LAND MANAGEMENT FOR SUSTAINABLE FOOD CYCLES THEME OF DIALOGUE IN COMMISSION ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Press Release
ENV/DEV/539

LAND MANAGEMENT FOR SUSTAINABLE FOOD CYCLES THEME OF DIALOGUE IN COMMISSION ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Current inequitable patterns of land use and lack of secure access to land reinforced and accentuated poverty and unsustainable practices, the Commission on Sustainable Development was told this evening, as it held a multi-stakeholder dialogue on the theme best practices in land resource management to achieve sustainable food cycles.

Agriculture is among the main themes being addressed by the two-week session of the Commission, which monitors implementation of Agenda 21 -- the plan of action adopted at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), held in Rio de Janeiro. This evening’s dialogue, the second of four on sustainable agriculture, brought together representatives of industry, trade unions, non-governmental organizations and governments.

Only with secure tenure did farmers know that the investments they made in conservation and land improvement would benefit themselves and their families, a non-governmental organization representative said. Poverty and natural resource depletion were tightly linked. Unequal and unfair patterns of tenure enforced ecologically unsustainable practices. The best practice was to place small farmers, especially women, at the centre of national economic development strategies. They must be seen as the engine of broad-based economic growth through their productive activities and as an internal market.

An industry representative said that the challenge was to feed some 6 billion people today -– up to 8 billion within 25 years -– without further encroaching on wild habitats and marginal lands. The necessary increased production would have to be achieved almost entirely by greater cultivation intensity and higher yields. That would depend on technological innovation and good practice in land resource management. The best practices were integrated approaches.

The status of farmers, one of its representatives said, was now in a “critical phase” due to global climate changes and lack of access to the latest farming technologies. “We produce, but we remain poor”, she said. “Food is a basic human right but if it is not sustained that right is delayed or denied.” Sustainable agriculture must be promoted in order to produce sustainable development. The international community could support sustainable agriculture by increasing funding, allowing for the equal participation of men and women and equal access to credit for farmers in small countries.

Sustainable Development Commission - 1a - Press Release ENV/DEV/539 4th Meeting (Night) 24 April 2000

A trade union representative said that while the majority of people engaged in agriculture were women, most of them had no access to land ownership or credit. Land reform must then be the basis for change. At the centre of change was more efficient use of resources in all aspects of production, better management of resources and elimination of waste. There was a need for a new type of agricultural workplace, and a new culture of work between employers and their workers.

Responding to opening statements, the representative of Egypt said that the problem facing developing countries was that their increasing populations had now surpassed their food supplies. The question that these countries needed to address was how to increase food production and provide safer food without affecting the environment. While the solution was not complicated, the application might be difficult. It was important to “go directly to the farmer” to show him new techniques or transfer the technologies that might allow those problems to be solved.

The representative of Japan said that the consumer might not be willing to pay an appropriate price for foods or goods produced in an environment-friendly manner unless sufficient information was provided. Provision of adequate information or appropriate technology to both farmers and consumers had proved very useful. The catalytic role played by non-governmental organizations in connecting farmers and consumers could also be very useful.

The Commission will meet again at 10 a.m. Tuesday to hold the third segment of its multi-stakeholder dialogue on agriculture on the theme “knowledge for a sustainable food system: identifying and providing for education, training, knowledge-sharing and information needs”.

Sustainable Development Commission - 3 - Press Release ENV/DEV/539 4th Meeting (Night) 24 April 2000

Commission Work Programme

The Commission on Sustainable Development met this evening to hold its second multi-stakeholder dialogue on agriculture on the theme “best practices in land resource management to achieve sustainable food cycles”. It would hear presentations by representatives of industry, farmers, trade unions and non- governmental organizations, as well as government delegations. (For background on the reports pertaining to agriculture, see Press Release ENV/DEV/538 issued this afternoon.)

Statements in Dialogue

The representative of the Latin American Group on the Protection of Crops, speaking on behalf of the International Agri-Food Network, said that sustainable development started with agriculture, and it should be noted that the sustainability of an agricultural system could not be assessed without considering the “upstream and downstream” activities in which it was developed and implemented, as well as the number of people it must feed and cover.

The challenge, he continued, was to feed some 6 billion people today -– and up to 8 billion within 25 years -– without further encroaching on wild habitats and marginal lands. The necessary increased production would have to be achieved almost entirely by greater cultivation intensity and higher yields. That would depend on technological innovation and good practice in land resource management, performed locally by farmers, as well as by consideration of water management resources, particularly in arid and semi-arid zones. Water management was an important component of sustainability, since almost half of the world’s food now came from irrigated land.

