PROGRAMME AREAS
A. Agricultural policy re view, planning and integrated programmes in the light of the
multifunctional aspect of agriculture, particularly with regard to food security and sustainable
development
Basis for action
14.5. There is a need to integrate sustainable development consideration s with agricultural policy analysis and planning in all countries, particularly in developing countries. Recommendations should contribute directly to development of realistic and operational medium - to long-term plans and programmes, and thus to concrete actions. Support to and monitoring of implementation should follow.
14.6. The absence of a coherent national policy framework for sustainable agriculture and rural development (SARD) is widespread and is not limited to the developing countries. In particular t he economies in transition from planned to market -oriented systems need such a framework to incorporate environmental considerations into economic activities, including agriculture. All countries need to assess comprehensively the impacts of such policies on food and agriculture sector performance, food security, rural welfare and international trading relations as a means for identifying appropriate offsetting measures. The major thrust of food security in this case is to bring about a significant increase in agricultural production in a sustainable way and to achieve a substantial improvement in people's entitlement to adequate food and culturally appropriate food supplies.
14.7. Sound policy decisions pertaining to international trade and capital flows also necessitate action to overcome: (a) a lack of awareness of the environmental costs incurred by sectoral and macroeconomic policies and hence their threat to sustainability; (b) insufficient skills and experience in incorporating issues of sustainability in to policies and programmes; and (c) inadequacy of tools of analysis and monitoring. 1/
Objectives
14.8. The objectives of this Programme area are:
a. By 1995, to review and, where appropriate, establish a programme to integrate
environmental and sustainable de velopment with policy analysis for the food and
agriculture sector and relevant macroeconomic policy analysis, formulation and
implementation;
b. To maintain and develop, as appropriate, operational multisectoral plans, programmes
and policy measures, includ ing programmes and measures to enhance sustainable food
production and food security within the framework of sustainable development, not later
than 1998;
c. To maintain and enhance the ability of developing countries, particularly the least
developed ones, to themselves manage policy, programming and planning activities, not
later than 2005.
Activities
(a) Management-related activities
14.9. Governments at the appropriate level, with the support of the relevant international and regional
organizations, should :
a. Carry out national policy reviews related to food security, including adequate levels and
stability of food supply and access to food by all households;
b.
Review national and regional agricultural policy in relation, inter alia, to foreign trade,
price policy, exchange rate policies, agricultural subsidies and taxes, as well as
organization for regional economic integration;
c.
Implement policies to influence land tenure and property rights positively with due
recognition of the minimum size of land-holding required to maintain production and
check further fragmentation;
d.
Consider demographic trends and population movements and identify critical areas for
agricultural production;
e.
Formulate, introduce and monitor policies, laws and regulations and incentives leading to
sustainable agricultural and rural development and improved food security and to the
development and transfer of appropriate farm technologies, including, where appropriate,
low-input sustainable agricultural (LISA) systems;
f.
Support national and regional early warning systems through food-security assistance
schemes that monitor food supply and demand and factors affecting household access to
food;
g.
Review policies with respect to improving harvesting, storage, processing, distribution
and marketing of products at the local, national and regional levels;
h.
Formulate and implement integrated agricultural projects that include other natural
resource activities, such as management of rangelands, forests, and wildlife, as
appropriate;
i.
Promote social and economic research and policies that encourage sustainable agriculture
development, particularly in fragile ecosystems and densely populated areas;
j.
Identify storage and distribution problems affecting food availability; support research,
where necessary, to overcome these problems and cooperate with producers and
distributors to implement improved practices and systems.
(b) Data and information
14.10.
Governments at the appropriate level, with the support of the relevant international and regional
organizations, should:
a.
Cooperate actively to expand and improve the information on early warning systems on
food and agriculture at both regional and national levels;
b.
Examine and undertake surveys and research to establish baseline information on the
status of natural resources relating to food and agricultural production and planning in
order to assess the impacts of various uses on these resources, and develop methodologies
and tools of analysis, such as environmental accounting.
(c) International and regional cooperation and coordination
14.11.
United Nations agencies, such as FAO, the World Bank, IFAD and GATT, and regional
organizations, bilateral donor agencies and other bodies should, within their respective mandates,
assume a role in working with national Governments in the following activities:
a.
