Who are the SARD stakeholders?
Stakeholders are those individuals and groups that either have an influence on the process of rural development or are influenced by it – be they women, youth, indigenous people, farmers, fishers, peasants, workers, trade union members, local authorities, public policy advocates and field workers from non-governmental organizations, scientists, technicians, businessmen, industrialists, educators, members of the media, government officials or staff of intergovernmental agencies. SARD stakeholders develop resource materials and participate in public events where they advocate for policies at all levels that will help create a more just and sustainable world. They also use and promote good practices, and build practice to policy links.
You are a SARD actor
In a sense, all members of society are SARD stakeholders. It takes all of us to transition the unfortunate situations such as hunger, poverty and environmental degradation to a world that is truly sustainable, vibrant, and peaceful. Your voice and your actions count.
To get involved, click on the Participate link.
SARD stakeholder categories
During the Earth Summit in 1992, it was noted that civil society participation is fundamental to sustainable development. Agenda 21 recognized the roles and responsibilities of nine major groups of civil society including business and industry, children and youth, farmers, indigenous peoples, local authorities, non-governmental organizations, scientific and technological communities, women, and workers and trade unions. All of these major groups except local authorities have appointed focal point organizations for SARD, and these organizations collaborate with FAO in various ways for implementation of Agenda 21, Chapter 14, in particular through their participation in the SARD Initiative project.
The IPC is a global network of NGOs/CSOs concerned with food sovereignty issues and programmes. It includes (i) social organizations representing small farmers, fisher folk, indigenous peoples and agricultural workers trade unions; (ii) sub-regional/regional NGOs/CSOs which act as regional focal points; and (iii) NGO networks with particular expertise and a long history of lobbying and action and advocacy on issues related to food sovereignty and agriculture, which act as thematic focal points. The IPC was an active partner of FAO in the run-up to the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in 2002 and again during the preparations for the International Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development (ICARRD) in 2005.
While FAO is the lead technical agency for Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development, other Intergovernmental Organizations are contributing to advancing SARD through social, economic, and environmental programmes. Among these are the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP and the World Food Programme (WFP).
A large proportion of government investment in FAO contributes to advancing SARD. In addition, there are a number of governments that have supported specific SARD projects that have been initiated since the WSSD. For example, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland and the United States have all committed resrouces to SARD-related projects of FAO that are achieving field-to-policy impact.
At the national level, commitment to SARD is usually a joint undertaking involving civil society and private sector stakeholders as well as governments. The list of FAO member nations where SARD-related project activities have been implemented or initiated since WSSD is growing steadily. Details about activities of national SARD stakeholders are provided on the relevant pages of this Web site.
