The FAO/Netherlands Conference on the Multifunctional Character of Agriculture and Land (MFCAL) will take place in Maastricht, the Netherlands from 12-18 September, 1999. Discussion will be based on a series of specially-prepared case studies and two main technical documents - Issues Paper: The Multifunctional Character of Agriculture and Land and Taking Stock of The Multifunctional Character of Agriculture And Land.
The six Background Papers in this volume provide an additional source of information and reference. Their purpose is to stimulate thought and to illuminate the very real value of what could be called "the MFCAL Approach" for the study and analysis of specific subject areas and themes. They also demonstrate the two-way value flow, showing how the MFCAL Approach can be enriched through reference to specific examples, but similarly, highlighting the valuable contribution that the approach can make to individual subject areas and issues.
The production of the papers has been overseen and coordinated by the Executive Bureau of the Conference. Each paper has been prepared by an independent group of authors and technicians from within and beyond FAO. Indeed, in providing these papers, it is important to note that the designations employed and the presentation of material do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations or the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature Management and Fisheries, The Netherlands, concerning the legal status of any country or its authorities or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.
We are certain that each paper provides a valuable contribution to the ongoing development of our understanding of the Multifunctional Character of Agriculture and Land and to the discussions at the Conference in September.
For reasons of both cost and time, it has not been possible to translate the six Background Papers. Summaries in French and Spanish will be available on the internet prior to the Conference in Maastricht (http://www.fao.org/mfcal) and will be available at the Conference venue.
The six Background Papers have been prepared under the overall direction of the Executive Bureau of the FAO/Netherlands Conference on the Multifunctional Character of Agriculture and Land, based at FAO in Rome, Italy. Richard Trenchard of the Executive Bureau, coordinated the production of the six documents and was responsible for their final editing and incorporation into a single volume. Louise Fresco, Director, Research, Extension and Training Division (SDR) and Gustavo Best, Head, Executive Bureau provided overall supervision and guidance.
Most importantly, thanks must go for the people who acted as technical focal points for the production of the six individual documents (FAO, unless otherwise indicated): Linda Collette (Agricultural Biodiversity); Gustavo Best (Bioenergy); Dominque Lantieri and Francois Lemmans (IFAD) (Drylands); Terri Raney and Jeff Tschirley (Environment, Trade and SARD), Eric Kueneman, Michael Zoebisch(ICARDA), John Dodds (ICARDA) (Research and Technology) and Wulf Klohn (Water). They all embraced the challenge with enthusiasm, efficiency and utmost professionalism.
A large and distinguished team from within FAO, the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature Management and Fisheries, The Netherlands, throughout the CGIAR System and from a number of universities and research institutions provided important inputs to the Background Papers. Their individual contributions are recognised in the individual acknowledgements of each paper.
Important technical support and guidance was provided by the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature Management and Fisheries, The Netherlands. The production of the Background Papers would not have been possible without the valuable and generous financial support of the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Directorate-General for International Cooperation. In addition, both ICARDA (Background Paper 5) and IFAD (Background Paper 3) made important financial contributions towards the production of individual papers.