Chapter 13 - Building an urban food policy: the case of Cali, Colombia
p. 307-324
Texte intégral
Introduction
1Faced with the major sustainability challenges raised by modern society and growing urban populations, an increasingly clear need is emerging for science-based public policies, and for tools developed by academia to support decision-making. Food and nutrition security, for example, depend largely on local and national food policies.
2Food and nutrition security is a topic of global importance, as are the challenges affecting the sustainability of agricultural and food systems. The need to focus on sustainable food systems has been recognized as the way to ensure food security and nutrition for everybody, without compromising the economic, social and environmental needs of future generations. This is also the only way to end malnutrition in all its forms (undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, excess weight and obesity).
3According to a major review by Popkin and Reardon (2018), in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), widespread obesity in children and adults, along with poor diets, and inadequate physical activity, are causing high levels of diabetes, high blood pressure, and other noncommunicable diseases. At the same time, a high proportion of children in many countries around the region are suffering from undernourishment and stunting owing to poor nutrition in the first 1,000 days of life.
4Many organizations have pointed to the need for measures to make food systems sustainable, fair and inclusive, through regulations that give people access to nutritious, safe, varied, affordable and environmentally responsible products. A major report by the EAT/Lancet Commission (2019) notes: “The absence of globally agreed scientific targets for healthy diets and sustainable food production has hindered large-scale and coordinated efforts to transform the global food system.” This commission brings together 19 commissioners and 18 co-authors from 16 counties in the fields of human health, agriculture, policy, science, and environmental sustainability to develop global scientific targets based on the best available evidence relating to healthy diets and sustainable food production. These global targets are incorporated into a framework that acts as a safe operating space for food systems, allowing us to assess which diets and food production practices will help us to achieve the UN and Paris Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In addition to this, a number of international frameworks are emerging, such as Agenda 2030, the Food Plan for the Community of Latin America and Caribbean States (CELAC), the Milan Pact and the EAT-Lancet Commission, among others. These pacts, movements and frameworks are beginning to transform conventional agrifood dynamics and concepts of urban development. They have also attracted the attention of decision-makers and raised new challenges for the many different players involved in big cities. This has led to the development of new programs and policies in response to these new objectives.
5According to Arciniegas and Peña (2017), the overall nutritional situation in Colombia is characterized by a significant increase in malnutrition by excess and a significant fall in malnutrition by deficiency; a situation that is reflected in anthropometric indicators. In Cali, the rate of chronic malnutrition in children under five was 5.3%, meaning that five out of every 100 children were underweight for their age. Concerning low weight-for-age, 0.9% of children are affected. Overall, in terms of malnutrition indicators, Cali (as mentioned above) is one of the cities with the lowest indicators compared with other cities in Colombia.
6In Colombia, the introduction of the National Food and Nutritional Security Policy (CONPES 113, 2008) gave the issue national relevance, setting out clear approaches for food insecurity in the country and in turn creating an enabling context for talking about these issues across the regions, particularly in capital cities such as Cali, which are the destinations of large migratory movements. However, Cali did not have its own Food and Nutrition Security (FNS) policy.
7Returning to the national level, Colombia’s food policies have undergone a number of changes from certain standpoints. In 1996 it implemented a National Food and Nutrition Plan (PNAN), focusing on access to food and a greater supply of micronutrients for the population. Following this, food issues were integrated to a greater extent into national development plans, as well as into CONPES 91 for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. In 2007, as part of CONPES 113, the National Food Security Policy was established and implemented through the National Food and Nutritional Security Plan (PNSAN), during its formal period of implementation between 2012 and 2019.
8The FNS policy in Colombia was assessed by the National Planning Department (DNP), with particular emphasis on its institutional capacities. The assessment noted that some goals had been met but that problems had increased in other cases. In relation to this, the National Survey of the Nutritional Situation (ENSIN) in 2015 showed that the indicator for national food insecurity fell from 57.7% in 2010 to 54.2% in 2015. Over the same period, the level of stunting in children under the age of four fell by 2.4%, while acute malnutrition increased from 0.9% to 1.6%. Another rising trend in Colombia is excess weight, which rose from 51.2% in 2010 to 56.5% in 2015 among adults of 18 or over, and from 15% to 18% among schoolchildren over the same period. These are just a few of the indicators tracing the food situation and providing an overview of the need to strengthen public policy on food security in Colombia.
9This chapter discusses the process of building an FNS policy in Cali. The conclusion, asks a number of key questions as part of an analysis of the main driving forces behind the successful construction and formulation.
Public policy: major efforts
10The world is talking about the challenges of sustainability, how to address them and, more specifically, how to reduce food insecurity through the construction of sustainable food systems. Academia must generate answers.
11In 2014, the CIAT launched “FoodLens,” a strategy aimed at delivering new knowledge and interventions, through research into changing patterns in food production, distribution, and consumption. The purpose is to enable countries to provide urban and rural consumers with easy access to healthy food, through three strategic aims: sustainable farming adapted to the climate, higher income in rural areas, and affordable, high-quality food. As part of this approach, the project Cali Come Mejor (Cali eats better) was developed between 2015 and 2017, with the support of the Ford Foundation, CIRAD and the CGIAR Water, Land and Ecosystem (WLE) program. The aim was to analyze Cali’s food system, and its social, political, cultural and physical context, in order to deliver strategies that could optimize operation.
12Identifying the main players in the food system, the project reviewed and gathered available data on three main topics: the food supply system of vulnerable people, the main food problems, and the public policies and strategies involved in this system. Some of the findings were related to the prevalence of malnutrition caused by nutrient deficiencies, particularly in children under the age of five; the prevalence of obesity in the adult population; insufficient access to healthy and fresh food; deficiencies in market infrastructure and management, pushing up food costs and reducing the competitiveness of small farmers in rural areas; and the inadequate implementation and monitoring of agricultural policies to promote food availability and access to food, among other factors.
13The new questions raised by all the local urban players and the new urban dynamics relating to changing food production models or even positive changes in consumption, are just a few of the enabling factors that helped to facilitate a dialogue and to build this policy, as well as transforming the conception of what the regional food system is and the importance of understanding it in order to act.
14The analysis of this information and other evidence gathered from players in a range of sectors provided the basis of efforts to develop a Municipal Public Policy for Food and Nutritional Security and Sovereignty, designed, recognized and developed as part of a participatory approach, in order to guarantee access to food as a right. A comparison with cities such as Quito and Medellin showed that, although city programs or initiatives relating to food sovereignty and food security have diverse starting points, they share a common need: to scale up actions for the consolidation of public policies establishing a framework for comprehensive and intersectoral action, and providing resources for the planning and implementation of long-term activities.
Cali as part of the city-region: Strategic Territorial Planning
15The city-region is an academic concept of decentralization that has taken on greater importance owing to its link with globalization processes, as well as with regional and local development.115 It includes the complex network of players, processes and relationships involved in the production, processing, marketing and consumption of food within a given geographical area (e.g., an urban center, its peri-urban environment and the surrounding rural areas). The concept is very important when it comes to understanding “city-region links.”
16The Resource Centre for Urban Agriculture & Forestry (RUAF) foundation and other organizations have documented several case studies of city-region food systems projects, programs and policies developed around the world. In their words: “city-region food systems offer practical policy and program opportunities to address multiple development objectives and to build direct links between rural and urban areas and communities in a given city-region”116. Activities focusing on city-region food systems also provide an opportunity for local governments to streamline their efforts and develop common agendas for integrated regional planning, considering cities as hubs within a single system.
Instruments and tools
17An agrifood system, with all its components (see figure 13.1), designed to be sustainable and resilient in the face of global challenges and climate change, will undoubtedly involve doubling or tripling efforts to coordinate players who can work from different perspectives as part of a complementary approach, in order to effectively facilitate a dialogue between the different components of the system.
Figure 13.1. CIAT’s conceptualization of what a sustainable food system is. Source: Bioversity-CIAT Alliance, 2018.
18To this end, a two-pronged process was adopted for formulating the suggested FNS Policy (figure 13.2):
The Food and Nutritional Security and Sovereignty Roundtable of Cali, set up through a municipal decree in 2009 by the Municipal Mayor’s Office as an inter-institutional, advisory and coordinating body to formulate, socialize, manage and monitor the Municipal Plan for this issue. The Roundtable is made up of representatives of government agencies, NGOs, private companies in the fields of food, social organizations, trade unions and civil society. Its functions include: formulating policies aimed at eradicating hunger and malnutrition and achieving sustainable food security for the municipality, promoting research into food and nutritional security as a basis for decisions on community interventions, and encouraging the production, use and consumption of cultural food crops; promoting clean agriculture through the use of natural resources with sustainable technologies. The Roundtable is divided into working groups based on the lines of action under research; food assistance with the emphasis on education, rural and urban agricultural production, agroindustries and consumer organizations, and the food supply and distribution system. Over a number of years, the Roundtable has provided a space to coordinate players and a space for discussions around the food issue. Prior to this, players conducted their own individual analysis, based on their skills area, without a holistic view of the food context in Cali and its region. The Roundtable has played a greater role in some periods than in others, but it nevertheless produced the first technical document for a food security policy proposal, with the participation of the following players: Life, Justice and Peace Commission, DAGMA, CEDECUR, Economic Development and Competitiveness, ICBF, market places, representatives of the communities and surrounding municipalities, CIAT, Departmental Health Secretariat, Municipal Planning, CAVASA (central market), the Association of community kitchens, and companies from the food industry, among others. Since its inception, this process has been led by the Municipal Health Secretariat. Efforts to strengthen the process are continuing in order to generate sufficient debate and a public agenda to consolidate an updated proposal to social and emerging situations in the field of food and nutrition.
The Platform for academic dialogue on food and nutritional security and sovereignty was set up in 2016 by CIAT, with the University of Valle, the World Food Programme, the Municipal Secretariat for Public Health, the BIOTEC Corporation, the National University of Colombia, the Autonomous University of the West, Harvest Plus,117 the Network of Agroecological Markets, Valle en Paz118, the Center of Education and Research for Urban and Rural Community Development (CEDECUR), and the World Wild Fund for Nature (WWF), to encourage integration between representatives of the academic, public, and NGO sectors, to provide scientific and technical input regarding the food system of the city-region, and to provide scientific support for the construction of the FSN policy. A multi-player group with a common agenda to analyze, discuss and deliver research proposals and interventions related to healthy eating, environmental sustainability, climate change, food sovereignty, waste management and consumer awareness, among other areas, able to contribute to more coordinated actions.
19The collaborative approach makes it possible to identify problems and information gaps, to analyze and submit solutions and recommendations to improve Cali’s food system, to organize actions to mobilize public opinion and encourage political advocacy. The platform took on the role of providing technical support for the construction of the policy proposal, which was approved by the Roundtable as it moved forward, and adjusted to reflect new recommendations.
20The interaction between players and academics generated extensive discussions and provided an interesting learning experience on new issues and aspects relating to the concepts of sustainable food systems and the city-region. The main challenge lay in the increasing importance of aspects related to good nutrition, high quality food and healthy diets. The interactions between urban consumers and, for example, agroecological producers have proved valuable for both parties. Successful implementation of the new FNS policy would involve maintaining these spaces and continuing the dialogue. In order to strengthen interaction and integration between urban and rural players, stakeholders have suggested two types of actions: i) raising awareness of the issues through documentation/ pamphlets, fairs, workshops, etc. and ii) implementing projects to improve/expand/support more local farmers’ markets (primarily as part of an agroecological approach), along with urban and peri-urban farming projects.
Figure 13.2. Timeline formulation of municipal public policy for food and nutritional security and sovereignty of Cali. Source: Bioversity-CIAT Alliance, 2018.
Milan Pact: roadmap and strategic framework for action
21The creation of Cali’s FSN policy was led by the Municipal Health Secretariat. The policy establishes a legal framework for action and coordination around the initiatives to be developed over the next 10 years in six strategic areas: availability, access, consumption, safety and quality, biological utilization and knowledge management and communication. The first five areas were based on the framework for action set out by the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact.
22The Milan Pact (MUFPP) is a “voluntary treaty signed by cities that have made a commitment to working towards the development of sustainable, inclusive, resilient, safe and diversified food systems, to ensure a healthy and accessible food supply for all people, as part of a rights-based framework for action, in order to reduce food waste and protect biodiversity while mitigating and adapting to the effects of climate change” (MUFPP, 2015).
23This pact gives visibility to successful initiatives relating to sustainable, fair, inclusive and environmentally friendly urban food systems, suggesting a framework and a guide for planning. As part of the process to build the proposal, the CIAT has also encouraged the identification and subsequent tracking of the food system monitoring indicators suggested by the RUAF, the FAO and the Milan Pact119, structured along six main lines: governance, sustainable diets and nutrition, social and economic equity, food production, food supply and food waste. The use of gender indicators has been suggested, in so far as possible, with the aim of highlighting some of the differences associated with the dynamics and characteristics of the role of women in these contexts. If this monitoring is conducted systematically and on a formal basis, it will allow us to establish the real state of the food system and to monitor future trends, while measuring the impact of the actions initiated as part of the FNSS Policy.
What do we already know and where are the information gaps?
24The causes of food problems are complex and multidimensional, encompassing not only economic aspects, but also the social, political, cultural and physical environment. For this reason, it is essential to work together in developing conceptual frameworks and decision-making tools for the food system in general. To do this, we need to continuously gather information that helps us to understand the specific characteristics of the system in Cali, within the city-region. In Cali, for example, the options open to consumers are often limited to cheap food of low nutritional value. This is particularly true in low-income neighborhoods, where healthy food is either expensive or non-existent.
25According to a study conducted as part of the Cali, come mejor project (Arciniegas & Peña, 2017), an explanation for the problems of malnutrition by deficiency and excess can be found partly at the individual level, since the nutritional status of the person is the result of a balance between their food intake, nutrient requirements and their relationship to the individual’s physiological status. However, the quality and quantity of food consumed does not only depend on individual factors related to biological determinants and lifestyle, but also on other economic, social, cultural, and environmental factors.
26Decisions relating to food consumption are strongly influenced by food standards. However, the food security of the most vulnerable socio-economic groups is impacted by economic determinants that prevent them from meeting these standards. In contrast, for the more stable socio-economic groups, the situation depends on the weight of these concerns and also on the relationship between health and food.
