The State of Food and Agriculture 2016

Governance of agricultural technologies for sustainability

Terri RaneyICABR, June 2015

SOFA influences

global debates

SOFA influences

policy

SOFA recent themes and debates

• 2003/04 Biotechnology – socio-economic impacts of GMOs• 2005 Trade – support to member governments• 2006 Food Aid – shift to cash and local purchase• 2007 PES – widely cited, helped secure funding• 2008 Biofuels – refinement of EU policy and US mandates• 2009 Livestock – Agenda of Action for Sustainable Livestock• 2010/11 Gender – Inspired USAID Feed the Future• 2012 Investment – used in Country Investment Plans• 2013 Nutrition – WFD 2013 and ICN2• 2014 Innovation – WFD 2014 and IYFF• 2015 Social protection – WFD 2015 and FAO 70• 2016 Governance for sustainability - ?????

SOFA 2016: Governance of agricultural technologies for sustainability

• Setting and propositions for the report:– Agricultural sustainability key to SDGs – Sustainability across economic, social and

environmental dimensions - contested– FAO covers all sectors and production systems

– Do not want to fight technology wars

Sustainable Food and Agriculture

– A unified approach to sustainable food and agriculture– Conceptual Framework.

• Balancing natural and human systems.• Interactions and trade-offs – time and space.• Cross-sectorial integration and synergies.

– Five principles for sustainability.• Enhance efficiency of resource use. • Protect natural resources.• Improve livelihoods and human well-being.• Enhance resilience.• Improve governance.

Scenarios and trends

• Environment: Land, water, biodiversity, CC• Economic: Productivity, incomes, structure• Social: Poverty, food security and nutrition

• Key issue is allocation of costs and benefits in the transition to more sustainable systems

Synergies and trade-offs

• Goal is to illustrate how different technologies/ practices/ systems affect the dimensions of sustainability differently

• Thesis is that identifying synergies and managing trade-offs are the key to finding more sustainable solutions.

• How to do this without getting into technologies wars ????

Governance, agriculture and sustainability

• Principles: transparency, acountability, rule of law, participation.

• Legal frameworks: property and tenure rights, access to resources, intellectual property rights.

• Agricultural policies and the sustainability of agricultural production

• Agricultural research and extension: public and private• Institutions for national sustainability: participatory and

inclusive approaches to setting priorities and defining trade-offs.

• Global governance issues.

Global governance, agriculture and sustainability

• IPRs and access to genetic resources (CBD, ITPGRFA, TRIPs)

• Biosafety and trade • Food safety and trade (Codex, LLP)• Codes of conduct and voluntary standards– Fisheries– Investment– Livestock

Too many notes!!!!

• How can we focus on a coherent narrative?

• What are the most important things FAO needs to say on the subject?

• How can we say it without getting me fired?

The State of Food and Agriculture

FAO‘s major annual flagship publication

Available in English, French, Spanish, Russian, Arabic and Chinese

www.fao.org/publications/sofa

Terri.Raney@fao.org

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