The SARD Initiative Newsletter

Transcription

1 The SARD Initiative Newsletter Issue 1 Welcome to the first issue of the SARD Initiative Newsletter! This is the inaugural issue of the SARD Initiative newsletter, a newsletter which will provide updates and information on activities implemented by the Initiative and its progress and achievements in meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The newsletter is addressed to different stakeholders implementing SARD and is devoted to stimulating dialogue among them, facilitating innovative approaches, exchange of lessons learned and good practices, as well as information and knowledge sharing. The newsletter also has a section on SARD events and opportunities. It will be distributed by and circulated among civil society organizations, government representatives, project managers and other stakeholders working on SARD. Please feel free to forward it to other interested parties. The focus of this issue is the activities of the Facility for Sustainable Development and Policy Implementation Assistance, an Italyfunded FAO project. Contents This issue is organized in four sections: The SARD Initiative: defines SARD, describes the Initiative s goals and pilot actions, and reports on its latest achievements; The Sustainable Development Facility: has information on the activities of this pilot project and the projects it supports; Mapping Sustainability: focuses on the identification and operationalization of sustainability within the context of development projects; News, Events and Opportunities: provides information on opportunities to promote SARD. Prepared with the assistance of the Italian Cooperation

2 THE SARD INITIATIVE The FAO Director-General launched the Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development (SARD) Initiative at the WSSD in Johannesburg in The SARD Initiative is a multi-stakeholder umbrella framework designed to support the transition to people-centred sustainable agriculture and rural development and to strengthen participation in programme and policy development. It is a civil society-led initiative supported by Governments and inter-governmental organizations and facilitated by FAO as Task Manager for SARD (Chapter 14 of Agenda 21). SARD s goal is to reduce hunger and rural poverty through practices that are ecologically sound, economically viable, culturally appropriate, humane, and based on a holistic scientific approach. SARD addresses multiple sectors encompassing not just agriculture, but also water, energy, health and biodiversity. The means to achieve SARD are many and are associated with good practices related to people centred development, sustainable livelihoods, sound agro-ecological practices, sustainable forestry and fisheries management, community based natural resources management, participatory policy development, indigenous agricultural systems, poverty reduction strategies, among many others. MAIN AREAS OF ACTION The Initiative helps to achieve SARD by building the capacity of rural communities, disadvantaged groups and other stakeholders in three main areas: - to improve access to resources (e.g. genetic, technological, land, water, markets and information), - to promote good practices for SARD, and - to foster fairer conditions of employment in agriculture. Raising public awareness about SARD is also a key objective. The Initiative provides a platform for promoting SARD good practices at the local level and for replicating and upscaling these practices by linking them to national and global policy processes, facilitating access to information, and supporting capacity-building activities. A COLLECTIVE EFFORT FOR CHANGE The SARD Initiative ensures a close link between FAO (Task Manager for SARD), major groups of civil society (including the private sector), governments and international organizations. The SARD focal points for the nine major groups recognized by Agenda 21 are introduced below; BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY Business and industry input into the SARD process is coordinated through the International Agri- Food Network (IAFN), by the International Fertiliser Association (Business) and Croplife International (Industry). CHILDREN AND YOUTH The Institute for Future Global Leaders (IFGL) acts as the SARD Youth Focal Point and maintains close communication with other Children and Youth groups through various networks such as the Southern NGO Youth Forum and the newly-formed Trinidad and Tobago Sustainable Development Network (TTSDNet). FARMERS The farmers' group is co-ordinated by the International Federation of Agricultural Producers (IFAP). INDIGENOUS PEOPLES Indigenous Peoples' input into SARD is facilitated by the International Indian Treaty Council (IITC), which works through the Indigenous Peoples' Major Group Caucus of the UN CSD to consult approximately 40 Indigenous Peoples' organizations and networks. LOCAL AUTHORITIES Local authorities do not currently have a global focal point for SARD, although they are involved in numerous SARD programmes at the national and local levels. ( continued on next page)

