The second stage consisted of bringing farmers and government representatives together. Having the time to build relationships, especially with the farmers, meant that “when the time was right for us to get them connected to the city representatives, they were ready to listen.”

However, Elujulo was disappointed that the Honourable Chairman, House Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development was not able to attend, “it would have been amazing to have him listen, seeing the faces of the farmers while they expressed their dissatisfaction and also call on better support to work together with the government for a just transition…to see the faces of the farmers because that's how you really see the pain of the farmers, it gets to you when you see them.” Furthermore, even though other top officials from the government’s research team and from the Oyo State and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture were present, policymakers did not attend.  Nonetheless, because Elujulo had invited government representatives in the food and farming sector he knew that “we had people from other departments who we know will be in the room when policymakers meet.” Additionally, Elujulo documented the conversations thoroughly so that they could be shared with those not present.

During the conversations farmers “got to share some of the best practices they have been using to address some of the challenges on their farms”, including pest and disease control as well as organic farming methods. Additionally, with farmers from the seven different local government areas in Oyo State present, the dialogue became a space for knowledge exchange. This was enhanced by the fact that different farming systems were represented, from small-scale producers to large commercial farmers. Most of these were small-scale producers. Elujulo thinks this is due to the fact that the majority of farmers in Nigeria are small-scale farmers and that “to some extent they are the ones facing the burdens of this climate crisis and would always love to attend opportunities that broaden their knowledge about it, since they can't afford it.” 

One thing that Elujulo had to consider was the existing conflict between crop farmers and herdsmen. Due to the encroaching Sahel desert, a process exacerbated by climate change, pastoralists migrate further to find food for their cattle and at times the cattle feed on farmers’ crops, creating tension between them. Taking this into account, they structured the dialogue in such a way that everyone was treated as equals: 

“Before the dialogue [we] said that this is a platform and all ideas that are relevant, and what we're looking to see is to see how we can work together. And it's not a competition of what is right and what is not right. But a platform for people to freely express themselves.”

Overall, Elujulo was happy with the dialogue. “Farmers are willing to work with government representatives to see how we can transform the food system, as long as they're also ready to work with them” and the government is paying “attention to what the farmers said.” Furthermore, several farmers have contacted Elujulo to find out what happens next. This motivates him to use findings from the dialogue to influence local and national policy. He hopes to establish a platform for experiential learning including agroecological training, organic fertiliser production, waste management and forestry, coupled with activities to engage “political leaders to see how the adoption of these best practices can be incentivized and also really encourage farmers to do more”. They are also planning to set up a community seed bank for their indigenous seeds to “conserve the cultural value and taste of forgotten meals.” This is a direct result of concerns raised in the dialogue in relation to seed accessibility, reusability and affordability.