Policy makers, government officials from agriculture, food and nutrition related departments/projects, agriculture scientists, representatives of farmers producer companies, food processing entrepreneurs and progressive farmers from Himachal Pradesh will converge in Shimla on September 24, 2024 to deliberate in one-day workshop of stakeholders, being organised by Alliance of Bioversity International and International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), New Delhi as a part of Himalayan Agroecology Initiative (HAI).
The Himalayan Agroecology Initiative (HAI) is a project that aims to promote sustainable agriculture in the Himalayas by helping farmers become more resilient to climate change. The initiative’s goals include improving food systems governance, ensuring access to land, water and healthy soils, rebuilding climate resilient eco-systems, promoting healthy, sustainable diets for everyone, building fairer and cleaner supply chains, reducing food loss and waste and using trade to support sustainable development.
It is a strategic endeavour that works closely with governments and with the support of a broad group of stakeholders to support the emergence of multi-stakeholder processes that develop, build capacities and facilitate the implementation of agroecologial food systems roadmaps to improve livelihood sustainability in India, Nepal and Bhutan. Together with the World Future Council and IFOAM- Organics International, renowned organisations are paving the way for this ambitious undertaking at the national level, including the Alliance Biodiversity International, International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in India, Local Initiatives for Biodiversity, Research and Development (LI-BIRD) in Nepal and the Tarayana Foundation in Bhutan. Building on the ongoing governmental efforts and international commitments, an Agroecology Himalaya Task Force was also established in early 2023 with experts from Bhutan, India and Nepal, with the vision to make the Himalayan region a global pioneer with systemic strategies for agroecological food systems and with the commitment to advance the development of such comprehensive roadmaps.
As a first step, a Roadmap Background Report, a detailed Stakeholder Map and a Draft Roadmap have been produced. As a second step, the Agroecology Himalaya Task Force sought support from all stakeholders, particularly policy makers at various levels, to join in this endeavour with a view to finalize the roadmaps for the three countries. The roadmaps would be launched at a high-level conference in early 2025 in New Delhi with participation of ministers, policy makers, researchers, extension services, civil societies and private players from India, Nepal and Bhutan.
The roadmaps for agroecologial sustainable food systems in India are being developed on the basis of studies related to various government policies and schemes and their implementation across four Indian Himalayan states- Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Nagaland and Meghalaya. The core strategies of the roadmaps include stepping up food system governance, ensuring access to land, water and healthy soils, re-building climate resilient healthy agro- ecosystems, promoting sufficient, healthy and sustainable diets for all, building fairer, shorter and cleaner supply chains, reducing food loss and waste and putting trade in the service of sustainable development. The workshop cum consultation in Shimla is the initial step in this direction to gather baseline data and opinions of the policy makers, progressive farmers and all concerned to build a strong roadmap and participation of the state of Himachal Pradesh for this futuristic initiative.
