Sustainable agriculture and rural development

he challenges of increasing food production are daunting. Despite great agricultural advances, millions go hungry or live under threat of famine. Food production will have to double between 1995 and the year 2025 if the expected population of up to 8 500 million is to be fed adequately.

Parallel with population growth is the impact of pollution and the degradation of natural resources that threaten to limit gains in production and imperil sustainable agriculture. Achieving sustainable agriculture and rural development (SARD) will not be easy. Most of the best agricultural land is already under cultivation. The rate of expansion of cropland fell from 1 percent a year during the 1950s to 0.3 percent by the 1970s: by 1990 it was virtually at a standstill. Per caput water availability is also falling rapidly. Future increases in production depend mainly on increasing the productivity of existing agricultural land and water resources.

Farmer involvement is the key to sustainable agriculture. Given the right incentives and government support, farm families can and are making significant progress towards managing their land and water sustainably.

Some traditional farming systems using low inputs have improved yields while safeguarding the resource base. Indonesian rice farmers who adopted integrated pest management (IPM), which reduces the need for pesticides, soon achieved higher yields than those who relied solely on pesticides.

A diversity of crops or varieties can help protect farmers against failure. In a single Amazon community in Peru 168 different species of plants are cultivated. Small-scale potato growers in the Andes grow up to 100 distinct varieties, with a typical household growing 10-12.

Agricultural systems, in both developed and developing countries, need to use new approaches to increase food supplies while protecting the resources on which they depend. This can be achieved with practices that:

• fully exploit natural processes such as recycling nutrients, using plants that fix their own nitrogen and achieving a balance between pests and predators;
• reduce the reliance on inputs such as mineral fertilizers and chemical pesticides;
• diversify farming systems, making greater use of the biological and genetic potential of plant and animal species;
• improve the management of natural resources;
• rotate crops or develop agroforestry systems that help maintain soil fertility.

The ultimate objective should be the optimum mix of agricultural practices, both old and new, in order to maximize sustainable output within the limits of available resources.

Essential ingredients for sustainable development

Biological Continued conservation of genetic resources is essential if food supplies are to be increased. Authorities in regions rich in genetic resources should be encouraged to conserve wild species of animals and plants.

Physical Soil and water must be conserved to sustain plant productivity. This requires the introduction of land management to reduce or halt topsoil erosion and to maintain or increase the water-holding capacity of soil. Irrigated agriculture needs to be overhauled where water is wasted or crop yields are declining as a result of soil salinity and waterlogging. Atmospheric pollution, including acid rain, harms crops and forest stands. Excessive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides poisons soils and reduces productivity.

Social Clear property rights and land tenure systems provide powerful incentives for owners and tenants to use their land in a sustainable way. Land tenure systems need reform in countries where land distribution is grossly unfair or where laws are inadequate to control land use, protect forests and safeguard rangelands. Participation must also be encouraged by local controls over planning and the allocation of resources.

Economic Farmers in developing countries need fair prices for their produce and better agricultural infrastructure, including adequate extension services and efficient transport for getting their food to markets. They need incentives to conserve soil and water resources.

Elements for sustainable agriculture and rural development

INTEGRATED ACTIVITIES

Government level: policies, instruments, development plans, agrarian reform, nutrition surveys, food quality and food security, data, monitoring, early warning systems

Rural community level: development of local organizations and capacity building for people's participation, training, extension

Area level: for example, coastal zones, watersheds, river basins, agroecological zones

Production unit level: farming systems, diversification to increase incomes, creation of rural industries, credit and marketing

Consumer level: improving nutrition and food quality, adjusting dietary patterns, product marketing

KEY NATURAL RESOURCES

Land: land use planning, land management, soil conservation, land rehabilitation

Water: water conservation, irrigation improvements, water database development, water-users, associations

Plant and animal biological resources: conservation of genetic resources, development of varieties and breeds

Trees and forests: reduction of deforestation rates, sustainable forest management and wood harvesting, promotion of non-wood forest uses and industries, conservation of habitats, integrating trees in farming systems

Fisheries: reduction of fishing effort to maximize production, increasing aquaculture production, exploitation of new species

KEY EXTERNAL INPUTS

Pest management: programmes and projects on integrated pest control. control of pesticide use

Plant nutrition: programmes and projects for integrated plant nutrition

Rural energy: national strategies and technology transfer for integrated rural energy development.