************************************************************************
1994 INTERNATIONAL SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SECURITY WEEK
People's Participation in Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development
October 23 - 29, 1994 Washington, DC
************************************************************************
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 13, 1994
The final calendar of events is being posted for your information.
Please make available to colleagues who may be in Washington D.C. during
these dates. For those unable to attend but wishing to receive email
bulletins, please send your email address to "tforster@igc.apc.org" if
you have not done so already.
IMPORTANT REMINDER:
One of the major goals of International Sustainable Agriculture and Food
Security Week is to review and strengthen people's participation in
the preparation for detailed review of national and international
agriculture and land management policy and programs by the United
Nations Commission for Sustainable Development (CSD) in April, 1995. If
you or your group have been working on a submission to the United
Nations Commission on Sustainable Development related to sustainable
agriculture and rural development (SARD) or the role of farmers
(chapters 14 and 32 of Agenda 21), you may still send written
information by post, email or fax to the address below. This material
will be incorporated into the CSD working group sessions during the
week. Send any material to:
Linda Elswick, World Sustainable Agriculture Association, 2025 I Street,
Suite 512, Washington, DC 20006 USA, tel. +1 (202) 293-2156, fax. +1
(202) 293-2209, email: wsaa@igc.apc.org
SUMMARY CALENDAR OF EVENTS:
Sunday, October 23 Welcome Reception for Participants 4-6 pm
Monday, October 24 Daily Briefing for Participants 9-10 am
Monday, October 24 History and Future of FAO 1-4 pm
Tuesday, October 25 Daily Briefing for Participants 9-10 am
Tuesday, October 25 Ending Hunger in Brazil 10 am-12 pm
Tuesday, October 25 Working Session on CSD 1995 2-4 pm
Tuesday, October 25 Electronic Networking Workshop 6:30-8:30 pm
Wednesday, October 26 Daily Briefing for Participants 9-10 am
Wednesday, October 26 CSD Session/Focus on Women 10 am-12 pm
Wednesday, October 26 Working Session on CSD 1995 2-3:30 pm
Wednesday, October 26 Human Rights and Food Security 3:30 - 5 pm
Wednesday, October 26 Indicators of Sustainability 6:30-8:30 pm
Thursday, October 27 Daily Briefing for Participants 9-10 am
Thursday, October 27 Urban Agriculture 10-11:30 am
Thursday, October 27 FAO and CGIAR at the Crossroads 2-4:30 pm
Thursday, October 27 CGIAR Lecture & Reception 6-7 pm
Friday, October 28 Daily Briefing for Participants 9-10 am
Friday, October 28 NGO Regional Reports 10 am-4 pm
Saturday, October 29 Conclusion and Wrap-up 10 am
************************************************************************
1994 INTERNATIONAL SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SECURITY WEEK
People's Participation in Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development
October 23 - 29, 1994 Washington, DC
************************************************************************
FINAL SCHEDULE OF EVENTS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 12, 1994
PLEASE NOTE: THERE HAVE BEEN CHANGES AND ADDITIONS TO THE CALENDAR
SINCE THE ORIGINAL POSTING ON SEPTEMBER 6, 1994. PLEASE REFER TO THIS
REVISED VERSION FOR CURRENT INFORMATION.
DIRECTIONS TO MAIN MEETING LOCATION:
National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), 1800
Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC. Two blocks from south exit at
Dupont Circle Metro stop on the Red Line. Two rooms accommodating up to
50 people have been reserved for the entire week. They are located one
level down from main entrance. Follow the signs to Rooms CC 1-2. The
telephone number of the receptionist is (202) 857-9500.
Multiple Day Events:
DATE: Daily (from Oct 24 to Oct 28) 9:00 AM
EVENT: Daily Briefings for Participants
CONTACT: Michelle Thom, Institute for Trade and Agriculture Policy
LOCATION: National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA)
DATE: Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct 25 and Oct 267 2:00
EVENT: Working Sessions on CSD submissions for 1995 - Additional
time to be scheduled as needed.