He went on to say that the best practices were integrated approaches. In that regard, agri-food businesses were committed to developing products such as adapted plant varieties, fertilizers, and technologies and methods to be used within the framework of integrated farming systems. That would encourage a knowledge-intensive approach.

The Chairperson of the Women’s Group and PAKISAMA of the Philippines, on behalf of the farmers’ delegation, said that farmers, fisherfolk and peasant women were vital to sustainable development in rural economies like the Philippines. But the status of those groups was now in a “critical phase” due to global climate changes and lack of access to the latest farming technologies. “We produce, but we remain poor”, she said. “Food is a basic human right but if it is not sustained that right is delayed or denied.”

Sustainable agriculture must be promoted, she continued, in order to produce sustainable development. Ways in which the international community could support sustainable agriculture included increased funding, the equal participation of men and women, and equal access to credit for farmers in small countries.

VERONICA AYIKWEI KOFIE, representing trade unions, said that there were various systems of land tenure in Ghana. Most women were engaged in agriculture, but most had no access to land ownership or credit. Land reform must then be the basis for change. At the centre of change were more efficient use of resources in all aspects of production, better management of resources and elimination of waste. There was a need for a new type of agricultural workplace, and a new culture of work between employers and their workers. The agricultural workplace could be the basis for massive water conservation projects all over the world. In all workplaces, workers and trade unions could become agents for change.

She said that stakeholders could not ignore the role of multinational corporations. The Commission must support guidelines for multinational corporations, and ensure that capital flows would support local capacity- building. Land use and use of natural resources must be maximized to eradicate poverty and promote democratic practices. Desired changes in agriculture revolved around agricultural workplaces. By involving workers, new levels of awareness could be reached.

PETER ROSSET, speaking on behalf of non-governmental organizations, said that he wanted to address three main areas -– best production practices, best practices for the use of land as a productive resource, and best practices for the integration of sustainable agriculture and rural development. The best production practices were ecologically based agriculture and organic methods, understood as the application of principles (rather than a cookbook approach with recipes). Concrete steps governments should take included the removal of subsidies to unsustainable practices, better integrated policy-making for agriculture and rural development, recognition of the role of women farmers in sustainable agriculture and rural development, and mainstream gender aspects throughout all policies.

The essential ingredient of sustainable agriculture and rural development, he said, consisted of land reforms to achieve equitable access to and secure tenure of land, and/or ownership, creating a small farm rural economy, with special emphasis on access and tenure for more marginalized sectors, such as women, indigenous peoples and the landless. Current inequitable patterns of access to land, and lack of secure access to land, reinforced and accentuated poverty and unsustainable practices. Only with secure tenure did farmers know that the investments they made in conservation and land improvement would benefit themselves and their families. Poverty and natural resource depletion were tightly linked. Unequal and unfair patterns of tenure enforced ecologically unsustainable practices.

With regard to best practices for the integration of sustainable agriculture and rural development in national development strategies, he said that the best practice was to place small farmers, especially women, at the centre of national economic development strategies. It was important to see them as the engine of broad-based economic growth, both through their productive activities and as an internal market. To view land reforms and sustainable farming practices as token social welfare gestures for marginal peoples was to condemn sustainable agriculture and rural development and poverty alleviation to failure.

AHMED KORISHID (Egypt), responding to presentations before the Commission, said the problem of developing countries was that their increasing populations had now surpassed their food supplies. The question that those countries faced was how to increase food production and provide safer food without affecting the environment. The solution was not complicated, he continued, but the application might be difficult.

Since most developing countries had problems funding wide-ranging programmes on farm production techniques, it was important to “go directly to the farmer” to show him new techniques or to transfer the technologies that might allow those problems to be solved. For example, Egypt now depended almost totally on scientific research to help its farmers with new and innovative food production techniques. By such applied technological research, wheat and sugar production had increased to levels that met the level of national population growth. “The key is to go directly to the farmer for training and education.” Farmers must be presented with new research techniques.

He went on to say that developing and developed countries must cooperate to allow farmers better access to new production techniques. That would raise the quality of life in developing countries and perhaps even positively affect economies around the world. Research, even experimental types of biotechnology -- as long as they were accompanied by the necessary safety guarantees -- was good for all. “This cooperation creates a ‘win-win’ situation”, he said.

Mr. NAKAGAWA (Japan), responding to earlier statements, said that since about one third of all the land in the world was utilized for agriculture, agricultural practices and their management were very important not only for farmland itself but also for surrounding land. Agricultural land, under appropriate management, had contributed throughout history to social development in many ways and provided food and fiber for society. Agricultural practices in harmony with the environment contributed not only to sustainable agriculture but also to sustainable social development. Multifunctionality might not receive the recognition it should from beneficiaries because of the nature of public goods and externalities.

