UN Report Says Small-Scale Organic Farming Only Way to Feed the World
Transformative changes are needed in our food, agriculture and trade
systems in order to increase diversity on farms, reduce our use of
fertilizer and other inputs, support small-scale farmers and create
strong local food systems. That’s the conclusion of a remarkable new publication from the U.N. Commission on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
The report, Trade and Environment Review 2013: Wake Up Before it is Too Late, included contributions from more than 60 experts around the world (including a commentary from IATP).
The report includes in-depth sections on the shift toward more
sustainable, resilient agriculture; livestock production and climate
change; the importance of research and extension; the role of land use;
and the role of reforming global trade rules.
The report links
global security and escalating conflicts with the urgent need to
transform agriculture toward what it calls “ecological intensification.”
The report concludes, “This implies a rapid and significant shift from
conventional, monoculture-based and high-external-input-dependent
industrial production toward mosaics of sustainable, regenerative
production systems that also considerably improve the productivity of
small-scale farmers.”
The UNCTAD report identified key indicators for the transformation needed in agriculture:
