Sixty-fourth session
Item 55 (a) of the provisional agenda*
Sustainable development: implementation of
Agenda 21, the Programme for the Further
Implementation of Agenda 21 and the outcomes
of the World Summit on Sustainable Development
Report of the Secretary-General
Summary
Agricultural technologies are vital to sustainable rural development, both to increase crop and livestock productivity and to strengthen resilience of agricultural systems. Traditional emphasis on yield maximization has been tempered in recent years by growing recognition of the need to ensure the long-run sustainability of yield improvements and to preserve vital rural ecosystems and their functions. The recent food crisis and slow progress towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goal of eradicating hunger have highlighted the wide disparities in technologies used and productivity achieved in different agricultural systems. While input and resource-intensive agriculture is the norm in many developed and middle-income developing countries, many developing countries continue to rely on low-input, low-productivity agriculture. Even as the former group of countries need to shift towards less intensive and more environmentally sound methods, farmers in many developing countries would benefit from greater input use. Yet, in principle, they should also benefit from the latest scientific knowledge and field testing of sustainable methods able to achieve high and stable yields and resilience in the face of climate change. To do so, however, will require a combination of measures, including scaled-up research on adapted technologies for local agroecological conditions, strengthened and reoriented extension services, greater investments in farmers' education and training and closer interaction between research and farming communities.
The decision of the Commission on Sustainable Development at its seventeenth session provides a useful strategic framework for addressing agricultural technology challenges in a comprehensive way.
* A/64/150.
