Ensuring public participation for sustainable agriculture

Supporting sustainable farming for the people

Context

More needs to be done better to reconcile environmental concerns with agricultural practices, e.g. by further developing the rules of good agricultural practice, by encouraging environmentally friendly agricultural production techniques, by making agricultural support payments reflect environmental protection, and by implementing policies designed to neutralize the environmental impact of intensive agricultural production systems.

This strategy features in the framework of Agenda 21 as formulated at UNCED (Rio de Janeiro, 1992), now coordinated by the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development and implemented through national and local authorities. Agenda 21 recommends: generating discussion at all levels on policy, development and environmental issues related to agricultural land use and management, through media programmes, conferences and seminars; encouraging people's participation on farm technology development and transfer, incorporating indigenous ecological knowledge and practices.

Claim

Agriculture has the potential to produce positive contributions to biological diversity, environmentally and socially appropriate recreation and tourism, soil and water systems, renewable energy, landscape, food quality, food safety and culturally appropriate foodstuff for all. To realize these potentials stakeholders must create a new relationship among civil society, the state and the market. A new contract must be developed which enables producers to move away from the emphasis on low-valued raw materials to one that also values and promotes the production of multiple benefits and public goods.