Major Group: Farmers
Rio 2012 Prep Com
March 6, 2011
Statement by Farmers Major Group On the Green Economy
Farming is about nourishing the world’s people. It stands as a critical
green endeavour. Every form of agriculture must continuously
improve the way in which it produces food. It requires treatment
as a separate issue.
Agriculture has been working to adopt techniques like conservation
tillage which protects soil and water. But in the 20 years since Rio,
farmers have increasingly had to do it on their own. Total investment in
agriculture development has dropped dramatically since the 1980’s.
Most concerningly, the vast majority of farmers are small holders, and
they are part of the world’s most poor and vulnerable. They have few
options, virtually no resources, and need help to achieve social,
economic and environmental goals. They need the tools and choices to
enable them to earn a fair price and achieve food sovereignty.
At Rio +20 we will be calling for more efforts in agriculture to:
1)Do more with less – finding ways to meet food production while
minimizing the ecological footprint of agriculture, including agroecological
practices
2)Use a knowledge-based approach – applying best practice to all
forms of agriculture, starting with revitalization of extension systems
3)Reduce poverty – farmers represent one half of the world’s poor and
are often women. Despite high-profile promises, woefully few
resources have truly begun to flow to them
The mechanisms to implement these goals are identified in Agenda 21
and CSD-17. They include land reform with an emphasis on land
tenure for women, income protection, the precautionary principle, better
access to markets, improved information sharing, good animal
stewardship, nutritious food, access to microcredit and early warning
systems for climate. They face emerging challenges such as drought
and disaster risk reduction that need attention.
March 6, 2011
Statement by Farmers Major Group On the Green Economy
Farming is about nourishing the world’s people. It stands as a critical
green endeavour. Every form of agriculture must continuously
improve the way in which it produces food. It requires treatment
as a separate issue.
Agriculture has been working to adopt techniques like conservation
tillage which protects soil and water. But in the 20 years since Rio,
farmers have increasingly had to do it on their own. Total investment in
agriculture development has dropped dramatically since the 1980’s.
Most concerningly, the vast majority of farmers are small holders, and
they are part of the world’s most poor and vulnerable. They have few
options, virtually no resources, and need help to achieve social,
economic and environmental goals. They need the tools and choices to
enable them to earn a fair price and achieve food sovereignty.
At Rio +20 we will be calling for more efforts in agriculture to:
1)Do more with less – finding ways to meet food production while
minimizing the ecological footprint of agriculture, including agroecological
practices
2)Use a knowledge-based approach – applying best practice to all
forms of agriculture, starting with revitalization of extension systems
3)Reduce poverty – farmers represent one half of the world’s poor and
are often women. Despite high-profile promises, woefully few
resources have truly begun to flow to them
The mechanisms to implement these goals are identified in Agenda 21
and CSD-17. They include land reform with an emphasis on land
tenure for women, income protection, the precautionary principle, better
access to markets, improved information sharing, good animal
stewardship, nutritious food, access to microcredit and early warning
systems for climate. They face emerging challenges such as drought
and disaster risk reduction that need attention.