27As a result of the socio-economic changes associated with higher incomes, households are more open to including new food products in their diets, although these may be perceived in a positive or negative way. Although domestic cooking is hugely important for all socio-economic groups, people with a higher socio-economic status are less likely to prepare food within the home, primarily for reasons relating to household organization, such as changes in the role of women in the home or an improved financial status enabling or facilitating access to new foods.
28Improving the economic situation or purchasing power of households does not solve the food problems of the poorest households, since a number of other non-individual factors also play a role. The easy availability and affordability of cheap unhealthy food can translate into risk factors for nutritional excess. Consumers shift between these two conditions in accordance with their perceptions and the dietary norms.
29Food environments play a major role in explaining differences in food consumption. The high availability of ultra-processed foods and the environments promoting their consumption have significant effects on the national diet, primarily affecting children and young people, who play a key role in choosing what is eaten at home.
30Using qualitative research methodology, this study gathered extensive knowledge on eating behavior and the reasons behind it. Given that this research and most other studies based on the same type of methodology have sought to explain trends, we have been able to gain a broad understanding of household food patterns in Cali, looking more deeply not at ‘what’ and ‘how’, but rather at ‘why’ concerning changes and transitions in food.
31As part of this same project, a descriptive/qualitative study was carried out on the operation of the food supply and production subsystem (Temple & Dury, 2015), including the supply process for the most vulnerable. This made it possible to identify the major difficulties encountered by this segment of the population in gaining sufficient access to healthy food with fresh produce.
32One major problem lies in the very high prices of these products in an urban context where the monetary poverty rate stands at 15.7%.120 These high prices can be explained by the oligopolistic structure of the food distribution system, which is dominated by supermarket chains. Another problem is the lack of access to markets in areas lower down the social hierarchy, resulting in transport and logistic costs that are higher for vulnerable populations than for other populations. Shops are the main supply source for vulnerable populations, but these shops obtain some of their supplies from markets with health quality problems and the rest from supermarket chains selling at high prices. Some circuits have been identified where local producers supply food to the city, but they remain few and far between. The only existing agroecological market enabling small producers to market their produce directly is experiencing difficulties caused by a lack of access to the point of sale. These findings have highlighted the need to model the food systems of vulnerable communities in order to focus on the main challenges for public policies and on the objectives of any necessary complementary studies.
33These studies identified information gaps regarding the nutritional status and nutritional monitoring of the population of Cali, particularly children under the age of five, who are most at risk of malnutrition. Although a nutritional status survey exists at the national level, the results are only published two years later and concern just a small segment of the population. Problems relating to economic access are clearly the main barrier faced by households in seeking a healthier diet. Unemployment and informal labor are determining factors in the choice of food. In Colombia, as in several other Latin American countries, people are eating more highly processed food, and outside sources are playing a growing role in the household diet. People know what sort of food they should be eating, based on the promotion of good eating habits by health institutions and the media, but there are a number of barriers preventing them from achieving this. At the same time, they are also influenced by the globalization process.
34These studies are an approach to the understanding of food patterns. However, we must continue to study the driving forces behind change as well as the permanent factors relating to the supply, processing and consumption of food by households. By understanding the motivations and determinants of consumers, we will be able to generate strategies aimed at transforming eating habits and reducing the barriers that limit adequate nutrition.
35Neighborhood shops and shopkeepers both play a major role in the supply of food and in the relationships woven around food. They are a major source of support for food patterns, particularly with respect to the most vulnerable socio-economic groups. Although it is important to analyze individual food patterns, it is increasingly necessary to relate them to the household and to the city, since each level has a determining impact on the other and they are strongly related when it comes to food. This clearly highlights the need to continue in-depth studies encompassing each of the spheres that influence food. Although quantitative studies are necessary, the in-depth results of this study and many other current studies show the need to associate both research paradigms. Gaining an in-depth understanding of food-related trends is a necessary task that must be addressed as part of a comprehensive approach in order to continuously feed into the programs and policies related to these issues.
36Some of the conclusions/recommendations of these studies that served as input for developing the municipal policy are set out below:
Given that the supply of natural food is becoming more complex for the most vulnerable socio-economic groups, we need to find strategies to support the food distribution chain, i.e., to strengthen mobile markets and marketplaces in order to facilitate access to natural foods.
Preference must be given to short food distribution circuits, for the benefit of both producers and (ultimately) consumers, since lower prices would make it easier for them to access natural foods.
Health authorities must organize inspections of fast food stalls, in order to ensure the safety and quality of the food available.
Given the decisive influence of the urban environment on the diets of people in all socio-economic groups, we must encourage measures to regulate the high availability of fast food in public spaces.
