As many as 800 million people around the world do not have enough to eat. At the 1996 World Food Summit, global leaders pledged to halve this number by 2015. From April 7 through 12, 2008, Johannesburg hosted the Final Plenary of the United Nation's International Assessment of Agriculture Science and Technology for Development. The IAASTD, four-years in the making, was approved by 54 of the world's governments at the conclusion of the plenary a day early, April 11. Six governments attending are checking back with their capitals.
The IAASTD (“the Assessment”) is a major international effort that has combined the resources of governments, farmers, NGOs, private sector and research institutions, in an effort to answer the question:
“How can we reduce hunger and poverty, improve livelihoods and facilitate equitable, environmentally, socially and economically sustainable development through the generation, access and use of agricultural knowledge, science and technology?”
The process presents a unique opportunity for civil society to help reshape global policies, inspire local action and redirect billion-dollar flows of development aid each year toward sustainable agriculture. The final report will present evidence—drawn from the work of 4,000 researchers, scientists, development experts and activists—of the risks and benefits of different agricultural methods. The findings could exert a significant influence on government and development agency policies for years to come.
Pesticide Action Network has been collaborating with other civil society organizations around the world to make sure that the Assessment:
- Evaluates local and Indigenous knowledge on an equal footing with formal “scientific” knowledge;
- Provides technical and policy options to support a shift towards sustainable and equitable agriculture; and
- Highlights the need for fair and just trade and economic policies.
The Assessment's 21 key findings suggest that small-scale agroecological farming may offer one of the best means to feed the hungry while protecting the planet. The findings underscore the importance of reducing the environmental footprint of agriculture while making a swift transition to sustainable practices.
The Assessment gives civil society a high-profile arena in which to raise awareness among policymakers of the economic benefits of sustainable approaches to agriculture; challenge the influence of multinational agribusiness on agricultural policy and development assistance; and elevate the knowledge and experiences of marginalized farmers to an international stage.
Agrichemical corporations drop out: In January, the British journal Nature and newspaper The Guardian both reported that Monsanto and Syngenta had quit the IAASTD, complaining that the process was "unbalanced." According to a CropLife official, the decision was prompted by "the inability of its members to get industry perspectives reflected in the draft reports." Nature noted, however, that despite industry claims to the contrary, “The idea that biotechnology cannot by itself reduce hunger and poverty is mainstream opinion among agricultural scientists and policy-makers.”
A letter submitted to Nature and signed by IAASTD lead author Rajeswari S. Raina (from India's Centre for Policy Research) and 32 other international scientists and development experts countered industry’s complaints, explaining that “The assessment’s mandate was never to showcase a particular technology favored by a particular interest, but rather to grapple with much bigger questions.” The IAASTD's goal, they explained, is to advance sustainability in a world "where the playing field is tilted in favor of the powerful, and where it is difficult for poor people to even get in the game." Regarding the multinational corporations’ departure, the authors note, the IAASTD’s “reasoned assessment of best options for feeding the world, reducing poverty and achieving environmental sustainability. . . may not suit short-term balance sheets." They conclude, “We hope that this remarkable endeavor will succeed in stimulating the global community to make choices informed by a better understanding of the relationships among poverty, the environment, science, knowledge and technology.”
Beyond IAASTD: "If there is one reason to approve the IAASTD reports in April, it is to maintain a global public platform for pursuing the combined goals of development and sustainability through the way we organise ourselves to tease human opportunity out of the thin and fragile biosphere," wrotes Niels Röling, emeritus professor of innovation studies at Wageningen University, the Netherlands, anda chapter editor for the IAASTD. See "Beyond IAASTD: the case for anthropogenics" (PDF)
Announcement of Assessment
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News from Nairobi: civil society reports from first plenary meeting
Green Perspectives #1
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Green Perspectives #2
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Green Perspectives #3
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Additional information on the Assesssment, including official news from the plenary, available at http://www.agassessment.org.
Contact PANNA with your comments and suggestions about the Assessment by writing to agassessment@panna.org.