Implement integrated and sustainable agricultural development and food security
strategies at the subregional level that use regional production and trade potentials,
including organizations for regional economic integration, to promote food security;
b.
Encourage, in the context of achieving sustainable agricultural development and
consistent with relevant internationally agreed principles on trade and environment, a
more open and non -discriminatory trading system and the avoidance of unjustifiable
trade barriers which together with other policies will facilitate the further integration of
agricultural and environmental policies so as to make them mutually supportive;
c. Strengthen and establish national, regional and intern ational systems and networks to
increase the understanding of the interaction between agriculture and the state of the
environment, identify ecologically sound technologies and facilitate the exchange
information on data sources, policies, and techniques a nd tools of analysis.
Means of implementation
(a) Financing and cost evaluation
14.12. The Conference secretariat has estimated the average total annual cost (1993 -2000) on implementing the activities of this programme to be about $3 billion, including abou t $450 million from the international community on grant or concessional terms. These are indicative and order -of- magnitude estimates only and have not been reviewed by Governments. Actual costs and financial terms, including any that are non -concessional, will depend upon, inter alia, the specific strategies and programmes Governments decide upon for implementation.
(b) Scientific and technological means
14.13. Governments at the appropriate level and with the support of the relevant international and regional organizations should assist farming households and communities to apply technologies related to improved food production and security, including storage, monitoring of production and distribution.
(c) Human resource development
14.14. Governments at the app ropriate level, with the support of the relevant international and regional
organizations, should:
a. Involve and train local economists, planners and analysts to initiate national and
international policy reviews and develop frameworks for sustainable agric ulture;
b. Establish legal measures to promote access of women to land and remove biases in their
involvement in rural development.
(d) Capacity-building
14.15. Governments at the appropriate level, with the support of the relevant international and regional organizations, should strengthen ministries for agriculture, natural resources and planning.
B. Ensuring people's participation and promoting human resource development for sustainable
agriculture
Basis for action
14.16. This component bridges policy and integ rated resource management. The greater the degree of community control over the resources on which it relies, the greater will be the incentive for economic and human resources development. At the same time, policy instruments to reconcile long - run and short-run requirements must be set by national Governments. The approaches focus on fostering self-reliance and cooperation, providing information and supporting user -based organizations. Emphasis should be on management practices, building agreements for cha nges in resource utilization, the rights and duties associated with use of land, water and forests, the functioning of markets, prices, and the access to information, capital and inputs. This would require training and capacity-building to assume greater responsibilities in sustainable development efforts. 2/
Objectives
14.17.
The objectives of this programme area are:
a.
To promote greater public awareness of the role of people's participation and people's
organizations, especially women's groups, youth, indigenous people, local communities
and small farmers, in sustainable agriculture and rural development;
b.
To ensure equitable access of rural people, particularly women, small farmers, landless
and indigenous people, to land, water and forest resources and to t echnologies, financing,
marketing, processing and distribution;
c.
To strengthen and develop the management and the internal capacities of rural people's
organizations and extension services and to decentralize decision-making to the lowest
community level.
Activities
(a) Management-related activities
14.18.
Governments at the appropriate level, with the support of the relevant international and regional
organizations, should:
a.
Develop and improve integrated agricultural extension services and facilities and rural
organizations and undertake natural resource management and food security activities,
taking into account the different needs of subsistence agriculture as well as market -
oriented crops;
b.
Review and refocus existing measures to achieve wider access to land, water and forest
resources and ensure equal rights of women and other disadvantaged groups, with
particular emphasis on rural populations, indigenous people and local communities;
c.
Assign clear titles, rights and responsibilities for land and for individuals or communities
to encourage investment in land resources;
d.
Develop guidelines for decentralization policies for rural development through
reorganization and strengthening of rural institutions;
e.
Develop policies in extension, training, pricing, input distribution, credit and taxation to
ensure necessary incentives and equitable access by the poor to production-support
services;
f.
Provide support services and training, recognizing the variation in agricultural
circumstances and practices by location; the optimal use of on-farm inputs and the
minimal use of external inputs; optimal use of local natural resources and management of
renewable energy sources; and the establishment of networks that deal with the exchange
of information on alternative forms of agriculture.
(b) Data and information
14.19. Governments at the appropriate level, and with the support of the relevant international and regional organizations, should collect, analyse, and disseminate information on human resources, the role of Governments, local communities and non-governmental organizations in social innovation and strategies for rural development.
