONES
INSÉCURITÉ ALIMENTAIRE
DENSITÉ DE POPULATION

14.
StepC: consultationandspatialization(2)
14
Method
- Literature review :
 Characterise actors and their activities (related to specific supply and value chains)
- Small workshop (10-12 people) :
 Consolidate and map types of actors
Characterizing and spatialize key actors and activities
Tool box
• Guidelines to choose informants to be
interviewed
• Interview guidelines
• Criteria to characterize main types of FS
actors
Criteria for FS stakeholders and functioning
characterization
Structural features
Types of activities/products
Practices and technologies
Gouvernance

15.
Step D: Share, discuss and reach a common understanding on the
main challenges
Objective:
• Achieve broad and shared understanding on the key current and future challenges to achieve
sustainable food system goals (SFS) at national and subnational/territorial level
• Facilitate dialogue among FS stakeholders, policy makers and (local) authorities, to co-construct a
multidimensional and dynamic vision of FS and to identify critical points and opportunities for
interventions
Method:
Synthesis workshop (~40
participants, 1 day)
Toolbox
Choice of participants
Workshop facilitation
Introduction
 Present, discuss and validate main results (plenary session)
 Territorialisation (groups by identified zones)
• Validate the mapping
• Validate the profiles of each zone
• Discuss opportunities and levers
 Restitution (plenary session)
Conclusions

16.
Step E: summarize the results and prepare policy relevant briefs
• Product : Policy brief
• FS outcomes in BAU scenario (relative to
the core objectives)
• Assessment of risks and opportunities as
regards four core dimensions
• Perspectives as regards FNS
• Revised objectives for a sustainable food
system
• Perspectives as regards the food economy
• Policies and policy gaps
• Drivers and trends
• Territorial food systems: localisation, main
characteristics, challenges and
opportunities
• ..

17.
Implementation process and commitments

18.
DevCo C1
Strategic orientation
Countryteam
National authorities
EU Delegations
Strategic framing,
political dialogue
FAORep
Support, policy
process
Country focal point
(FAO or CIRAD)
Process facilitation
National consultants
EUDel staff
(directly involved)
CIRAD
Training, method. &
quality support
FAO-CFI
Process, administration,
dialogue & quality
support
globalteam
‘Food-related dialogues’
Key informants:
Producer associations,
interprofes. organizationsline ministries and
departments
private sector
researchers donors, IFI, ..
local authorities
…18
FAORep staff
(directly involved)
Parties involved:

19.
Preparatory tasks (Step 0)
EUDel and FAORep with the support from the Global team :
• Identification, selection and contracting of national consultants (FAORep)
• Fostering involvement of authorities and government (preparedness for broader policy process)
• Identification of key resource persons and institutions: expert knowledge as regards FS
segments, knowledge on political and policy processes, observatories and civil society actors,
• Collecting key information and insights on food-related issues
• areas of particular attention to the government (prime minister vision), policies and priority
programs – future investments
• Information and data at subnational level
• grey literature on food system challenges / territorial issues
• reflections from multi-actor and/or inter-professional coordination mechanisms
• ..
• Managing communication with the government, introductory letter, logistics (internet, ..)
• organizing the country team

20.
Common thematic competences :
i. Socio-economic analysis applied to the agricultural/food sector and food security,
ii. Environmental issues in the agricultural/food sector,
iii. Policy, governance and macro-economic dimensions,
Specific thematic competences : insights EUDel & FAORep as regards key food-related issues in
the country
cross-cutting skills:
i. Practice of using international and national quantitative databases,
ii. Sensitivity to systemic approaches
iii. Sensitivity to territorial approaches
iv. Knowledge of national institutions and policy processes
v. ..
Selecting and contracting the consultant team
20

21.
Tasks during the assessment : UEDel and FAORep
Step A
• Mobilise political actors and
stakeholders
• Participate in kick-off workshop
• Support workshop organization
• Identify key informants
Step B
• Access to essential information
Step C
• Support for setting up expert
interviews
Step E
• Peer review results
• Decide next steps (e.g. future
policy process)
• Identify areas for in-depth analysis
Support to
deepening policy
process, further
analysis,..
21
Step D
• Participate in
synthesis workshop
• Support workshop
organization

22.
Elements of success:
• Level of interest from EU delegation, FAORep & national authorities in a shared
analytical process and long-term political dialogue on the sustainable transformation
• Pre-existence of conversations on food-related challenges (= source of key informants
and experts for the assessment),
• Experience at national level with multisectoral approaches, participatory processes and
strategic planning, ..
• Breath of experience and skills of consultant team, effectiveness of coordination
between EUDel and FAORep, timeliness and quality of support from country focal point
and global team,
• Clear distribution of roles and tasks between country team members
• Clarity on the expected products and outcomes from the dialogues
22

23.
Expected products and outcomes:
• Stakeholders and policy makers more cognizant of the systemic
nature of food systems (virtuous and vicious cycles, trade-offs
between outcomes, ..)
stimulating and deepening the conversations on food-related
issues
fostering long term political dialogue on the need for
transformative change, weighing-in issues related to inclusiveness,
territorial balance, rural livelihoods etc..
• EUDel and FAORep collaboration as a step-change for sustained
support to policy dialogue and bringing results at scale ..

24.
Thank you
Discussion