The consumer, he said, might not be willing to pay an appropriate price for foods or goods produced in an environment-friendly manner unless sufficient information was provided. Also, degradation of multifunctionality was sometimes not properly recognized by farmers themselves. In such instances, intervention by the public sector could be very effective. Provision of adequate information or appropriate technology to both farmers and consumers had proved very useful. The catalytic role played by non-governmental organizations in connecting farmers and consumers could also be very useful. In particular, they played a vital role in the bottom-up decision-making process. Investment in research and development by the private sector was also very important for the development of new technologies in harmony with the environment.

A representative of industry said that sustainable agriculture was the best and most responsible use of the resources available to meet the food and energy needs of the population. It identified problems faced by farmers, and made the best use of resources to grow crops as well as promote new technology. Sustainable agriculture was not a new thing, but had evolved over time. Economic and social aspects must be considered in defining sustainable agriculture. The present dialogue helped to solidify some definitions. Agribusiness did not invent modern agriculture; it depended on the free sharing of research among all stakeholders. The demand on agriculture was dynamic, and thus sustainable agriculture had to be dynamic as well.

A representative of farmers said that sustainability involved looking at agriculture that was in harmony with its surrounding area and not detrimental to that surrounding environment. That type of sustainability would only be sustainable if it was economical. In achieving that type of sustainability, attention was focused almost exclusively on the producer, but fair prices were also necessary. What could be done to ensure that consumption also became sustainable? he asked.

Mr. JAUREGUI (Bolivia) said that one of the problems in defining sustainable development was that everyone was essentially thinking of different things. It was important to know whether sustainability was defined by exclusive models of agriculture. The problem of best practices was the lack of access to best practices for communal farmers and the loss of best practices for indigenous peoples. It was also a matter of power, because there was an ideological stratum that failed to justify some types of agriculture.

The representative of Brazil said that when debating issues of agricultural sustainability it was important to consider the protection of the quality of life of those who produced the food.

A non-governmental organization representative said it was still clear that there was some confusion as to the exact meaning of sustainable agriculture. The term was invented as a way of differentiating itself from the agricultural models promoted by big business; it was indeed a socially just and economically sound model, not one that was driven by corporate concerns.

The representative of Canada wondered if there could be sustainable agriculture based on large government subsidies?

The CHAIRMAN asked delegations how economic aspects would go hand in hand with sustainable agriculture: what economic sustainability did farmers need?

A representative of the farmers said that when discussing sustainable agriculture, the international community must always address the situation of the rural woman, her access to credit for collateral, and how cultures dealt with her over the question of land ownership. In developing countries, women did most of the farming and household work. If there was to be any sustainable agriculture, then rural woman must be examined in her totality. In that regard, governments, especially those of developed countries, should make sure the rural woman had access to land for productivity as well as for collateral.

The representative went on to say that environmental degradation was a very important issue for farmers in developing countries. She told the panel that small farmers needed to know how to dispose of industrial wastes, packaging materials and non-biodegradable plastics.

A representative of the trade unions said that no delegation had fully answered the question as to the difference between conventional agriculture and sustainable agriculture. One thing was clear, however, and that was that current agriculture was not sustainable; it had not solved the problem of hunger, and had created great environmental problems which led to unsustainablity in many parts of the world.

A representative of Canadian farmers said that she too was puzzled by the industry definition of sustainability. The kind of production she engaged in was not about sustaining farming families. Farming in Canada was facing the worst problems it had faced in many years. Any definition that left out families and the environment was inadequate.

A representative of indigenous peoples said that the majority of indigenous peoples were small farmers who owned and tilled small patches of land. When talking of best practices, they had a lot to offer since their practices had stood the test of time and were still carried on today. Indeed, sustainable agriculture was not new, since indigenous peoples had been practicing it for decades. Control over land was a basic issue for indigenous peoples. They also had good cooperation with non-governmental organizations in terms of pushing forward their best practices for sustainable agriculture.

The Chairman, JUAN MAYR MALDONADO (Colombia), summarizing comments, said that there were great disparities in the views presented. However, he understood the reasoning behind them. He wanted to hear recommendations based on the positions of each of the stakeholders in order to find a solution to the urgent problem of food safety. He requested concrete proposals which could be incorporated into recommendations to narrow the differences expressed.

A trade union representative said that to achieve a sustainable food cycle it was necessary to take into account chapter 19 of Agenda 21, which dealt with toxic chemicals. There were some restricted chemicals coming into developing countries, particularly chemical pesticides, which caused soil and water pollution. There was rampant pesticide poisoning, which affected production capabilities. There was a need for training and education of agricultural workers so they could participate fully in sustainable agriculture. He requested that industries, using their income from pesticides, educate workers on the safe use of those products.

