I am preparing an article on "sustainable agriculture since Rio", to mark
the major conference organised June 1995 (date, place not known,
presumably Washington DC) by the International Food Policy Research
Institute, based in Washington DC.
(INFONOTE .....the IFPRI is a member of the 16 institute Consultative
Group on International Agricultural Research. CGIAR chair is World Bank Vice
President Ismael Serageldin. Chair of CGIAR independent Technical
Advisory Committee is World Bank Agriculture Director Alex McCalla, chair
of Finance Committee is Mr. Michel Petit also of WB. offices located at
WB, Washington. of the 40 CGIAR donors, top donor is US, about 40 million
dollars, WB 38 million out of total of 270 mn in 1994)
the IFPRI conference is called "2020 Initiative" on food, agriculture and
environment (how to meet food needs in year 2020). Amongst its sponsors
are CIBA GEIGY (agrichemicals) and some international organisations. The
42 man, 5 woman International Advisory Board includes key Green
Revolution figures (Borlaug, Swaminathan) and Institutions,(Ford
Rockefeller) most bilateral donor agencies,
some agriculture ministers, various academics, former WB president
Robert McNamara, about 5 ngos such as the Union of Concerned Scientists and the Population Council.
On the basis of available (to me) documentation so far, IFPRIs key
proposal to
the conference is that the key solution to the looming hunger crisis is
high yielding technology applied to crop
cultivation, via greatly increased agr. research, inter alia via the
CGIAR, bringing new technologies to farmers.(including biotechnology,
genetic engineering et. al.) This approach would also
enable increasing land areas to be allocated to animal feed production
and livestock raising, to meet increasing meat consumption, in particular
of fast emerging middle classes in the developing world, as well as
export goals of developing countries (viz. export crops, both traditional
e.g. rubber, and new e.g. cut flowers, off season vegetables etc)
(INFONOTE ...A ministerial meeting in Lucerne, 9/10 February, recently
charted a new course for CGIAR on the basis of Mr. Serageldin's proposals. The CGIAR
has a "Business Council" (composition not known) presumably advising on
the needs of the food and tobacco industry, and role of major inputs
(agrichemicals, equipment etc)
IFPRI documentation so far does not address land reform and income
redistribution, or the possible contribution of traditional knowledge in
the food equation, but it seems that climate change is
not going to have much impact on food production prospects by 2020.
Clearly this is going to be major event, with lots of media coverage,
* *****************
Since IFPRI plans to involve NGOs in their 2020 initiative,.
1.will any ngo participating in 2020, let me know (what they can) about
their presentations and inputs to this conference?
2. I am particularly interested in ngos/people familiar with the Rio ngo
treaty on sustainable agriculture, and their participation in the IFPRI
conference. also farmers/womens/environmental ngos whose names dont
figure on the International Advisory Board.
3. also interested in "who does/will do what" on agriculture following
2020 - FAO/IFAD/WFP/UNDP/WORLD BANK and how ngos will input their
perspective into the new, better financed CGIAR.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
from Vanya Walker-Leigh, economist and journalist.
I am on apc at the world summit on social development until march 12.
then at PO box 486, Gibraltar/via UK. Fax 350-79971.
hope to hear from you! thanks.