3 WHAT HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED? The SARD Initiative can claim a number of concrete achievements. Highlights include: A survey on Cultural Indicators of SARD in Indigenous People s Traditional Foods and Cultures (Funded through FAO Regular Programme, August, 2003); Retrospective studies in Honduras, Zimbabwe and the Philippines to draw lessons on sustainable dimensions of good practices long after project completion (funded by FAO Regular Programme, with support by Major Groups) (Dec March 2004); An inventory of FAO s contributions to SARD and development of a framework for a larger inventory of SARD activities of all SARD Initiative stakeholders (co-funded by Canada and FAO Regular Programme) (Dec Sept. 2004); Lesson-sharing on the SARD Initiative during the International Forum on Partnerships for Sustainable Development (UNCSD meeting, March 2004); The promotion of demonstrated Conservation Agriculture good practices in Kenya and Tanzania (supported by Germany, GTZ-Sustainet) and start-up of more systematic monitoring of social, economic and environmental impacts of conservation agriculture (from June 2004); The establishment of a pilot FAO-Italy Sustainable Development Facility to improve the impacts of on-going FAO projects (funded by Italy) (September 2004). WHAT S NEXT? In the near future, resources will be invested in the organization of national and regional training events and community exchange visits. Additional resources will be allocated to building access to SARD information (existing experiences, lessons learned and success stories) through the development of a Resource Facility. The Initiative is expected to result in concrete and measurable improvements in the livelihoods and living conditions of the rural poor over the next 5 years, thus contributing to the implementation of Chapter 14 of Agenda 21 and achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. NGOS The NGO Major Group is an informal collection of nongovernmental groups that have expressed interest in sustainable agriculture generally and in the SARD Initiative specifically. This includes participants from the Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems (SAFS) Caucus at the UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) and other organizations that have joined during the development, launch and implementation of the SARD Initiative. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COMMUNITY The Science and Technology Community is jointly represented by the International Farming Systems Association (IFSA) and the International Council for Science. WOMEN The focal points for women in SARD are Women Organizing for Change in Agriculture and Natural Resources Management (WOCAN) and Women in Europe as a Common Future (WECF). WORKERS AND TRADE UNIONS Trade union input into the SARD dialogue process is coordinated through the International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers Associations (IUF). Major Groups inputs to the implementation of Agenda 21 are managed by the UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD).

4 THE FACILITY FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND POLICY IMPLEMENTATION ASSISTANCE The Facility for Sustainable Development and Policy Implementation Assistance (GCP/INT/938/ ITA), or the Sustainable Development Facility, is an Italy-funded FAO pilot project aimed at supporting the sustainability and impacts of FAO projects in the process of implementing Sustainable Agricultural and Rural Development (SARD). This project was launched in June 2004 and the pilot phase is expected to be competed in early FAO has signed agreement with CERFE, an Italian Research Institute, for the implementation of activities under the guidance of the FAO Task Manager for SARD and the Rural Development Division of FAO. The specific objectives of the project are to: Identify practices to support sustainability in on-going projects; Identify and disseminate SARD good practices through on-going projects; Improve the capacity of selected projects to achieve SARD outcomes and assess their contribution to the MDGs. FACILITY SUPPORT TO PROJECTS The Facility provides technical support through field missions and distance assistance to selected FAO projects, including support to: Monitoring, establishing or improving monitoring systems; Training and capacity building; Identifying and formulating complementary development initiatives; Improving stakeholder participation, partnerships and territorial alliances as well as monitoring of these; Fostering innovation, knowledge management and communication. ITALY-FUNDED FAO PROJECTS SUPPORTED BY THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT FACILITY During 2005, the following FAO projects were supported by the Sustainable Development Facility through field missions. Name: Información, comunicación y capacitación para el manejo de los recursos naturales y la agricultura sostenible (GCP/BOL/034/ITA) Location: Bolivia Purpose: to decentralize natural resource management and strengthen planning and implementation skills of municipalities and local actors. Name: Support to the regional programme for food security in Pacific island countries (GTFS/RAS/198/ITA) Location: Pacific Region 14 small island countries Purpose: to promote food security through the improvement of agriculture, trade and small husbandry. Name: Assistance in strengthening institutions and agri-cultural policies (GCP/SYR/006/ ITA) Location: Syria Purpose: To support improvements in policy-making and planning at ministry level through capacity building, research initiatives and planning initiatives.