A representative of farmers said that each farmer needed to survive economically. While many proposals were offered, there was not one simple answer. In the United States, for example, chemicals were used and biotechnology was generally supported. One approach or another should not be imposed on anyone. It could not be said that approaches had to exclude the use of chemicals in order to be environmentally safe.

Mr. SANI (Nigeria) said that he did not want people to leave thinking that inorganic manure ruined the soil. Different environments required different practices. In Nigeria, the climate was different, and the moisture content of the soil was different in different parts of the country. Soil was ruined by the actions of man.

A representative of the farmers said that debates about the sustainability of agriculture must recognize that agriculture itself was not static; it was, in fact, integrated in all levels of society. “Agriculture changes as we change”, he said, “If it is not integrated into the rest of society it cannot be sustainable.”

Another farm representative called for a focus on creating an infrastructure for farmers that would provide access to funding and new technologies.

The CHAIRMAN asked for three representatives from each group of stakeholders to end the dialogue by providing specific, action-oriented suggestions that would guide the work of the Commission.

One of the representatives of non-governmental organizations said that the international community must recognize that agriculture was an ecological process and recommended that any funds that might be diverted to development research should be earmarked for training programmes that would allow farmers to take advantage of emerging technological and ecological developments.

Another representative from non-governmental organizations said that people’s access to land and the way land was managed was a “cross-cutting” issue that should be addressed in the work of the Commission. Therefore, an ongoing working group should be created to specifically study land management issues between now and the tenth Commission session.

A representative of indigenous persons said that security of land tenure, territorial and research rights was vital to indigenous populations. Therefore, it was important to develop, ratify and implement legal mechanisms that would address those concerns.

A representative of industry said that agricultural sustainability could only be achieved through preservation of natural resources; ensured quality of food products; world trade rules which guaranteed fair markets; and, most importantly, dignified working conditions.

Another industry representative praised the multi-stakeholder approach to sustainable agriculture.

The final representative from industry said that, in order to face the challenge of food security, the international community must make commitments to research and biotechnology.

A trade unions representative said that, in Sweden, forest companies had created a set of standards for certification in the forest industry, with the cooperation of trade union representatives. Among its aspects were that each worker should have individual education and training, and that no pesticides be allowed in the forest industry. It should be possible to create a similar certification system for agriculture, and trade unions could contribute in that process.

Another representative of trade unions said that fishing was also an integral part of agriculture. It was necessary for fishermen to be recognized as agricultural workers. Small developing tourism-oriented economies could destroy the livelihood of fishermen through unsustainable development in tourism, agricultural pollution and the establishment of industrial plants along coastlines. A lot of land development had destroyed coral reefs and the capacity of fishermen to sustain their livelihoods. Any debate on sustainable agriculture had to include the fishing industry.

A third representative of the trade unions said that the issue boiled down to the use of resources. To really address the issue of resources, questions such as target setting and monitoring in the world’s workplaces had to be addressed. If it was not done there, then it would not happen at all. That must be a joint effort with the trade unions. It was necessary to promote a new culture of cooperation in workplaces to make the necessary changes happen. While respecting core labour standards was fundamental, much more was needed, including promoting the health and well-being of all citizens. Trade unions wanted to promote a sustainable food cycle which linked production and consumption patterns in a sustainable way.

A representative of farmers said that the identification of best practices was fundamental, since they could involve the agricultural workers of tomorrow. Such practices were specific to the environment, the community and the crops in specific contexts. There was a possibility, in cooperation with producers and non-governmental organizations, to establish an international partnership and database.

Another farmer representative said that there were many ways to look at sustainable agriculture depending on where one was from. Choice was not something that was available to all farmers. Eighty per cent of farmers had no choices, they had to feed themselves and their populations. At the same time, they had no support from their national governments. She asked that there be genuine support from those governments. Many farmers were now moving from subsistence farming to market-oriented crops. Sooner or later, their farms would not be able to produce what was needed. They had to be provided the necessary capital.

The third representative of farmers said that the sustainable model of agriculture was losing ground in today’s context. If specific measures were not taken, it would not be possible to protect sustainable development. It was necessary to have measures aimed against models that were not sustainable. In that context, the precautionary principle was important.

The CHAIRMAN said that different approaches were mentioned and serious contradictions existed. The contributions heard today illustrated the importance of the need to make progress and look in depth into the topic for the future of food safety. It was also important to hear what consumers had to say. Many recommendations had been made and taken note of. More places were needed where all actors could make their voices heard. While there was not enough time to make progress, participants should feel satisfied that they had created a series of elements on which to build on in the future.

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