(c) International and regional cooperation and coordination
14.20. Appropriate international and regional agencies should:
a. Reinforce their work with non -governmental organizations in collecting and
disseminating information on people's participation and people's organizations, testing
participatory development methods, training and education for human resource
development and strengthening the ma nagement structures of rural organizations;
b. Help develop information available through non -governmental organizations and
promote an international ecological agricultural network to accelerate the development
and implementation of ecological agriculture p ractices.
Means of implementation
(a) Financing and cost evaluation
14.21. The Conference secretariat has estimated the average total annual cost (1993 -2000) of implementing the activities of this programme to be about $4.4 billion, including about $650 mill ion from the international community on grant or concessional terms. These are indicative and order -of- magnitude estimates only and have not been reviewed by Governments. Actual costs and financial terms, including any that are non -concessional, will depen d upon, inter alia, the specific strategies and programmes Governments decide upon for implementation.
(b) Scientific and technological means
14.22. Governments at the appropriate level, with the support of the relevant international and regional
organizations, should:
a. Encourage people's participation on farm technology development and transfer,
incorporating indigenous ecological knowledge and practices;
b. Launch applied research on participatory methodologies, management strategies and
local organizations.
(c) Human resource development
14.23. Governments at the appropriate level, with the support of the relevant international and regional organizations, should provide management and technical training to government administrators and members of resource -user groups in the principles, practice and benefits of people's participation in rural development.
(d) Capacity-building
14.24. Governments at the appropriate level, with the support of the relevant international and regional organizations, should introduce managem ent strategies and mechanisms, such as accounting and audit services for rural people's organizations and institutions for human resource development, and delegate administrative and financial responsibilities to local levels for decision -making, revenue - raising and expenditure.
C. Improving farm production and farming systems through diversification of farm and non -farm employment and infrastructure development
Basis for action
14.25. Agriculture needs to be intensified to meet future demands for commoditie s and to avoid further expansion onto marginal lands and encroachment on fragile ecosystems. Increased use of external inputs and development of specialized production and farming systems tend to increase vulnerability to environmental stresses and market fluctuations. There is, therefore, a need to intensify agriculture by diversifying the production systems for maximum efficiency in the utilization of local resources, while minimizing environmental and economic risks. Where intensification of farming syst ems is not possible, other on -farm and off -farm employment opportunities should be identified and developed, such as cottage industries, wildlife utilization, aquaculture and fisheries, non -farm activities, such as light village-based manufacturing, farm c ommodity processing, agribusiness, recreation and tourism, etc.
Objectives
14.26. The objectives of this programme area are:
a. To improve farm productivity in a sustainable manner, as well as to increase
diversification, efficiency, food security and rural inc omes, while ensuring that risks to
the ecosystem are minimized;
b. To enhance the self -reliance of farmers in developing and improving rural infrastructure,
and to facilitate the transfer of environmentally sound technologies for integrated
production and fa rming systems, including indigenous technologies and the sustainable
use of biological and ecological processes, including agroforestry, sustainable wildlife
conservation and management, aquaculture, inland fisheries and animal husbandry;
c. To create farm and non-farm employment opportunities, particularly among the poor and
those living in marginal areas, taking into account the alternative livelihood proposal
inter alia in dryland areas.
Activities
(a) Management-related activities
14.27. Governments at the appropriate level, with the support of the relevant international and regional
organizations, should:
a. Develop and disseminate to farming households integrated farm management
technologies, such as crop rotation, organic manuring and other techniques invol ving
reduced use of agricultural chemicals, multiple techniques for sources of nutrients and the
efficient utilization of external inputs, while enhancing techniques for waste and by -
product utilization and prevention of pre - and post-harvest losses, takin g particular note
of the role of women;
b. Create non-farm employment opportunities through private small -scale agro -processing
units, rural service centres and related infrastructural improvements;
c. Promote and improve rural financial networks that utilize investment capital resources
raised locally;
d. Provide the essential rural infrastructure for access to agricultural inputs and services, as
well as to national and local markets, and reduce food losses;
e. Initiate and maintain farm surveys, on -farm testing of appropriate technologies and
dialogue with rural communities to identify constraints and bottlenecks and find
solutions;
f. Analyse and identify possibilities for economic integration of agricultural and forestry
activities, as well as water and fisheries , and to take effective measures to encourage
forest management and growing of trees by farmers (farm forestry) as an option for
resource development.