We must also promote alternative forms of nutritional education, not only to provide knowledge and information, but also to raise awareness on the importance of proper nutrition in preventing health problems.
Municipal Public Policy Proposal for Food and Nutritional Security and Sovereignty (PSSAN) 2019
37Today, Santiago de Cali has a public policy on food and nutritional sovereignty and security, following a long process that began in 2009 with the signing of municipal decree No. 411.0.20.0072 setting up the Municipal Roundtable on Food and Nutritional Security. The Roundtable began consolidating the process of formulating a local food policy. In 2011 it produced a technical document with policy guidelines, although this was not approved by the City Council at the time.
38During the period 2012–2015, the formulation of public policy in Cali in the field of FNSS was part of the remit of the Secretariat of Social Welfare in the Municipal Development Plan of the municipality. The Secretariat worked on the financial component and the responsibility of each agency, but was unable to formally set out a policy within this period, owing to the prioritization of other issues. During the period 2016–2019, the process was resumed, this time through coordination between the Secretariats of Public Health and Social Welfare with the support of the FNS Roundtable, backed up by Cali’s new Academic Platform for FNS.
39A work schedule was put in place with the methodology necessary to gather contributions through meetings based on a range of perspectives, with input from various players as part of plenary sessions of the FNS Roundtable and the FNS Academic Platform. At the same time, academic events were organized with international and local speakers, and activities developed with local communities in which the initiatives of civil society were recognized. The next step was to define the main problems impacting each area of focus in the FNSS plan and the alternative approaches for addressing them. An agreement was then made concerning a series of actions to address food and nutritional security and sovereignty, alongside the guarantee of the human right to food, within the context of Cali.
40This process was described in a document, which was then widely socialized to provide input for the analysis, approach and guidelines. The technical document set out the basis for the explanatory memorandum, a technical requirement for presentation to the Municipal Council. The draft agreement was reviewed and further developed by the different agencies of the Cali administration that would be responsible for policy implementation and evaluation. Once this process was completed, the document was ready to be presented to the Municipal Council for approval. Five councilors took up the issue for presentation and began the process of analysis and plenary debate, with the participation of a range of players from civil society. Finally, on December 19, 2019, the Municipal Public Policy on Food and Nutritional Sovereignty and Security was approved by municipal agreement 0470.
41The FNSS policy was structured by 18 articles in three chapters: i) General Provisions, Scope, Principles, Approaches, definitions and objectives, ii) Strategic areas of focus, iii) Action plan, monitoring, follow-up and assessment. The action plan comprises six areas of focus, 14 lines of action and 26 actions. The six areas of focus include the following (see table 13.1):
Table 13.1. Areas of focus and actions included in the FNSS plan
Areas of focus |
Actions |
Food availability |
Implement agroecological training processes, support the production of traditional foods, strengthen the organization of local and rural producers, transfer technology for the management and control of processes in the production and processing of food, generate processes to reduce intermediation with marketplace traders, shopkeepers, mini markets and agroecological markets with food producers. Strengthen the sustainable operation of food distribution centers, implement and assess strategies and activities at the institutional level to increase breastfeeding |
Food consumption |
Implement measures to control advertising for food of low nutritional content in educational institutions in Cali. Inspect food vending establishments with respect to consumption risks, develop actions to protect exclusive and complementary breastfeeding, provide care and monitoring regarding micronutrient deficiencies in infants, pregnant women and schoolchildren, develop strategies to promote a culture of responsible consumption and the rights and duties of consumers |
Access to food |
Strengthen the service coverage of soup kitchens and school meals programs. Generate strategies to boost the commercial development of farmers’ markets in order to promote and encourage a sense of ownership regarding the farming, preparation and use of local native and ancestral products, strengthening the recognition of cultural identities |
Quality and safety |
Adopt human capital technologies (knowledge, equipment, inputs) to better control food risks, enforce compliance with the standards relating to good manufacturing practices and food handling throughout the food system cycle, formulate and develop intersectoral and community strategies for healthy environments, ensure monitoring of the quality and safety of food supplementation programs for schoolchildren, make a proposal for the design, formulation and implementation of a “Circular Economy” model encompassing the chain of food production, distribution and consumption, as well as the disposal and processing of organic waste from coordinated programs and projects, establish sustainability strategies and actions relating to the issue of public services (energy, water and sewerage) as part of the programs and projects associated with the FNSS plan |
Biological use of food |
Ensure coordinated implementation of a comprehensive care program to address malnutrition, reinforce the system in place for the nutritional and food surveillance of children under five, schoolchildren, pregnant women and older adults. Provide technical assistance for the regulations and guidelines of Comprehensive Healthcare Programs (RIAS) and the protocols in force relating to malnutrition prevention and care and the monitoring of low birth weight, strengthen the strategy around Healthy School Shops |
Knowledge promotion and management |
Increase the visibility of successful experiences in self-consumption and short-circuit supply chains, food security and the reduction of malnutrition, in order to promote processes encouraging healthy food environments in areas such as work, school and the community, implement actions to prevent food loss and waste |
42Based on a regional approach, the policy seeks to recognize the relations and scale of the dynamics with neighboring departments as part of the food system. It emphasizes the need for coordination with sectoral and population-based public policies, providing a comprehensive approach to the goals set.
