Growing Challenges

• 1.7 billion more people to feed.

• Ratio of arable land to population declining by 40-55%

• Growing water scarcity

• Climate change

a call to ACTION

Sustainable development in agriculture:

• Broad based• Knowledge centered• Farmer centered

An Open Coalition

• 4 founding partners: Farmers (IFAP), Scientists (ICSU), Business (IFA and CropLife International)

• Build a network of supporting organisations along the whole chain -- 5 new supporting organisations since March

• Highlight common vision

6 Key Principles

Safeguard Natural Resources Improve land management practices

• Conservation tillage

• Watershed management

• Wildlife habitat and biodiversity protection

• Create incentives for ecosystem services

Share knowledge Enabling farmers to use resources in a sustainable way

• Improving agronomic education for farmers

• Develop village-based knowledge centers

• Provide access to market, weather, crop information through ICTs

• Encourage two-way exchanges with farmers and between farmers

Build Local Access Give access to tools to complement

knowledge • Improve access to land and water, especially for women• Provide rural access to microfinance services• Provide access to agricultural inputs and services• Build infrastructure

Protect Harvests Reduce losses to improve returns

• Build local storage facilities and transportation mechanisms

• Localise the application of knowledge and information

• Improve awareness of sustainable consumption

• Provide risk management tools such drought insurance to farmers

Enable Market Access Help farmers achieve better livelihoods• Provide remote access to up-to-date market pricing information • Develop well functioning markets• Encourage co-operative approaches• Improve smallholder farmers’ marketing skills • Reduce market distortions at all levels of agriculture worldwide

Prioritise Research Imperatives meet the challenges of the future

• Conduct research on soil fertility, water availability, crop losses and climate change

• Improving productivity through responsible science and technology

• Increase public and private investment in R&D

• Promote farmer-centered research

• Establish public-private partnerships

A Tool for Advocacy

• A coalition representing a broad spectrum of actors• Leverage networks, contacts and capacity• Emphasis on linkages and sharing is reflected by coalition

members• Provides a framework for benchmarking programmes • Engagement at UN level, G8 and other policy fora

• Build support online through use of online and print media

– Now with over 2100 individual supporters who joined online

– Over 35 articles in media