CONTACT: Linda Elswick, WSAA
LOCATION: National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA)
Single Day Events:
DATE: Sunday, October 23, 1994 4:00 pm
EVENT: Welcome Reception for Participants in events during
International Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security Week
CONTACT: Linda Elswick, WSAA
LOCATION: Bertucci's Restaurant, 2000 Pennsylvania NW between 20-21st
Streets, Washington, DC 20006. Metro stop: Foggy Bottom -
George Washington University (GWU) on Orange/Blue lines.
Telephone: (202) 296-2600. A room has been reserved for
participants to get together. Buy your own drinks/dinner/
snacks, etc.
DATE: Monday, October 24, 1994 1:00 - 4:00 pm
(registration 12-1 pm)
EVENT: History and Future of the Food & Agriculture Organization
(FAO) Sponsored by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade
Policy
CONTACT: Mark Ritchie, IATP, 1313 5th St. SE #303, Minneapolis, MN
55414 Tel. (612) 379-5980; Fax: (612) 379-5982;
Email:iatp@igc.apc.org
LOCATION: Dupont Plaza Hotel, 1400 New Hampshire Avenue NW,
Washington, Red Line on Metro, Dupont Circle Stop
BACKGROUND: Fifty years ago, nearly forty million people around the
world faced hunger, malnourishment, even starvation Equally important
was the memory of the inter-war period with its "Great Depression" where
misery was the breeding grounds of fascism. World leaders, wanting
desperately to end the cycle of economic crisis and war, worked to
create a system of global economic cooperation designed to ensure that
basic needs would be met for everyone, everywhere. A cluster of
international institutions was created to accomplish this goal. First,
and most important was the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy is sponsoring this
seminar featuring founders and early leaders of the FAO to honor their
original contribution and to get their insights into the challenges that
lie ahead.
12pm-1pm: Registration
1:00 Historical Background of the Food and Agriculture Organization
Moderator: Rev. John Barton, Church World Service
Presentation: Dr. Ralph Phillips, Former Deputy Director-General
Presentation: Juan Felipe Yriart, founder and former Assistant
Director-General, Development Department
3:00 U.S. and FAO Relations--Looking Back and Looking Forward
Moderator: Patricia Young, World Food Day, National Coordinator
Presentation: Roger Sorenson, former U.S. Representative to FAO
and Director of the FAO office in Washington, DC
Presentation: Wayne Denney, International Relations Advisor,
USDA, Foreign Agricultural Service, International Organization
Affairs Division
DATE: Tuesday, October 25 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
EVENT: Ending Hunger, Sustaining Agriculture in Brazil
Sponsored by Institute for Food and Development Policy (Food
First)
CONTACT: John Gershman, IFDP/Food First, 398 60th Street, Oakland, CA
94618 Tel: (510) 654-4400; Fax: (510) 654-4551
email:jgershman@igc.apc.org
LOCATION: National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA)
BACKGROUND: Brazil is the third largest agricultural producer in the
world, yet an estimated 32 million people are hungry or destitute
according to government figures. Brazil's large-scale agribusiness is
dominated by monocrop, agro-chemical intensive agriculture, and
marginalizes small producers. Rural Brazil is also a site of serious
political violence and unaccountable state institutions. Is it possible
to combine movements for sustainable agriculture with an end to hunger?
What is the relationship between rural democracy, sustainable resource
management, and food security?
Panelists:
John Garrison, Inter-American Foundation, Washington: The Hunger
Campaign in Brazil
Jean Marc von der Weid, AS-PTA, Brazil: Sustainable Agriculture:
Building an Alternative to the Industrial Model
Steve Schwartzman, Environmental Defense Fund, Washington: Why Rural
Democracy is Essential to Sustainable Resource Management
John Gershman, Research Associate, IFDP/Food First, will moderate.
DATE: Tuesday, October 25 6:30 - 8:30 pm
EVENT: Electronic Networking for Partnerships in Sustainable
Agriculture and Food Security Policy and Programs
Sponsored by the NGO Working Group on Sustainable
Agriculture
CONTACT: Thomas Forster (contact information below)
LOCATION: 2025 I Street, NW, 10th Floor, Washington, DC 20006
(Just off Pennsylvania Avenue NW near corner of 21st and I Street, NW.
Metro stop: Either Foggy Bottom - George Washington University (GWU) OR
Faragut West Stop on Orange/Blue lines.)
