Source:
Sci.DevNet
By David
Dickson
An
international study of global agriculture
has concluded that significant investment in
agricultural research is needed for the
world to feed its growing population in an
economically and environmentally sustainable
way.
The
three-year study, the
International Assessment of Agricultural
Science and Technology for Development
(IAASTD), involved more than 400 experts
representing a range of stakeholders around
the globe. It was released this week (15
April) after approval from 60 governments.
It says
more research should be carried out into
dryland agriculture, fisheries, orphan
crops, and the impact of climate change on
farming practices. It also asks for enhanced
basic science, and technological and
institutional changes "to address water and
land problems".
But the
report cautions against excessive optimism
surrounding the ability of transgenic crops
to solve the world's food problems, saying
that not enough is known about their
potential health and environmental risks.
And it
argues that more must be done to focus on
the technological needs of small-scale
farmers, ensuring that intellectual property
regimes do not prevent the integration of
technology into farming practices.
The study
was sponsored by a number of major
international organisations, including the
UN, the World Bank, the UN Food and
Agricultural Organization and UNESCO.
It was
coordinated by Robert Watson, a former chair
of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC), and involved representatives
of governments and members of civil society,
such as nongovernmental organizations
(NGOs), food producers and consumer groups.
"Business
as usual will not be sufficient to feed the
world's population over the next half
century," Watson said at a press conference
in London, United Kingdom, yesterday (15
April).
He cited
the wide range of problems associated with
modern agricultural practices, ranging from
the loss of biodiversity to the challenge of
climate change.
Watson said
that while food production per capita has
increased and prices have decreased in the
last 50 years, "800 million people go to bed
hungry every night, and our achievements
have come at the cost of a loss of
environmental sustainability".
He argued
that agriculture should no longer be seen as
purely a productive industry, saying that
the social, economic and environmental
context of food production should also be
considered.
Rajeswari
Raina of the Centre for Policy Research in
New Delhi, lead author of the South Asian
section of the report, said that while the
report's "key message" was the need for more
funding for research, science and technology
(S&T) were only part of a wide range of
social processes — such as access to
technology and credit for farmers — required
to sustainably increase food production.
The IAASTD
report has been widely welcomed by
environmental, consumer and development
NGOs, particularly regarding its warnings on
the environmental damage caused by
conventional farming, support for
small-scale farmers and lack of enthusiasm
for transgenic crops.
A statement
issued by an international coalition of such
groups argues that the report "reflects a
growing consensus among the global
scientific community and most governments
that the old paradigm of industrial,
energy-intensive and toxic agriculture is a
concept of the past".
However
there has been a sceptical response from
parts of both the food production industry
and the agricultural research community.
Many feel that the report fails to give S&T
activities sufficient prominence, even in
developing environmentally sustainable forms
of agriculture.
Last
autumn, for example, several agribusiness
companies withdrew from participation in the
writing of the report, complaining of
excessive bias in its conclusions.
Australia,
Canada and the United States have declined
to give their approval to the final report.
The United Kingdom is still deliberating
whether to endorse its conclusions.
Report
summary:
http://www.agassessment.org/docs/IAASTD_leaflet_final.pdf