permaculture

[Lawrence London <lfljvenaura@gmail.com>]

New UN report calls for transformation in agriculture | Institute for
Agriculture and Trade Policy
http://www.iatp.org/blog/201309/new-un-report-calls-for-transformation-in-agriculture

New UN report calls for transformation in agriculture

Posted September 20, 2013 by Ben
Lilliston<http://www.iatp.org/about/staff/ben-lilliston>

Agriculture <http://www.iatp.org/issue/agriculture>Free trade
agreementsSustainable
AgricultureUnited Nations


Transformative changes are needed in our food, agriculture and trade
systems in order to increase diversity on farms, reduce our use of
fertilizer and other inputs, support small-scale farmers and create strong
local food systems. That’s the conclusion of a remarkable new
publication<http://unctad.org/en/pages/PressRelease.aspx?OriginalVersionID=154>from
the U.N. Commission on Trade and Development (
UNCTAD <http://unctad.org/en/Pages/Home.aspx>).

The report, *Trade and Environment Review 2013: Wake Up Before it is Too
Late* <http://unctad.org/en/PublicationsLibrary/ditcted2012d3_en.pdf>,
included contributions from more than 60 experts around the world
(including a commentary from
IATP<http://www.iatp.org/documents/from-dumping-to-volatility-the-lessons-of-trade-liberalization-for-agriculture>).
The report includes in-depth sections on the shift toward more sustainable,
resilient agriculture; livestock production and climate change; the
importance of research and extension; the role of land use; and the role of
reforming global trade rules.

The report links global security and escalating conflicts with the urgent
need to transform agriculture toward what it calls “ecological
intensification.” The report concludes, “This implies a rapid and
significant shift from conventional, monoculture-based and
high-external-input-dependent industrial production toward mosaics of
sustainable, regenerative production systems that also considerably improve
the productivity of small-scale farmers.”

The UNCTAD report identified key indicators for the transformation needed
in agriculture:

   - Increasing soil carbon content and better integration between crop and
   livestock production, and increased incorporation of agroforestry and wild
   vegetation
   - Reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of livestock production
   - Reduction of GHGs through sustainable peatland, forest and grassland
   management
   - Optimization of organic and inorganic fertilizer use, including
   through closed nutrient cycles in agriculture
   - Reduction of waste throughout the food chains
   - Changing dietary patterns toward climate-friendly food consumption
   - Reform of the international trade regime for food and agriculture

IATP’s 
contribution<http://www.iatp.org/documents/from-dumping-to-volatility-the-lessons-of-trade-liberalization-for-agriculture>focused
on the effects of trade liberalization on agriculture systems. We
argued that trade liberalization both at the WTO and in regional deals like
the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) had increased volatility
and corporate concentration in agriculture markets, while undermining the
development of locally-based, agroecological systems that better support
farmers.

The report’s findings are in stark contrast to the accelerated push for new
free trade agreements, including the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) and
the U.S.-EU Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), which expand a long
discredited model of economic development designed primarily to strengthen
the hold of multinational corporate and financial firms on the global
economy. Neither global climate talks nor other global food security forums
reflect the urgency expressed in the UNCTAD report to transform agriculture.

In 2007, another important report out of the multilateral system, the
International
Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for
Development<http://www.unep.org/dewa/Assessments/Ecosystems/IAASTD/tabid/105853/Default.aspx>(IAASTD),
with contributions from experts from over 100 countries (and
endorsed by nearly 60 countries), came to very similar conclusions. The
IAASTD report concluded that “Business as Usual is Not an Option,” and the
shift toward agroecological approaches was urgent and necessary for food
security and climate resilience. Unfortunately, business as usual has
largely continued. Maybe this new UNCTAD report will provide the tipping
point for the policy transformation that must take place “before it’s too
late.”
- See more at:
http://www.iatp.org/blog/201309/new-un-report-calls-for-transformation-in-agriculture#sthash.G15FJ6iE.dpuf