BACKGROUND: Electronic communications serving groups involved in
sustainable agriculture have evolved in many directions in the past few
years. This workshop will feature access to agricultural databases
and email newsgroups providing information and networking valuable
to farmers, scientists, NGOs and policymakers. Additional hands-on
workshops for those interested in the basics of computer based
communications will also be scheduled.
DATE: Wednesday, October 26, 1994 10:00 am
EVENT: Working Session on CSD '95 with emphasis on Women, Food
and Agriculture Issues
CONTACT: Kathy Lawrence, 10 Prospect Place, Brooklyn, NY 11217;
Tel: (718) 622-0746; Fax: c/o Citizens Network (212)
431-4427; Email: klawrence@igc.apc.org
LOCATION: National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA)
Background: Kathy Lawrence of the Women, Food and Agriculture Working
Group will help focus this session on gender issues in agriculture and
food security.
DATE: Wednesday, 3:30-5:00 pm
EVENT: Human Rights Perspectives on Food Security
Presenters:
Clarence Dias, President, International Center for Law in Development:
The Right to Food, the Right to Development, and Food Security
Audrey Chapman, Science and Human Rights Program, American Association
for the Advancement of Science: Indicators and the Right to Food:
Challenges and Dilemmas
Moderator: John Gershman, Research Associate, Institute for Food and
Development Policy, Oakland, and Coordinator, FIAN-USA
CONTACT: John Gershman, IFDP/Food First, 398 60th Street, Oakland, CA
94618, Tel: (510) 654-4400; Fax: (510) 654-4551,
email:jgershman@igc.apc.org
LOCATION: National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA)
DATE: Wednesday, October 26 6:30 - 8:30 pm
EVENT: Indicators of Agricultural Sustainability Workshop
Sponsored by the NGO Working Group on Sustainable
Agriculture
CONTACT: Thomas Forster (contact information below)
LOCATION: 2025 I Street, NW, 10th Floor, Washington, DC 20006
(Just off Pennsylvania Avenue NW near corner of 21st and I Street, NW.
Metro stop: Either Foggy Bottom - George Washington University (GWU) OR
Faragut West Stop on Orange/Blue lines.)
BACKGROUND: Government agencies, the research community and NGOs are
actively engaged in processes of identifying indicators of agricultural
sustainability and unsustainability. This work is a direct consequence
of mandates for sustainability in agricultural research and development
at national and international levels. This workshop will present an
overview of the different processes underway and ways to participate.
Indicator development at local, national and international levels will
be featured and discussed as they relate to both community and
institutional level efforts to understand the complexities of
sustainability in agriculture.
DATE: Thursday, October 27 10:00 - 11:30 am
EVENT: Urban Agriculture: A Crucial Factor in Sustainability and
Food Security, sponsored by the Urban Agriculture Network,
Washington, DC
CONTACT: Jac Smit (202) 483-8130; fax (202) 986-6732;
email:72144.3446@compuserve.com
LOCATION: National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA)
BACKGROUND: Urban hunger, it has been contended, is more a result of
economic incapacity of the poor to purchase food rather than the absence
of food in the market. The poor will often spend up to 90% of their
income on food. Where food subsidies and rations do not suffice, poorer
residents have turned to a simple and self-determined solution --
growing their own food. Very little has been written or said about the
world's urban agriculture. When we think of food production, we think of
rural farms. Yet when we study cities in low-income and wealthy
countries, we find that a significant amount of the land and water is
being used for growing food and fuel (in some cities up to 50%). This
workshop will explore the potential and policy ramifications of this
trend.
DATE: Thursday, October 27 2:00 - 4:30 pm
EVENT: Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development: FAO and
the CGIAR System at the Crossroads. Sponsored by Pesticide
Action Network North America (PANNA)
CONTACT: Monica Moore, PANNA, 116 New Montgomery St., #810, San
Francisco, CA 94105; Tel: (415) 541-9140; Fax: (415) 541-
9253; Email: panna@igc.apc.org
LOCATION: NRECA
BACKGROUND: Acknowledged shortcomings and failures of agricultural
models promoted by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the
Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) system
have compelled both institutions to revisit their past approaches.