Discussion, lessons and conclusions
43Several aspects need to be taken into account in formulating an FNS policy for Colombia and its regions. Among them are the new health trends such as the prevalence of chronic non-communicable diseases and the double nutritional burden of low weight/micronutrient deficiencies and excess weight. Other factors are: the peace agreement resulting from several years of dialog, and which includes agrarian reform, migration from Venezuela, which has increased in recent years with Cali being one of the cities with the highest number of migrants, and the current Covid-19 pandemic. These factors highlight historic weaknesses in the national food system, such as an economic inability to access a balanced diet on a permanent basis. This crisis nevertheless provides an opportunity to reorient the National Food Safety Plan and its conception, by considering food to be a human right, with the role of policy being to implement adequate measures to guarantee this right. Its formulation, implementation and assessment must be considered as part of a participatory, inclusive and differential approach. We must also take account of other emerging alternative conceptual frameworks for food security, such as Food Sovereignty, Food Justice and Food Citizenship, which provide a wider range of alternatives for addressing situations and promoting systemic developments in all public policy processes.
44Nevertheless, for food policies to be implemented and to achieve the desired impact in the various regions, institutional changes must be made to the coordination, linkage and participation of management and implementation entities.
45Public policies are being developed to provide solutions to the social, economic, environmental and cultural problems requiring State action in the short, medium and long term, as described by Aguilar Astorga and Lima Facio (2009). Policies are the result of deliberate collective action; the course taken by the action as a result of decisions and interactions are the facts produced by the action. Policies are crystallized into decisions with the participation of society, with a higher level of participation indicating a higher level of democracy. On this basis, a number of aspects such as participation and coordination are required as essential steps in developments. They are taken into consideration in theory but are confronted by deficient processes for their implementation in reality.
46In Colombia, coordination between the center and the regions is extremely weak. This leads to separate actions and separate efforts by the various institutional structures. At the same time, technical support for the regions is lacking. Further, as CONPES 113 has taken over the coordination of FNS through the creation of a central committee with no regional participation, developments cannot be aligned at the different levels of government.
What’s next? Prospects for cross-sectoral work
47Today, significant progress has been made with a public policy on food sovereignty and security for Cali, built on the participation and support of organized groups and entities. It is essential for this policy to be implemented and for it to have an impact on the food and nutritional wellbeing of local communities. To this end, it is important to continue with the processes of social participation, increasing the participation of different schools of thought based on the same conceptual framework of rights, and for the State to be present in this exercise, protecting the various perspectives. Where citizens recognize food and participation as a right, the development of governance will be broader and more efficient for supporting both the implementation and the assessment of public policy.
48At the same time, work must continue on regional autonomy and on the technical and financial support required from central government in order to fully develop the FNSS action plan for the policy proposal with its ten-year timeframe.
49Additionally, a number of specific conditions need to be taken into consideration when developing actions to promote environmental conversation and sustainability in the regional food system in such a way as to reflect the specific conditions of Cali. Much of this region is classified as an environmentally protected area since it is part of the Los Farallones national park. The seven rivers running through Cali contribute to water supplies but require special protection and last, the monoculture of sugarcane is expanding in the valley. All these factors constitute a major challenge for the development of food production areas.
50The discussions on policy construction have highlighted the need for food producers in Cali to transform their traditional agricultural practices or unsustainable agricultural techniques to agroecological practices, based on respect for the environment and for consumers. This is because the intensive use of pesticides and herbicides affects not only natural resources, but also the health and welfare of those consuming these products.
51These land-related constraints combined with environmental and health requirements, are increasingly compelling citizens and governments to raise their gaze and to adopt a regional vision. Most of the food consumed in Cali is produced regionally and, without this vision, we cannot envisage food security in the city. The policy formulated includes a regional focus, but its development involves working with neighboring municipalities and departments, in order to design comprehensive policies that strengthen the components of food production and transportation in particular. The next step is to move from cooperation to the pooling of efforts as part of a fully integrated approach to food policy with a regional emphasis on south-west Colombia, aligning the needs of producer areas with the requirements of consumer areas as part of sustainable food systems.
