Sustainable farming system should have resource conserving technologies, address climate resilience and should be community supported. Climate change is perhaps the most serious environmental threat to the fight against hunger, malnutrition, disease and poverty, mainly through its impact on agricultural productivity.
Agriculture is a major provider of environmental services and it plays an important role in sequestering carbon, managing watersheds and preserving biodiversity. Agriculture is also a major consumer of natural resource, contributing to underground water depletion, agrochemical pollution, soil exhaustion and global climate change. Agricultural extension personnel have to take a lead role in this respect in promoting sustainable farming system.
Consumers are now more concerned about obtaining safe food.. Food safety involves a much broader range of public health issues related to food production. Food safety concerns begin from on farm production of food commodities. It is the key entry point for the introduction of management practices that allow minimising potential contamination with excessive residues of harmful chemicals in food and water. GAP is one such preventive food safety approach which ensures that food is produced concerning about health and environment. Nutrition and food security must be considered in developing food safety guidelines and standards.
The International Human Rights framework which includes instruments that address the right to food, water and health as well as human rights is to be considered. Food sovereignty is critical because our current food and farming system is thoroughly broken. Food sovereignty is essential to guarantee the human rights of communities to choose when and how their food is produced and what food they consume. This is more relevant in the present context of controversy related to type of food being consumed
Prof. R. M. Prasad
Former Professor, Kerala Agricultural University
General Secretary, Farm Care Foundation, Kerala
Dr. Muraleedhar Prasad