Spurred as well by UNCED, and by a changing global economy, FAO and the
CGIAR system are now actively redefining their comparative advantages,
redesigning programs and forging new linkages within the multilateral
system. The effects of this re-ordering will be profound on both
agriculture and social systems in countries around the world.
Sustainable agriculture, rural development and food security are the
stated goals of the re-ordering; however, how these terms are defined
and implemented, and with what results, remain open questions. Focusing
on three key aspects of sustainable agriculture -- pest management,
agricultural biodiversity and people's participation. The presenters
will examine current prospects and challenges for sustainable
agriculture within these two influential bodies.
Presenters:
Michael Hansen, Consumer Policy Institute, New York
Monica Moore, Pesticide Action Network North America
Pat Mooney, Rural Advancement Fund International
DATE: Thursday, October 27 7 - 8 pm
EVENT: Sir John Crawford Memorial Lecture presented by Mr.
Alexander McCalla
CONTACT: CGIAR Secretariat; Tel: (202) 473-8914
LOCATION: World Bank Assembly Room JB1-080, located at corner of 18th
Street NW and Pennsylvania Avenue (entrance on 18th Street),
Washington, DC
BACKGROUND: This annual lecture is an event open to the public during
International Centers Week. (Invitations are being sent to those
requesting them, but are not absolutely necessary to attend.) The
Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) holds
its annual meetings in Washington at this time each year, and will be
discussing a variety of topics, including proposed system-
wide reforms to help promote sustainable agricultural research at the CG
Centers, as well as work already in progress.Further information
available at Daily Briefing
DATE: Friday, October 28 10:00 - 4 pm w/ Catered Buffet Lunch
of Locally Grown/Organic Foods as Available
COST: $10/person/Reservations necessary by Tuesday, October 25.
EVENT: Regional Reports: Progress Towards SARD and the 1995
Commission on Sustainable Development, sponsored by the
World Sustainable Agriculture Association
CONTACT: Linda Elswick, WSAA
LOCATION: National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA)
BACKGROUND: Representatives from or knowledgeable about sustainable
agriculture and food security issues will speak about regional progress
towards sustainability. There will be a special emphasis on work done
since the Earth Summit (UNCED) in light of the upcoming UN Commission on
Sustainable Development focus on the implementation of Agenda 21 on the
critical elements of sustainability. Panelists will report on Eastern
Europe, Asia, Southeast Asia, Latin America, the European Community,
North America, Australia and Africa.
DATE: Saturday, October 29 10 am
EVENT: Wrap Up and Next Steps: Reports from participants on tasks
and timetables for participation in CSD 1995 activities
CONTACT: Linda Elswick, WSAA
LOCATION: 2025 I Street, NW, 10th Floor, Washington, DC 20006
(Just off Pennsylvania Avenue NW near corner of 21st and I Street, NW.
Metro stop: Either Foggy Bottom - George Washington University (GWU) OR
Faragut West Stop on Orange/Blue lines.)
INEXPENSIVE MEALS IN THE AREA:
For a very good and inexpensive hot meal near 2025 I Street, NW, site of
some of the sessions, try Scholl's Colonial Cafeteria, 1990 K St. NW;
tel: 202 296-3065. Open for breakfast Monday through Saturday 7 to
10:30 am, for lunch 11 am to 2:30 pm, for dinner 4 to 8 pm, Sunday 8?30
to 6 pm. Cash only. No reservations. No smoking. Prices: lunch and
dinner entrees $1.50 to $5.25, side dishes $.65 to $.95.
For further information, contact:
Linda Elswick, World Sustainable Agriculture Association, Washington
Office (WSAA)
(PLEASE NOTE NEW ADDRESS)
2025 I Street, NW, Suite 512, Washington, DC 20006;
Tel: 202 293-2155; Fax: 202 293-2209; Email wsaa@igc.apc.org
Mark Ritchie, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), 1313
5th St. SE #303, Minneapolis, MN 55414 Tel. (612) 379-5980; Fax: (612)
379-5982; Email:iatp@igc.apc.org
Thomas Forster, NGO Working Group on Sustainable Agriculture, P.O. Box
128, Olga WA 98279 Tel. (206) 376-3663, Fax. (206) 376-5610, Email
tforster@igc.apc.org