CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE WORKSHOP

1. Participants agreed that this workshop was very useful:

• in establishing contacts between identified scientists and other professionals interested in sustainable agricultural development,

• in the exchange of experiences and opinions,

• in getting acquainted with the agri-environmental situation in the countries from the sub-region,

• in raising awareness of sustainability concepts and issues,

• in stimulating human capacity building,

• in identifying necessities and priorities for research on sustainable agricultural development in the sub-region.

2. The workshop helped to identify the most serious environmental problems; the main obstacles and the chances of reaching the goal of sustainable agriculture in the CEECs. The opinions of participants will be compiled by Humboldt University included in the proceedings of the Workshop (Table 1).

3. Differences between the countries with respect to their attained level of sustainable agricultural development are mostly caused by a different approaches to the rearrangement of property rights as the most important institutional arrangement in the reform process.

4. Common characteristics of the countries with respect to their achieving the objective of sustainable agricultural development, identified by participants were:

• While extensification in the use of inputs during the past period has led to lower pollution emissions, there is, however, no guarantee that this will lead to sustainable agriculture;

• Deep financial crisis in both agriculture and the economy as a whole restricts the introduction of sustainability-oriented technologies and practices and leads to the abandonment and or degradation of previous long-term investments in soil fertility and erosion-control measures. This, in turn, results in the degradation of natural resources and the environment.

• Current agricultural policies are oriented towards addressing short-term priorities, with emphasis given to intensification and increases in production, thus neglecting to give appropriate attention to the long-term interests of preserving natural resources.

6. The framework for future activities of the CEESA should include a strategy for research and communication that helps to:

• change the present situation in agriculture from an extensive one caused by difficulties in structural adjustment, to long-lasting, sustainable agriculture;

• propose corresponding incentive systems for the farmers by means of adequate sustainability-oriented policy instruments;

• promote the system of institutions during transformation that would lead to the improved protection of nature.

7. Based on the resource papers, during the discussions the participants agreed that the three main areas of activities and research treated by the CEESA should be sustainable farming systems, agricultural and environmental policies and the institutional concept of sustainability. For each of those areas a working group was formed together with a contact person responsible for preparing an initial draft concept of research and communication in the respective area.

8. To stimulate communication within the Network, it was agreed that participation in the CEESA should be extended to decision-makers and to other interested and qualified professionals. To further stimulate information exchange it has also been agreed that the CEESA needs to develop a networking capacity for distribution of information.

9. In order to assure envisaged future activities, representatives of the FAO and Humboldt University should take initiative to identify support for the future activities of the Network.

10. The reports presented at the workshop provide a good background as to the issues that were dealt with. Together with other papers presented at the workshop, country reports should be published by the FAO as the proceedings of this workshop and circulated as soon as possible.

Table 1: Major environmental problems, hazards and chances on the way to sustainability in Central and Eastern Europe