Process
E-Conference - some Phase 3 Conclusions
(A complete record of the E-Conference is available here)
What some e-conferees said in phase three
"El arte del agricultor consiste en observar, "participar" en el sistema y no dominarlo."- Milz, Bolivia
"We have to be aware that it is urgently necessary to reduce the idea of agriculture (and also land) as a moneymaking machine, and keep in mind that it must be the base of a healthy human society/community"
- Primavesi, Brazil
"Educating the private sector that their long-term survival is dependent on the well being of primary producers (farmers, large and small) and thus they should understand their problems and respond to their needs to optimise mutual benefits"
- Balasubramanian, Philippines
"The incredible diverisity of cultures, climates, soils, plants and animals opens the possibility of a tapestry of unique places producing food for the cities, employing thousands of rural people and caring for their unique landscapes. There do not seem to be serious technical obstacles to achieving this - all that is lacking is the vision and political will to do it."
- Nigh, Mexico
"Agriculture is sustainable if and only if ecological processes are kept functioning."
- Neunteufel, Austria
Enabling factors for the sustainable development of the multifunctional character of agriculture and land
"Constraining factors vary vastly, but I could hypothesize that without the following seven "enabling factors" the sustainable development of the multifunctional character of agriculture and land will not occur:(a) A acceptance/realization by farmers and governments of the imperative need for a long-term landcare ethic (usually occurs through sound education or first hand experience of resource degradation or disaster).
(b) Access to markets, sound information and other essential inputs.
(c) Continuous education for farmers, their advisors, city folk and policy makers on scientific, economic and social aspects of land use.
(d) This assumes a sound research system, involving both basic and applied research, and research into people and their needs.
(e) Real participation and power for the people who farm the land, in seeking information, solutions, markets, new ideas, new institutions etc.
(f) A national political vision and agrarian policy that accepts that sustainable farming can not result from economic rationalism, but through policies that give incentives to manage land soundly (even at the expense of maximizing production, or reducing food prices to a minimum).
(g) Such policies would also ensure that farming people and areas have access to essential services (transport, banking, education etc) at reasonable prices, can integrate with other industries, and are not unduly disadvantaged by their isolation.
These conclusions sound very trite and obvious - but I believe that the future of agriculture and land must ultimately depend on political policies and hence the will of (mainly city) people to see the farming areas and resources safeguarded. We are a long way from seeing these conditions in most countries."
- Petheram, Australia
Factors for success from a case in China
- "leaders and villagers from the project area (Honghe Prefecture) interested and motivated to enhance the environment and living conditions of the local people;
- selection of an area with a rich tradition of domestication of landscape and natural resources (terracing, multiple food crops, water management, agroforestry practices, organic agriculture and multicropping) and existence of indigenous knowledge systems for different ecosystems;
- political leaders interested to hand over responsibility to the local villages (autonomous development) and design/develop a new role for the paternalistic technical services present in the field;
- scientists supporting the creation of a people-centred development approach;
- donor organization willing to test the participatory approach in China;
- emphasis on training (learning-by-doing approach) to build up a local capacity from village to township and county"
- Tillman, China