The Initiative is facilitated by FAO but led by civil society. Stakeholders can claim a number of concrete achievements to date. Highlights include:

• Survey on Cultural Indicators of SARD in Indigenous People’s Traditional Foods and Cultures (Funded through Regular Programme, August, 2003)
• Retrospective studies in Honduras, Zimbabwe and the Philippines to draw lessons on sustainable dimensions of good practices long after project completion (funded by FAO Regular Programme, with support by Major Groups) (Dec. 2003-March 2004)
• Inventory of FAO’s contributions to SARD and development of framework for a larger inventory of SARD activities of all SARD Initiative stakeholders (partially funded by Canada) (Dec. 2003 – Sept. 2004)
• Lessons sharing on the SARD Initiative during the International Forum on Partnerships for Sustainable Development (UNCSD meeting, March 2004)
• Promotion of demonstrated Conservation Agriculture good practices in Kenya and Tanzania (supported by Germany, GTZ-Sustainet) and start-up of more systematic monitoring of social, economic and environmental impacts of conservation agriculture (from June 2004)
• Establishment of a pilot FAO-Italy Sustainable Development Facility to improve the impacts of on-going FAO projects (funded by Italy) (September 2004)Access the GCP/INT/938/ITA project document
• Project development underway with South Africa to document and upscale SARD good practices while building the capacity of 200 unemployed university graduates.
• Major Group/Civil Society outreach and development of decision making protocol to guide participation of stakeholders in the SARD Initiative
• Development of beginning activities for future action to be led by Major Groups including Farmers, Indigenous Peoples, Trade and Agricultural Workers, NGOs, Women, Science and Technology, Business and Industry and Youth
• Publication of a selection of Civil Society and Government contributions to the SARD Initiative.

Perhaps the most important accomplishment has been to put agriculture-environment linkages back on the international development agenda. In many developing countries, sustainable development of agriculture and the rural economy are preconditions for success in the fight against poverty and hunger. Yet, for various reasons, this reality risked being overshadowed by other preoccupations in the run-up to Johannesburg. Civil society stakeholders participating in the SARD Initiative were among the first to recognize the fundamental importance of sustainable agriculture for poverty reduction and environmental protection; their active support in promoting this idea in numerous international fora has been crucial in getting it widely accepted.