5 MAPPING SUSTAINABILITY The Sustainable Development Facility, through a review of tools and methodologies, has developed a checklist of ten dimensions of sustainability. Consideration of these dimensions by project managers and implementers could contribute to increased sustainability of development actions. They also provide a framework through which good practices could be assessed. Some of these dimensions deal with the relationships between development practices and their physical, social, institutional and economic contexts; others are related to stakeholders. DIMENSIONS OF SUSTAINABILITY 1. Economic success: the practice produces economic gains, increased production, or improved income distribution; 2. Environmental integration: the practice is ecologically sound and fosters the conservation and rehabilitation of renewable natural resources; 3. Social features and social security: the practice helps to enhance food security, reduce social exclusion and poverty, and improve conditions of employment; 4. Cultural heritage: the practice adds value to or conserves local cultural heritage, or enhances the link between natural resource management and technological and social innovation processes; 5. Technological appropriateness: the technologies proposed and adopted suit local conditions; 6. Local cognitive capital: the knowledge and skills of local social actors are recognized and utilized; 7. Social capital: the networks linking local, national and international stakeholders are improved, as well as their organizational capacities; 8. Political and institutional viability: the practice contributes to legal and political frameworks and results in policy improvements in support of SARD; 9. Stakeholder culture: there is consistency between the stakeholders culture and sustainability; 10. Social agency: Stakeholder motivations, goals and objectives are consistent with general principles of sustainability.

6 NEWS, EVENTS AND OPPORTUNITIES ON-LINE GOOD PRACTICE DATABASES A number of SARD best practice archives exist which evaluate reference tools when designing and managing SARD activities. Some of the most useful include: Compendium of LAND & SARD Cases: 63 cases from 39 countries illustrating the many features of Land Management and SARD implementation ( Success stories collected by the UN Department of Social and Economic Affairs, Division for Sustainable Development ( m) Project Profiles from Guyana SARD Network ( s/country/guyana/list.htm) A database of SARD Projects worldwide ( SARD INITIATIVE WEBSITE At the 19th Session of FAO s Committee on Agriculture of FAO (Rome, April 2005), a new SARD Initiative website was launched at During the meeting a document on Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development (SARD) and Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) was discussed as a basis for future FAO action related to SARD. The document is available at meeting/009/j4236e/j4236e00.htm. The SARD Initiative website is updated regularly and any comments, suggestions or material are welcomed. Any inputs can be sent by to. TRAINING ON SARD A number of training courses related to SARD are available and can be accessed at the following sites: Postgraduate Courses in Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development (SARD) - Distance Learning Programme, Imperial College London, UK ( Formation professionnelle aux processus d'innovation en milieu rural, ICRA International Centre for Development Oriented Research in Agriculture, Agropolis International, at Montpellier, France ( Professional training on Rural Innovation processes, ICRA International Centre for Development Oriented Research in Agriculture, Wageningen, Netherlands ( Participatory Crop Improvement, Centre for Arid Zone Studies, University of Wales, UK ( Participation in Extension: Farmer-led Approaches, Education and Training Programme, International Institute of Rural Reconstruction ( SARD-Mountain WEBSITE FAO has launched a website addressing the policies and institutional aspects of Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development in mountain regions (SARD-M). The website < gives access to news, publications, reference documents and other information regarding SARD policies and the SARD-M project. This project aims to strengthen the livelihoods of mountain populations by improving policies for sustainable agriculture and rural development. This newsletter, and all future issues, can also be found on the News page of the SARD Initiative website