Major Group: Farmers
Farmers’ Major Group
Statement at Intersessional Meeting on RIO +20
Green Economy
January 10, 2010
By Robynne Anderson
Mister Co-Chair, Your Excellencies, and delegates,
In a forum discussing the three pillars of sustainable development goals -
economic, social, and environmental - I would like to stress agriculture’s
link to all three:
- shockingly farmers represent one half of the world’s poor;
- farmers are on the front line of tackling global hunger;
- farmers are stewards of vast natural resources and subject to the
vagaries of weather and climate change
Society and all relevant stakeholders have a shared responsibility to help
and encourage farmers to face the challenges of climate change; to
improve practices to become more sustainable, including animal welfare;
and to ensure a fair income while remaining competitive in the market.
These efforts need to be undertaken simultaneously otherwise we will have
to face food security problems and compromised ecosystems.
We believe the Summit should further policy coherence on these issues,
drawing on the CSD-17 findings and the work of the High Level Task Force
on Food Security.... We would appreciate the views on the panelists on
how to achieve greater policy coherence.
In our opinion, discussions of the green economy should be PART of the
means to implement overarching sustainable development commitments
under the three pillars. In relation to this, we believe the Summit should
look at the role agriculture can play in a leadership in implementing the
green economy. Among the topics are:
1) To protect biodiversity through productivity gains that minimize
the need to encroach forests, jungles, and other eco-systems
and meet global requirements for food
2) To use a knowledge-based approach of best practices that
sustain production and minimize the ecological footprint of
agriculture
3) To find ways to reward farmers for eco-system services that
foster sustainability and address poverty by enabling
smallholder famers to break the subsistence cycle
In terms of emerging issues, we have empathy with the notion that the
agenda is already full, but should additional issues be included we
encourage a focus on combating drought and desertification and
improving disaster risk reduction during this summit.
We look forward to Rio.
Thank you Mr. Chairman
Statement at Intersessional Meeting on RIO +20
Green Economy
January 10, 2010
By Robynne Anderson
Mister Co-Chair, Your Excellencies, and delegates,
In a forum discussing the three pillars of sustainable development goals -
economic, social, and environmental - I would like to stress agriculture’s
link to all three:
- shockingly farmers represent one half of the world’s poor;
- farmers are on the front line of tackling global hunger;
- farmers are stewards of vast natural resources and subject to the
vagaries of weather and climate change
Society and all relevant stakeholders have a shared responsibility to help
and encourage farmers to face the challenges of climate change; to
improve practices to become more sustainable, including animal welfare;
and to ensure a fair income while remaining competitive in the market.
These efforts need to be undertaken simultaneously otherwise we will have
to face food security problems and compromised ecosystems.
We believe the Summit should further policy coherence on these issues,
drawing on the CSD-17 findings and the work of the High Level Task Force
on Food Security.... We would appreciate the views on the panelists on
how to achieve greater policy coherence.
In our opinion, discussions of the green economy should be PART of the
means to implement overarching sustainable development commitments
under the three pillars. In relation to this, we believe the Summit should
look at the role agriculture can play in a leadership in implementing the
green economy. Among the topics are:
1) To protect biodiversity through productivity gains that minimize
the need to encroach forests, jungles, and other eco-systems
and meet global requirements for food
2) To use a knowledge-based approach of best practices that
sustain production and minimize the ecological footprint of
agriculture
3) To find ways to reward farmers for eco-system services that
foster sustainability and address poverty by enabling
smallholder famers to break the subsistence cycle
In terms of emerging issues, we have empathy with the notion that the
agenda is already full, but should additional issues be included we
encourage a focus on combating drought and desertification and
improving disaster risk reduction during this summit.
We look forward to Rio.
Thank you Mr. Chairman