Side Event on the Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development Initiative

Johannesburg, South Africa,
Committee Room 5, Sandton Convention Centre
30 August 2002 ( 13:15-14:45)

Honourable Heads of State and Government,
Distinguished Ministers,
Distinguished Representatives of Non-Governmental and Civil Society Organizations,

It is a great honour and pleasure for me to welcome you today in this Side Event on the Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development (SARD) Initiative. Like other partnerships being launched at this time, the SARD Initiative is a concrete contribution to the World Summit on Sustainable Development. Let us recall the concept of sustainable agriculture and rural development as it was adopted at UNCED.

SARD

Agriculture and rural development are sustainable when they are ecologically sound, economically viable, socially just, culturally appropriate, humane and based on a holistic scientific approach. The concept inherently addresses multiple sectors encompassing not just agriculture, but also water, energy, health and biodiversity. In the ten years since Rio, when Chapter 14 of Agenda 21 first outlined programmes and actions to enhance food security in a sustainable way, the concept of SARD has evolved to include social, institutional, and economic sustainability, as well as environmental sustainability. This means that sustainable agriculture and rural development, including forestry and fisheries, must meet the nutritional requirements and other human needs of present and future generations, provide durable and decent employment, maintain and, where possible, enhance the productive and regenerative capacity of the natural resource base, reduce vulnerability and strengthen self-reliance.

The SARD Initiative

The SARD Initiative is a multi-stakeholder umbrella framework designed to support the transition to people-centred sustainable agriculture and rural development and to strengthen participation in programme and policy development through supporting pilot efforts and building the capacity of rural communities, disadvantaged groups and other stakeholders to improve access to resources (e.g. genetic, technological, land, water, markets and information), promote good practices, and foster fairer conditions of employment in agriculture. The Initiative is expected to result in concrete and measurable improvements in the livelihoods and living conditions of the rural poor in the medium-term, thus contributing to the implementation of Chapter 14 of Agenda 21 and achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.

FAO is honoured to facilitate this civil society-led and government-supported Initiative. Some 55 organisations of farmers, indigenous peoples, workers and trade unions, women, youth, non-government organisations, the scientific and technological community, business and industry, interested consumer and media groups, along with governments and inter-governmental organisations have already voiced interest in and support for the Initiative.

Genesis of the Initiative

The SARD Initiative emerged from the Eight Session of the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD-8) Dialogue on land and agriculture which resulted in a decision to entrust FAO and the Commission Secretariat, in consultation with governments, relevant international organizations and all major groups, with the task of continuing the stakeholder dialogue on SARD as part of the ongoing review of progress in implementing Chapter 14. A second milestone in this regard was the SARD Forum convened at the 16th Session of the FAO Committee on Agriculture in 2001. The Initiative builds on experience, inputs and priorities for action from the annual review of Agenda 21 by the Commission on Sustainable Development, the 1996 World Food Summit and the 2002 World Food Summit: five years later, but also the International Conference on SARD in Mountain Regions (Adelboden, June 2002), among others. During the WSSD preparatory process, the SARD Initiative has been refined, and a voluntary process of action-oriented commitments is commencing to secure the resources, experience, expertise, knowledge and technologies to accelerate progress in SARD. Regular monitoring would allow for iterative improvements to the Initiative.

Its Rationale

Poverty, limited resources and political and social constraints have restricted the ability of rural people, in particular disadvantaged groups, to exchange and learn about, test, adapt, and replicate environmentally and socially appropriate approaches of sustainable agriculture and rural development. Disadvantaged groups, including small farmers, agricultural workers, and indigenous peoples, are often unable to secure or improve their own livelihoods due to resource constraints or lack of influence over the policies, processes, and institutions that affect them, such as, in the new context of globalisation. Nevertheless, since Rio, significant progress has been made in the development of more equitable and effective policies, approaches, methods, and technologies for SARD, resulting in successful experiences in rural communities. This Initiative offers all stakeholders, particularly governments, an opportunity to reinvest in rural development to promote more equal benefit-sharing, reduce poverty, enhance livelihoods, and promote sustainable development.

Its Objectives

At this stage, the objectives of the SARD Initiative, are to provide catalytic support to strengthen the capacities, initiatives, and innovations of farmers, fisherfolk, pastoralists, and other rural people and to provide a framework through which local, national and regional initiatives related to sustainable agriculture and rural development can be recognised, supported and, if appropriate, replicated to contribute to improving rural livelihoods as called for in Agenda 21. The Initiative will link resources, expertise, knowledge and technologies to demands of rural communities and disadvantaged stakeholders. By upscaling lessons, successful endeavours, and approaches, the SARD initiative will help to promote wider access to, use of, and benefits from existing resources.

Its Expected Outcomes

In terms of specific outcomes, the Initiative is expected to supply formal and informal training opportunities, technologies, participatory methods, or other resources targeted to overcome specific problems associated with developing more socially, economically and/or environmentally sustainable policies, practices and programmes. It will also promote information sharing between communities and stakeholder groups. It will assist in building capacity of the poor and others to develop, implement and monitor practices for SARD. It will contribute to strengthening civil society institutions for negotiation processes by organising regional, national and international workshops. Innovative information and communication technologies will be used to reinforce stakeholders' participation at all levels. Most importantly, the Initiative will foster sustainable access to and use of resources by the disadvantaged.

Funding or seed money will be required to enable small farmers, agricultural workers, indigenous peoples, rural communities and other disadvantaged stakeholders to adopt new technologies, good practices, and participatory approaches that facilitate the transition to SARD. Resources will also be needed to strengthen the knowledge and widen the choices of policy makers and improve global knowledge about the significance of SARD for the environmental, economic, and social well being of human kind.

Next Steps

This WSSD Side Event is one important opportunity to revitalise SARD as an integral part of sustainable development. The consultative process will culminate in a stakeholder design workshop, planned for October 2002, to finalise the design, outcomes and mechanisms for the Initiative before moving into the implementation phase.

Closing Remarks

The heart of today's event, of course, is a consultation in which we seek the input of all stakeholders in identifying the priorities, resources, and commitments which can make the Initiative a reality. For its part, FAO will continue to play a facilitating role as mandated by CSD-8. It will also contribute to the global effort to implement Chapter 14 of Agenda 21 by carrying out its mission to assist Member Countries in reducing food insecurity and rural poverty, ensuring an enabling policy and regulatory framework for food and agriculture, fisheries and forestry; securing sustainable increases in the supply and availability of food; conserving and enhancing the natural resource base; and generating knowledge of food and agriculture, fisheries and forestry.

FAO looks forward to learning of your ideas, experiences, and intentions vis-à-vis the Initiative. Your contributions today will help to ensure its ownership by a broad array of stakeholders and thereby its success as a concrete outcome of this Summit.

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