FOOD SYSTEMS, KNOWLEDGE SESSIONS SERIES AT Food and Agriculture FOODSYSTEMS THE WORLD BANK Organization of the 2030 I WORLDBANKGROUP United Nations FOOD SYSTEMS, FF4Tl Fl- S:_ 'NFk F @ 2024 The World Bank 1818 H Street NW, Washington DC 20433 Telephone: 202-473-1000; Internet: www.worldbank.org Some rights reserved This work is a product of The World Bank and the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this work do not necessarily reflect the views of the Executive Directors of The World Bank, FAO or the governments they represent. The World Bank and FAO do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or currency of the data included in this work and does not assume responsibility for any errors, omissions, or discrepancies in the information, or liability with respect to the use of or failure to use the information, methods, processes, or conclusions set forth. 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FOOD SYSTEMS, 1 5- The World Bank - FAO Knowledge Exchange Series on the nexus of food systems, nutrition and climate change 5 Sub-topics of the Knowledge Exchange Series 5 Case studies 6 Attendance and reach 8 Water Management: Addressing Water Scarcity for Sustainable, Resilient, and Efficient Agrifood Systems 9 Mountain Regions: Agrifood Systems Transformation for Nutrition and Climate Resilience 12 Food Loss and Waste: Prices, Perishability and Policy 16 Policy Innovations: Overcoming Constraints and Seizing Opportunities for Implementing the Nexus 19 Systematic inequalities and Social Inclusion: Addressing Systemic Inequality and Social Inclusion in South Asia's Agrifood Systems 23 FOOD SYSTEMS, 'dOWl FIM SW'S- NSS SIR IC Expert selection process 30 Video recording process 30 Format of the sessions 30 FOOD SYSTEMS, I(.Vl Ff-r F :,- 'NFk F EXECUTIVE SUMMARY How can we tackle the interconnected crises of food insecurity, malnutrition and climate change through the transformation of our agrifood systems? By bringing together experts from the whole region of South Asia, the World Bank - Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Knowledge Exchange Series on the Nexus of Food Systems, Nutrition, and Climate Change addresses this very challenge through the nexus of agrifood systems, nutrition and climate, building knowledge on real life cases, sharing scalable solutions and expertise. By spotlighting regional best practices, the series allowed experts, policy makers and project managers to open a dialogue on the various solutions that can be promoted within the nexus to truly drive the transformation of agrifood systems, meet nutrition targets, and tackle climate change in South Asia. The series facilitated a comprehensive dialogue among hundreds of participants from South Asia and beyond, highlighting the importance of regional exchanges, setting the stage for collective action and shared learning. Experts from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka contributed to the sessions. Their varied insights, derived from a wide range of institutions, including international organizations, academia, NGOs, and research foundations, enriched the discussions and provided a holistic view of the nexus challenges. The 18 videos produced for the third series, showcasing various case studies related to the nexus, were viewed over 1,300 times, and more than 700 participants attended its sessions. This ensured the knowledge shared during the sessions reached a broader audience. This method documented best practices and facilitated continuous learning beyond the series. Each session ended with the identification and ranking of six actionable solutions, which can serve as actionable guidelines for policymakers and development practitioners aiming to transform agrifood systems. PURPOSE OF THIS REPORT This report aims to summarize the third edition of the World Bank - FAO Knowledge Session series, including the topics covered, the countries featured and the impact of the various sessions. The report is also an opportunity to summarize the case studies and actionable solutions gathered and presented during the five sessions from April to June 2024. Drawing upon valuable experiences from different countries in the South Asian region, the case studies presented in this report, as well as the actionable solutions identified, present a collection of good practices that development practitioners can follow when designing and implementing projects, programmes and policies. FOOD SYSTEMS, I(.Vl Fl-r F :,_ 'NFk F BACKGROUND The World Bank - FAQ Knowledge Exchange Series on the nexus of food systems, nutrition and climate change Since March 2022, the World Bank, in collaboration with FAO, developed the KES on the nexus of food systems, nutrition, and climate change. Over the course of three years, the entire series, which initially focused on India, has brought together over 1,500 participants from across the globe keen to learn and exchange about the good practices happening in South Asia to transform agrifood systems and simultaneously tackle the challenges of malnutrition and climate change. Through its unique format, the series has provided recommendations for relevant local action on these issues and generated knowledge through the creation of videos already viewed over 3,000 times since the series' launch. Sub-topics of the Knowledge Exchange Series Agrifood systems, nutrition and climate change are interconnected in an infinite number of areas, ranging from market dynamics, ecosystem services, policy making processes and society. The goal of this third edition of the series was to highlight the role of the nexus in some of the most crucial sub-topics linked to agrifood systems, nutrition and climate change. For this reason, the series was divided into five sessions addressing: food loss and wate poc nvtos nd sseno Below are listed the exact sub-topics of the sessions. Table 1: The five sub-topics of the Knowledge Exchange Series Water for Life: Addressing Water Scarcity for Sustainable, Resilient, and Efficient Agrifood Systems Mountain Regions in Focus: Agrifood Systems Transformation for Nutrition and Climate Resilience Food Loss and Waste: Prices, Perishability and Policy Policy Innovations: Overcoming Constraints and Seizing Opportunities for Implementing the Nexus Systematic inequalities and social inclusion: Addressing Systemic Inequality and Social Inclusion in South Asia's Agrifood Systems FOOD SYSTEMS, FF4Tl