52Finally, in terms of “What comes next in Cali to better guarantee the right to food?”, it is important to manage knowledge more effectively, as this is essential to making accurate and effective decisions, “There are gaps at the local level with respect to the generation of information on FNS. There is less research than in other regions and this makes it difficult to take technical decisions.” Another point is also mentioned: “Unfortunately in Colombia, government decisions are based not on facts and data, but on the convictions of the ruling party” (Castellanos, 2018, p. 69). This was one of the most common views expressed when a number of FNS players in Cali were asked for their views on the existence of technical information to support decision-making. Although some progress has been made in this area, it is important to continue strengthening research into the most complex aspects of food security, starting from the standpoint of food production, particularly as one of the aims of the policy approved in Cali is to transform its agriculture.
53Furthermore, access to food is one of the main problems for local communities. In 2018, 15.7% of the population in Cali was affected by monetary poverty, without the income necessary to access a basic basket of food and non-food items (housing, clothing, education, health, transport, etc.) or to meet their primary needs. The extreme poverty, rate in Cali was 3.5%, meaning that around 85,000 inhabitants lacked the resources to access even a minimal supply of food, according to the report Cali in Figures 2018–2019 (Municipal Planning 2019). With the current pandemic, the situation is likely to get worse. Concerning the consumption of food, in Cali and Colombia as a whole, a transformation is under way with interventions spanning all life stages, in order to prevent excess weight and chronic non-communicable diseases. To gather the data necessary for technical, social, economic and environmental intervention, knowledge management must be a constant in the implementation of public policies on food sovereignty and security in Santiago de Cali.
Lessons learned about the construction process
54If we were to think of the process of constructing a municipal food security policy for Cali as a recipe for a functional menu, recognizing the importance of trust would be the nutritional load provided by a vitamin-rich dressing.
55While it is true that this construction process would not have been possible without the enabling context, the commitment of local government and the technical support of academia, we have seen the significant difference made by efforts to build trust among the stakeholders in this process. Trust helps to unlock synergies among players, nurturing the collective effort in working towards a common goal.
56The presence of research organizations and NGOs as mediators in the relationship between the public and private sectors, their scientific contributions, the technical support for constructing the proposal, the international frameworks for guidance, the globality of the topic addressed, the opportunity to pursue different objectives and goals, and the chance to take part in a well-coordinated study with input from everybody, are just a few of the factors that made it possible to address the issue from a different perspective that reduced resistance to change.
57Cali started a study aimed at improving its understanding of the food system and identifying needs from the standpoint of different players who are interested in contributing, rather than criticizing or making demands. The idea is to recognize the work done by each of the sectors working directly on the food issue, respecting their independence as a way to promote innovation, learning from each other and sharing the information available, with each person or entity contributing to the process.
58Establishing a list of these ingredients as an experience rather than as a recipe, could contribute in some way to the needs of other medium-sized and small cities that do not have a policy of this type, but need to build one on a scientific basis. We are open to analysis and discussion.
59Cali needs to continue consolidating its public food policy. Gaining approval was just a step along the way. Now it needs to strengthen the role of the Territorial Council of Food and Nutritional Sovereignty and Security (COTSSAN), the entity that created the policy, in coordinating civil society and the State and overseeing the suggested initiatives. It will also be necessary to implement a system to monitor the commitments made through the FNSS policy, reporting to the community on the development of the processes and enabling them to hold the council accountable for what it does or does not do in the field of food and nutritional security.
60At the same time, the process showed us the need to develop processes for positioning FNSS issues in the public agendas of the governors and municipal council as a strategic topic for the development of the district of Santiago de Cali. For the moment, it rare to find governors with an understanding of the importance and complexity of this issue or a conceptual grasp of food sovereignty and security.
61The introduction and implementation of the Milan Pact as an international reference and strategic framework for constructing the FNS policy was a key factor. Members of the government of Cali, players in the food chain and other partners recognized the relevance of the Milan Pact with its guidelines and the valuable experience gained in many cities around the world. For the local government, it is a source of pride knowing that its FNS policy uses the same framework as cities such as London, Sao Paulo, Vancouver, Paris and Copenhagen.
62When thinking about a sustainable agrifood system, it will be necessary for Cali to extend its viewpoint and to embrace a regional vision based on stronger ties with the departments and municipalities that produce the food consumed in Cali. This relationship must go hand-in-hand with technical support to achieve environmental sustainability, technology transfer, and improved logistics for the transportation and distribution of food.
63To develop a response to the content of the FNSS plan of Cali, with actions that translate into greater wellbeing for local communities, a relevant step would be to strengthen institutional problem-solving capacities.
Final conclusions and outlook
64As part of the discussions that took place for the construction of this policy, the following challenges were identified for Cali. Hopefully, the city will be able to overcome them through the new dynamics created and the participation of the various players. These challenges can also be understood as recommendations for any municipality seeking to initiate this type of process:
Understand the food chain as a system within the city-region approach.
Better integrate the issue of FNSS and agrifood systems in urban planning (e.g., land use planning).
Obtain the participation of a wide range of players. Planning a sustainable agrifood system is a collective initiative requiring the collective action of society, and the participation of all players.
