African Regional Food Summit dialogue |19 July 2021
Minister Joubert
Seychelles’ food system and challenges discussed
The food system in Seychelles and the challenges as a small island developing state are some of the topics Minister Flavien Joubert discussed in the virtual African regional food system dialogue.
Agriculture, Climate Change and Environment Minister Flavien Joubert addressed the regional dialogue held virtually on Tuesday July 13, 2021.
Seychelles took part in the virtual African regional food system dialogue so it can pave the way for collective efforts to address challenges faced by national and global food systems as a whole.
The Kingdom of Morocco and the United Nations jointly organised an African regional dialogue ahead of the Food System Summit to be held in New York in September 2021. United Nations general secretary António Guterres convened the Food System Summit as part of the Decade of Actions to achieve the sustainable development goals (SDGs) by 2030. The summit launched bold new actions to deliver progress on all 17 SDGs, each of which relies to some degree on healthier, more sustainable and equitable food system.
The regional dialogue forms part of the four-level dialogue international, national and independent. Like other dialogues carried out in other continents, the aim is to accelerate the transformation of food system with a regional specificity. A specificity that takes its substance in African agricultural and food systems, African diets, the living conditions of African populations and the ambitions of African societies. The African regional dialogue co-organised with the United Nations is a high-level dialogue that highlights the priorities and action tracks identified by the scientific committee and capitalises on the ideas and recommendations that emerged from national dialogues, in view of identifying the specific levers for the desired transformation of African food system.
Minister Joubert addressed the meeting by putting emphasis on the food system in Seychelles and the challenges as a small island developing state.
“The food system of Seychelles is quite diverse. A large part of our system is dictated by the challenges of global supply and international transport. The national dialogue and food systems summit comes at a good time, where as a country we are already re-evaluating the strategies that we must take to address the challenges that affect food security in the country. Aside from supply related issues, we also have to address access to finance, post harvest and marketing, human resource and technology as well as consumption patterns and the impact it has on health and on budgets. We must not also forget the threats that climate change represents for island states like Seychelles and the threat it poses to food security across the continent,” said Mr Joubert
He raised concerns of securing access to regular supply of wholesome food remains a challenge to other African countries, and as a region they welcome the initiative to have this African regional dialogue ahead of the UN Food system summit, as they recognise the need to align their positions by having one voice for the region.
Lastly, Minister Joubert highlighted the possibilities that technology can bring to production, transformation and distribution and as a region they would like to support efforts aimed at elevating the knowhow among various groups in society be it women of youth.
Press release from the Ministry of Agriculture, Climate Change and Environment