Sustainable production and natural resource management
As we already mentioned above, 75% of the world’s poor live in rural areas, and most are involved in farming. Overall GDP growth originating in agriculture has proven to be, on average, two to four times as effective in raising incomes of the poor as growth generated in non-agricultural sectors. Sustainable agricultural production systems and practices for sustainable management of natural resources in rural areas are therefore the very basis of successful rural development. The 2008 World Development Report stresses the importance of agriculture for many developing countries. Agriculture can, however, only secure the economic basis for their growing populations if landscapes are sustainably managed. Given the increasingly acute shortage of natural resources and the effects of climate change, careful and appropriate use of soil, water and forests is vital for survival.
Key documents:
World Development Report 2008: Agriculture for Development
October 2007
Author: World Bank (ed.)
The World Development Report 2008 calls for greater investment in agriculture in developing countries. The report warns that the sector must be placed at the center of the development agenda if the goals of halving extreme poverty and hunger by 2015 are to be realized. While 75 percent of the world’s poor live in rural areas in developing countries, a mere 4 percent of official development assistance goes to agriculture. In Sub-Saharan Africa, a region heavily reliant on agriculture for overall growth, public spending for farming is also only 4 percent of total government spending and the sector is still taxed at relatively high levels. For the poorest people, GDP growth originating in agriculture is about four times more effective in raising incomes of extremely poor people than GDP growth originating outside the sector.
Keywords:Agriculture, Sustainable Production, Food Security, Development, World Bank
Millenium Ecosystem Assessment
December 2005
Author: Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (ed.)
Initiated in 2001, the objective of the MA was to assess the consequences of ecosystem change for human well-beingand the scientific basis for action needed to enhance the conservation and sustainable use of those systems and their contribution to human well-being. The MA has involved the work of more than 1,360 experts worldwide. Their findings provide a state-of-the-art scientific appraisal of the condition and trends in the world’s ecosystems and the services they provide (such as clean water, food, forest products, flood control, and natural resources) and the options to restore, conserve or enhance the sustainable use of ecosystems.
Keywords: Assessment, Ecosystems; Conservation, Sustainable Use, Natural Resources
Important partners:
WOCAT - World Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies
WOCAT’s Mission is to provide tools that allow Soil and Water Conservation (SWC) specialists to share their valuable knowledge in soil and water management, that assist them in their search for appropriate SWC technologies and approaches, and that support them in making decisions in the field and at the planning level.
Bionet International – the global network for taxonomy
BioNET is an international not-for-profit initiative dedicated to promoting taxonomy, especially in the biodiversity-rich but economically poorer countries of the world. Working via local partnerships (LOOPs), BioNET strives to provide a forum for collaboration that is equally open to all taxonomists and to the other users of taxonomy. Working with partners locally and internationally, our work contributes to raising awareness of the importance of taxonomy to society, building and sharing of capacity, and meeting taxonomic needs via innovative tools and approaches.
- Raises questions about unsustainable pest management practices and helps increasing the awareness about IPM alternatives.
- Encourages and supports initiatives that develop IPM field programs and contributes to the further conceptual development of such programs.
- Facilitates collaboration and exchange of information among IPM programs.
- Stimulates dialogue to encourage policy reform.
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Advises governments, international organizations, NGOs and donors on pest management programs and policies.
Global Crop Diversity Trust
Our mission is to ensure the conservation and availability of crop diversity for food security worldwide. The fight against hunger is one of the greatest challenges the world faces over the coming decades. Crop diversity is fundamental to defeating hunger and achieving food security.
Helvetas
’ mission is
to collaborate in a participatory manner with and for the benefit of the poor and underprivileged society groups in the poor regions of development and transition countries;
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to further promote the exchange of knowledge and experiences between Switzerland and the partner countries as well as among the partner countries;
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to strengthen local structures and sustainable development and to promote human rights;
- to develop suitable measures that prevent or mitigate violent conflicts and contribute to mutually agreed and sustainable resolutions.
Intercooperation - Swiss Foundation for Development and International Cooperation
Intercooperation is a leading Swiss non-profit making organisation engaged in development and international cooperation since 1982. Registered as a foundation, we are governed by 21 organisations representing the development community, civil society and the private sector. Intercooperation is both an implementing and an advisory organisation, providing professional resources and knowledge combined with social commitment.
Intercooperation specialises in rural development with our expertise, process competences and services being grouped around three principal working domains:
- natural resource management (agriculture and forestry)
- rural economy
- local governance and civil society.
CABI - CAB International - Knowledge for Life
CABI’s mission is to alleviate poverty by increasing crop productivity, quality and safety, helping safeguard the environment and biodiversity and providing access to agricultural and environmental scientific knowledge.
CDE ’s mission is to contribute to sustainable development in countries of the North, South, and East, through:
- research partnerships
- education and training
- development of concepts and tools
- raising awareness,
- policy advice.
CDE focuses on:
- management of natural resources,
- integrated regional development, and
- interventions that mitigate syndromes of global change.
Swiss
College
of Agriculture in Zollikofen (SHL), Bern University of Applied Sciences, Switzerland
The SHL has been a centre of excellence with an internationalreputation in the national and international agriculture industry for manyyears. Its research projects are strongly rooted in on-site research. Thisenables a holistic analysis of the context and of the complex relationships ofa farming enterprise. A specific strength of SHL is its expertise on how tointegrate all stakeholders into the research and development process and itsspecific emphasis on interdisciplinary approaches and collaboration withpartner institutions.
Staff and their expertise in agriculture andinterdisciplinary approaches:
- Animal genetics
- Dairy farming
- Livestock production – environment relationships, ProSchwein
- International agriculture
- InfoAgrar
- Water
- Response-Inducing Sustainability Evaluation (RISE)
- Basic food crops/potatoes
- Didactics.
Selected links:
- Website of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
- Website of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR)
- Website of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