Fl- S:_ 'NFk F SUMMARY OF THE KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE SERIES Case studies The KES aimed at showcasing projects and case studies from all the region to offer a diversified panorama of solutions and offer a greater variety of solutions for each sub-topic. For this reason, the case studies were selected from all the different countries in the area, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. Five of the case studies had a regional approach, observing South Asia as a whole. Afghanistan Pakistan 1 Figure 1: Case studies number and Regional approach 5 regional distribution Pakistan Sri Lank 2 Bangladesh Sri Lanka Bhutan Nepal India Afghanistan Bhutan 2t Bangladesh 3 Table 2: List of case studies per session India 3 1. Water for Life Improving Water Management with Solar Bangladesh Powered Irrigation Systems and Alternative Wetting and Drying Ensuring Access to Water With Spring Shed Bhutan Management and Nature-based Solutions Nexus Programming in Fragile, Conflict Afghanistan and Violence Contexts: Emergency Food Security Project (EFSP) 2. Mountain Hindu Kush Water in Mountains: Solar Powered Regions in Focus Himalayas Irrigation Systems and Spring Shed Revival Hindu Kush Mainstreaming Neglected and HinduaKush Underutilized Foods for Food Security in Mountain Regions Community Based Platforms and Climate Pakistan Smart Technologies in Mountain Areas FOOD SYSTEMS, Table 2: List of case studies per session Food Security and Agricultural Bhutan Productivity Project: Buyer Seller Meets and Behavioral Change Communication 3. Food Loss and Sri Lanka Food Waste Quantification, Recovery and Foode LRedistribution of Safe and Nutritious Food Waste Ii Food Loss Reduction in Food Corporation India of India Innovative Technologies, Redistribution South Asia Region and repurposing for Food Loss and Waste Policy and Innovation: Mechanization of 4. Policy Bangladesh PdyHretn InnovtionsPaddy Harvesting Innovations Ii Improving Policy: Using the Farming India System Nutrition Framework Tackling Ultra Processed Foods with South Asia Region nutrition policy reference standards and food policy and regulation interventions Preventing Stunting by Improving Women Sri Lanka Education, Culinary Practices and Local Food Choices 4. Resilience, Entrepreneurship and Sealitic Ba h Livelihood Improvement Project inequalities and social inclusion Crisis Resilient Gender Inclusive South Asia Region Information Systems and Group-Based Approaches Governmental Approaches to Gender Nepal Inclusion and Equality .i Promoting Indigenous Knowledge for India Rewilding Initiatives FOOD SYSTEMS, I(.Vl Ff-r F :,- 'NFk F Attendance and reach The third edition of the KES attracted over 700 participants, building on the momentum of the second edition held in 2023, but also seeing a significant rise in the number of viewers for its associated products. Between April and June 2024, the videos developed as part of the series were viewed more than 1,300 times. Table 2: Video views of the KES Water for Life: Addressing Water Scarcity for Sustainable, 370 Resilient, and Efficient Agrifood Systems Mountain Regions in Focus: Agrifood Systems Transformation for 384 Nutrition and Climate Resilience Tackling Food Loss and Waste: Improving Efficiency in Supply 219 Chain Operations Policy Innovations: Overcoming Constraints and Seizing 155 Opportunities for Implementing the Nexus Bridging Divides: Addressing Systemic Inequality and Social 252 Inclusion in South Asia's Agrifood Systems CONCLUSIONS The World Bank-FAO KES offers a valuable and actionable model to discuss the interconnected challenges of food insecurity, malnutrition, and climate change by focusing on the agrifood systems, nutrition, and climate change nexus. The third edition of the series, which expanded its focus from India to the broader South Asia region, advocates for regional collaboration and knowledge sharing, leveraging diverse expertise to identify actionable solutions and support the transformation of agrifood systems. FOOD SYSTEMS, 'JOWl Ffl-Fr M s,_ Ni FFS This section draws an overview of all the case studies that were presented during the sessions of the Knowledge Exchange Series, as well as the actionable solutions that were outlined after the discussion between the experts and the participants. It provides the location, description, and list of actions implemented in each case study and, when available, the challenges and outcomes related to these actions. Water Management: Addressing Water Scarcity for Sustainable, Resilient, and Efficient Agrifood Systems 1.1 Casestudies Location: Afghanistan Description: The project addresses the challenges of the water-food system climate nexus within fragile, conflict and vulnerability (FCV) context. Actions implemented: 1. Emphasizing targeted support for staple crops 2. Increasing private sector involvement for improved water services resilience Implementation challenges: 1. Constrained growth of public institutions and overall technical capacities 2. Uncertainties/shifting governance and public finance institutional arrangements 3. Consistent low performance on human development indicators Outcomes and/or findings: 1. Over 1.2 million households increased their wheat and vegetable production, narrowing the gap between national and regional averages. 2. More than 200,000 women gained employment opportunities, contributing to both household income and nutritional diversity. Ile. ~k ~44Z FOOD SYSTEMS, Location: Bangladesh Description: The initiative promotes the usage of a series of agricultural techniques to improve water management and nutrition in "too little water" scenarios. Actions implemented: 1. Solar powered irrigation systems 2. Alternative Wetting and Drying (AWD) Implementation challenges: 1. There are conflicts of water use between crops and aquaculture, and appropriate selling practices like metering and national grids are required forAWD and solar irrigation. 2. A complex institutional landscape with several ministries and affiliated organizations in water management can jeopardize the success of the projects, especially if there is little community participation Outcomes and/or findings: 1. 1969 solar irrigation pumps set up, there is potential for expansion and increased energy saving. 2. Food security improved with the introduction of new foods and improved cultivation practices through AWD and solar irrigation systems.