(b) Data and information
14.28. Governments at the appropriate level, with the support of the relevant intern ational and regional
organizations, should:
a. Analyse the effects of technical innovations and incentives on farm -household income
and well-being;
b. Initiate and maintain on -farm and off -farm programmes to collect and record indigenous
knowledge.
(c) International and regional cooperation and coordination
14.29 International institutions, such as FAO and IFAD, international agricultural research centres, such as CGIAR, and regional centres should diagnose the world's major agro -ecosystems, their extension, ecological and socio-economic characteristics, their susceptibility to deterioration and their productive potential. This could form the basis for technology development and exchange and for regional research collaboration.
Means of implementation
(a) Financing and cost evaluation
14.29. The Conference secretariat has estimated the average total annual cost (1993 -2000) of implementing the activities of this programme to be about $10 billion, including about $1.5 billion from the international community on grant o r concessional terms. These are indicative and order -of- magnitude estimates only and have not been reviewed by Governments. Actual costs and financial terms, including any that are non -concessional, will depend upon, inter alia, the specific strategies and programmes Governments decide upon for implementation.
(b) Scientific and technological means
14.30. Governments at the appropriate level, with the support of the relevant international and regional organizations, should strengthen research on agricultural p roduction systems in areas with different endowments and agro -ecological zones, including comparative analysis of the intensification, diversification and different levels of external and internal inputs.
(c) Human resource development
14.31. Governments at t he appropriate level, with the support of the relevant international and regional
organizations, should:
a. Promote educational and vocational training for farmers and rural communities through
formal and non-formal education;
b. Launch awareness and training programmes for entrepreneurs, managers, bankers and
traders in rural servicing and small -scale agro -processing techniques.
(d) Capacity-building
14.32. Governments at the appropriate level, with the support of the relevant international and regional
organizations, should:
a. Improve their organizational capacity to deal with issues related to off -farm activities and
rural industry development;
b. Expand credit facilities and rural infrastructure related to processing, transportation and
marketing.
D. Land-resource planning, information and education for agriculture
Basis for action
14.33. Inappropriate and uncontrolled land uses are a major cause of degradation and depletion of land resources. Present land use often disregards the actual potentials, carrying capacities and limitations of land resources, as well as their diversity in space. It is estimated that the world's population, now at 5.4 billion, will be 6.25 billion by the turn of the century. The need to increase food production to meet the expanding needs of the population will put enormous pressure on all natural resources, including land.
14.34. Poverty and malnutrition are already endemic in many regions. The destruction and degradation of agricultural and environmental resources is a major issue. Techniques for increasing production and conserving soil and water resources are already available but are not widely or systematically applied. A systematic approach is needed for identifying land uses and production systems that are sustainable in each land and climat e zone, including the economic, social and institutional mechanisms necessary for their implementation. 3/
Objectives
14.35.
The objectives of this programme area are:
a.
To harmonize planning procedures, involve farmers in the planning process, collect land-
resource data, design and establish databases, define land areas of similar capability,
identify resource problems and values that need to be taken into account to establish
mechanisms to encourage efficient and environmentally sound use of resources;
b.
To establish agricultural planning bodies at national and local levels to decide priorities,
channel resources and implement programmes.
Activities
(a) Management-related activities
14.36.
Governments at the appropriate level, with the support of the relevant int ernational and regional
organizations, should:
a.
Establish and strengthen agricultural land-use and land-resource planning, management,
education and information at national and local levels;
b.
Initiate and maintain district and village agricultural land-resource planning, management
and conservation groups to assist in problem identification, development of technical and
management solutions, and project implementation.
(b) Data and information
14.37.
Governments at the appropriate level, with the support of the relevant international and regional
organizations, should:
a.
Collect, continuously monitor, update and disseminate information, whenever possible,
on the utilization of natural resources and living conditions, climate, water and soil
factors, and on land use, distribution of vegetation cover and animal species, utilization of
wild plants, production systems and yields, costs and prices, and social and cultural
considerations that affect agricultural and adjacent land use;
b.
Establish programmes to provide information, promote discussion and encourage the
formation of management groups.
(c) International and regional cooperation and coordination
14.38. The appropriate United Nations agencies and regional organizations should: