Territorial Markets. Healthy Food, Real Relationships, and a Fair Deal

31 October 2024. Territorial Markets. Healthy Food, Real Relationships, and a Fair Deal

• farmer-led networks from Asia, Africa, and Latin America about their experience revitalizing fresh food markets and strengthening links among farmers, consumers, and public officials.
• learn about the main findings of the "Food from Somewhere" report on the status of territorial markets launched by The International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems (IPES-Food).

This virtual learning session brought together 317 participants from 71 countries. The five speakers from Asia, Africa, and Latin America shared their experiences in strengthening territorial markets as a strategy to address food insecurity, malnutrition, and the climate and livelihood crisis. The initiatives shared in the webinar, from the local to national scale, highlighted the diversity of approaches for transforming food systems through territorial markets and brought out the key role of these markets in building resilience and strengthening relationships between food producers and consumers while favoring trust and solidarity.

The webinar focused on the significance of territorial markets in promoting sustainable food systems, particularly through agroecological economies, with support from the Agroecology Fund active in over 90 countries. Key highlights included discussions on barriers faced by farmers, such as infrastructure and regulatory challenges, and presentations from organizations in Sri Lanka, Benin, and Peru showcasing efforts to empower marginalized communities, particularly women and youth, in agriculture and local markets. 

The session also featured an IPES-Food report that outlined the vulnerabilities of global food systems and underscored the resilience offered by territorial markets compared to corporate supply chains. Recommendations for future actions included necessary policy shifts to bolster support for these markets, enhancing access to agroecological products, and fostering knowledge exchange among farmers globally. Action items were established, such as sharing relevant studies and organizing exchange programs.

To learn more about the speakers’ work, see the following links:

1. Human Development Organization (Sri Lanka)
2. Les Jardins de L’espoir (Benin)
3. Asociación Nacional de Productores Ecológicos (Peru)
4. IPES-Food (Global)

Resources:

FAO (2023) Territorial Markets Initiative. 

Through the territorial markets initiative, FAO aims to highlight the importance of territorial markets to promote healthy food environments and ensure access to healthy diets and nutritious and diversified food. FAO seeks also to identify any gaps that could be addressed, as well as to provide specific recommendations for policies and investments that could be promoted by local and national institutions and governments.

IPES (2024) Food From Somewhere Building food security and resilience through territorial markets # 91 pp.

Persistent crises have also underscored the importance of resilient close-to-home ‘territorial’ markets that feed billions of people every day – from public markets and street vendors to cooperatives, from urban agriculture to online direct sales, from food hubs to community kitchens.

Food From Somewhere provides a comprehensive overview of these diverse food webs. It documents their critical contributions to sustaining producer livelihoods, ensuring access to healthy food for the poorest populations, sustaining cultures and communities, and keeping people fed in the face of shocks. The report urges governments to reinvest in local and regional supply infrastructure, relocalise public purchasing and food security strategies, and curb corporate capture of food systems.