29 April 2008
Windhoek — People in Africa, Latin America and Asia will have their say about the future of food and farming under a major project that aims to make agricultural research better at serving people's needs, the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) said.
The research initiative comes as a landmark intergovernmental report finds that agriculture must be more ecological and locally relevant to protect soils, biodiversity and livelihoods worldwide.
IIED's work will complement and build on the final report of the International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD), which launched simultaneously in several capitals including London, Paris, Washington last week.
The IAASTD gathered the views of hundreds of scientists, policymakers, and others over three years.
It did little to engage directly with farmers and consumers to find out and incorporate their views in the final reports, however.
"IIED's project will enable food providers, food workers and consumers to have their say about the kind of food and agricultural research they want in four regions, with individual countries acting as hosts, the Institute said in a press statement last week.
"Over three years, we will gather the views of small-scale farmers, indigenous people, nomadic pastoralists, rural communities, food workers and other citizens in Mali, South India, Iran, Bolivia and Peru," said Dr Michel Pimbert, director of IIED's sustainable agriculture, biodiversity and livelihoods programme.
"The knowledge and directly expressed needs of rural communities - and of poor, marginalised food providers and food workers in particular - are largely absent from the IAASTD report," he added.
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