The "Forum on Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development" brought together representatives of "Major Groups" from civil society that have been active since the first Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. The groups represented at the Forum were highly involved in CSD-8 (April 2000): Farmers, Business and Industry, Workers and Trade Unions, Indigenous Peoples and Non-Governmental Organizations.

They joined with participants from governments to search, through open dialogue, for joint solutions to major contemporary challenges to sustainability for agriculture and the rural sector. In spite of the fundamental contribution that agriculture and the rural economy makes to food security, to the environment and to so many aspects of our lives, there is an overall decline of public support for agriculture and the needs of rural society.

In order to arrive at practical recommendations for joint action in the future, the participants focused their discussions on two major areas:

• how to pull resources back to SARD goals use these resources most effectively; and
• how to establish more effective partnerships between government and civil society organizations

For further information, the Agenda and Chairman's Summary are available. The List of Participants demonstrates the range of organizations and countries present. And, a more detailed List of interventions and other documents is also available.