This Conference, organised by FAO and the Government of Brazil, aimed to analyze agrarian reform and rural development experiences in different countries and identify policies, practices and lessons learned that can bring about a new rural development paradigm which takes into consideration social inclusion, environmental sustainability and livelihood security for poor people.

The ICARRD Conference concluded on 10 March with the adoption of a Final Declaration calling for all Governments to adopt agrarian reform and rural development policies and programmes to benefit the poor and most marginalized. The Conference affirmed that land and access to natural resources are the foundation of sustainable rural development and cultural and environmental viability. Civil Society Organizations and Social Movements played a crucial, positive role in its success, calling for new approaches and levels of engagement with their Governments.

A special theme session, titled “The language we have to talk in the Mountain Areas’’, was held focussing on SARD in mountain regions.

Presentations were made by the following panellists: Mr. Miguel Palomino, President of the Interim Bureau of the Adelboden Group, Dr. E. Hofer, Swiss Federal Government, Dr. Madhav Karki, Deputy Director General of ICIMOD (International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development), Ms. Kanchan Lama, WOCAN (Women Organizing for Change in Agriculture and Natural Resources Management), Dr. Antonietta Gutierrez, ASDMAS (Asociación de Desarrollo Medio Ambiental Sustentable), Mr. Saul Vicente Vasquez, International Indian Treaty Council, and Ms. Dominique Legros, SARD-M Project Coordinator.

Participants agreed on the following recommendations:

• Need for structures at national and decentralized levels for effective and efficient implementation of policies;
• In order to achieve community-based agriculture and rural development, governments should not just give land to the poor, but must also ensure that sustainable mechanisms and resource allocations exist to support the sustainable use of land by new owners;
• Need to actively support the diversification of mountain economies through networks of enterprise development, marketing infrastructure and information systems, business development services and extension support based on national/local standards and good practices;
• Recognition of women as landowners is important to achieve a favourable situation for mountain women’s participation and ensure equal rights to land for women;
• Recognition of the rights of local communities, of property and succession rights, including appropriated land tenure and cadastral arrangements, and of the rights of indigenous and tribal people.

A presentation on SARD in mountain regions was also made during the Partnerships Initiatives Fair jointly by the Adelboden Group, represented by the President of the Interim Bureau, Mr. Miguel Palomino (Minister, Embassy of Peru in Moscow, Russian Federation), the Coordinator of the SARD-M Project, Ms. Dominique Legros, and ICIMOD, Regional Focal Point for the Hindu Kush-Himalaya, represented by Dr. Madhav Karki (Deputy Director General).

Participants suggested:

• To give more emphasis on policies, studies and exchange of information about the valuation and payment mechanisms for public goods and services of mountain regions that can support their development;
• To take into consideration the specific situation of some regions or minor groups and the importance of their involvement in the design and implementation of sustainable development policies.

Some institutions and countries, notably in the Hindu Kush-Himalaya Region, asked to become Members of the Adelboden Group. It was also suggested the Small Island States, notably the Northern Pacific Communities, to be taken into consideration in the Adelboden Group as well as in the SARD-M Project.

For further information on the Final Declaration, the Conference report and all ICARRD documentation, please consult the official website of the Conference: www.icarrd.org.