Institutionalize comprehensive food and nutritional security policies and programs.
Align efforts with international frameworks. Implementing a référentiel and aligning initiatives with international agreements such as the Milan Pact is an opportunity to harmonize objectives and adjust them to local realities.
Adopt and implement indicators for monitoring the progress, results and impact of public food policies.
Overcome information gaps and the lack of data or social mapping.
Recognize the time required to meet economic and social development goals in cities.
Bibliographie
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References
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Arciniegas, L., & Pena, J. (2017). La transición alimentaria y nutricional en el modelo alimentario de los hogares caleños (Cali – Colombia). CIAT. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/97839
Castellanos Peñaloza, R.E. (2018). Lineamientos de política pública de seguridad alimentaria y nutricional desde la perspectiva de diferentes actores para el municipio de Santiago de Cali [Master’s thesis, Universidad del Valle, Santiago de Cali]. Biblioteca digitale Universidad del Valle. http://hdl.handle.net/10893/14967
Concejo de Santiago de Cali. (2019). Acuerdo No. 0470 de 2019. Por el cual de adopta la política pública de soberanía y seguridad alimentaria y nutricional del distrito especial de Santiago de Cali y se dictan otras disposiciones. http://www.concejodecali.gov.co/Documentos/Acuerdos/acuerdos_2019
Departamento Administrativo de Planeación Municipal de Santiago de Cali. (2019). Cali en cifras 2018–2019. http://www.cali.gov.co/planeacion/publicaciones/137803/documentos-de-cali-en-cifras/
Departamento Nacional de Planeación, República de Colombia. (1996). Plan nacional de alimentación y nutrición 1996–2005 (CONPES DNP-2847 UDS-DISAL). https://www.icbf.gov.co/cargues/avance/docs/conpes_dnp_2847_1996.htm .
Departamento Nacional de Planeación, República de Colombia. (2015). Evaluación institucional y de resultados de la Política Nacional de Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutricional (PSAN).
Ministerio de Salud y Protección Social & Instituto Colombiano de Bienestar Familiar. (2019). Documento general de análisis Encuesta Nacional de la Situación Nutricional en Colombia – ENSIN 2015.
10.1111/obr.12694 :Popkin, B.M., & Reardon, T. (2018). Obesity and the food system transformation in Latin America. Obesity Reviews 19(8), 1028–1064. doi:10.1111/obr.12694
Temple, L., & Rippke, U. (2015). Identificación de los problemas alimentarios de la población vulnerable de Cali: análisis de las cadenas de abastecimiento y de producción (Cali Come Mejor, Reporte n°4). CIRAD, CIAT.
10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31788-4 :Willett, W., Rockström, J., Loken, B., Springmann, M., Lang, T., Vermeulen, S., Garnett, T., Tilman, D., DeClerck, F., Wood, A., Jonell, M., Clark, M., Gordon, L. J., Fanzo, J., Hawkes, C., Zurayk, R., Rivera, J., De Vries, W., Sibanda, L.M., … Murray, C.J. (2019). Food in the Anthropocene: the EAT–Lancet Commission on healthy diets from sustainable food systems. The Lancet, 393(10170), 447–492. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31788-4
Notes de bas de page
115 Friedmann and C. Weaver (1981): 154, Territorio y Función, Madrid, Instituto de Estudios de Administración Local. Note the debatable Spanish translation of city-region by región ciudadana.
116 Dubbeling, M.; Bucatariu, C.; Santini, G.; Vogt, C.; Eisenbeiß, K. 2016. City region food systems and food waste management: linking urban and rural areas for sustainable and resilient development. Available at: http://edepot.wur.nl/413114
117 HarvestPlus is a program co-managed by IFPRI and CIAT, dedicated to ending hunger by providing nutrient-rich foods through biofortification.
118 Valle en Paz is a private not-for-profit corporation set up to create development opportunities in rural communities affected by the armed conflict.
119 Milan Urban Food Policy Pact Monitoring Framework Indicators. Available at: https://www.milanurbanfoodpolicypact.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Pubblications_Menu-of-actions-to-shape-urban-food-environments-for-improved-nutrition_compressed.pdf
120 Cali in figures 2018-2019. Available at: https://www.cali.gov.co/planeacion/loader.php?lServicio=Tools2&lTipo=descargas&lFuncion=descargar&idFile=41162
Auteurs
Professional at the Santiago de Cali municipality’s Department of Public Health, profesor and researcher of the nutrition and diet program of the nstitución Universitaria Escuela Nacional del Deporte, Colombia, ruby.castellanos@cali.gov.co
Bioeconomist and regional delegate for Latin America, French agricultural research and international cooperation organization working for the sustainable development of tropical and Mediterranean regions (CIRAD). guy.henry@cirad.fr
Research associate, Food Environment and Consumer Behavior Team, Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, Cali, Colombia. s.rankin@cgiar.org
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