Sustaining local food systems, agricultural biodiversity and livelihoods
Update: Read the Open Letter of the Peoples of Cusco (PDF) to the FAO Director General, Feb. 10.
On 26 February 2010, Peruvian indigenous organizations, local government bodies and civil society organizations in Cusco, Peru, held a meeting to formulate a strategic response to a FAO ABCD10 starting on 1 March that will push for greater use of genetically modified organisms. A demonstration through the ancient Inca streets followed up this multi-stakeholder gathering. The meeting produced a Declaration which underlines that the FAO agenda does not represent the best approach for tackling agricultural challenges, including those brought by climate change.
This research aims to analyse how and under what conditions decentralised governance, capacity building and participation by farmers can promote the adaptive management of agricultural biodiversity in the context of local food systems and livelihoods.
This research aims to analyse how and under what conditions decentralised governance, capacity building and participation by farmers can promote the adaptive management of agricultural biodiversity in the context of local food systems and livelihoods. This will be achieved by:
- identifying forms of decentralised governance, co-management agreements, and markets and property right institutions that can sustain agricultural biodiversity and livelihoods
- strengthening the capacity of farmers and other actors, including producer organisations, and in doing so increase their benefits, and promote awareness and responsible action
- developing indicators to analyse the links between livelihoods and agricultural biodiversity, with a special emphasis on local definitions of well being, equity and culture
- applying participatory assessment methodology for valuations of agricultural biodiversity and the various systems (e.g. livelihoods, food and rural development) in which local biodiversity is embedded
- making recommendations on effective policies and processes that will help build capacity and institutionalise the adaptive management of agricultural biodiversity in the context of localised food systems and rural economies.
Through participatory research and dialogue in India, Iran, Peru and Indonesia a range of impacts have been achieved:
- International Farmers Exchange for Mutual Learning on Privatisation of Knowledge and Seeds
- a citizens’ jury was initiated in Andhra Pradesh (India) to include small farmers and indigenous people in participatory assessments of different visions of food, farming and rural development futures
- a cultural and technical exchange was organised between Indian farmers and indigenous communities in the Andes of Peru. The farmer to farmer exchange focused on capacity building for the local level management of agricultural biodiversity, the documentation of indigenous knowledge in the form of Community Biodiversity Registers and training in digital video technology
- support and conceptual inputs were provided to the Growing Diversity Initiative and an international workshop in Brazil, in which participants reviewed emerging issues and challenges for the decentralised management of agricultural biodiversity in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
On Thursday 26 February 2010, Peruvian indigenous organizations, local government bodies and civil society organizations in Cusco, Peru, held a meeting to formulate a strategic response to a United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) ABCD10 starting on 1 March that will push for greater use of genetically modified organisms. A demonstration through the ancient Inca streets followed up this multi-stakeholder gathering.
The meeting produced a Declaration which underlines that the FAO agenda does not represent the best approach for tackling agricultural challenges, including those brought by climate change. The President of the Government of Cusco is officially sending the Open Letter of the Peoples of Cusco to the FAO Director General, members of ABCD10 organizing committee, and relevant Mexican government representatives.
Open letter to the FAO and photo gallery of the event:
http://transgenicosnogracias.blogspot.tw/
Youtube video of the event: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pxjyDBqyYU
International Training Workshop: Methods and Processes for Establishing Indigenous Biocultural Territories as Agrobiodiversity Conservation Area (20-29 September 2009), Cusco, Peru. Read the Declaration on Agrobiodiversity Conservation and Food Sovereignty
Sharing Power - A global guide to collaborative management of natural resources (2nd Ed)
Prajateerpu: a Citizens Jury/Scenario Workshop on Food and Farming Futures in Andhra Pradesh, India
Barter Markets: Sustaining people and nature in the Andes
Traditional Reources Rights and Indigenous People in the Andes
Protecting Indigenous Knowledge against Biopiracy in the Andes
Sharing Power: Learning by doing in co-management of natural resources throughout the world
For a full list of related publications see the Diverse Food Systems webpage.
Pimbert, M. (2006) Transforming Knowledge and Ways of Knowing for Food Sovereignty and Bio-Cultural Diversity (PDF 183 KB). Paper presented at the Conference on Endogenous Development and Bio-Cultural Diversity, Geneva, Switzerland, 3-5th October 2006.
Pimbert, M. (2006). Reclaiming autonomous food systems: the role of local organizations in farming, environment and people’s access to food (PDF 424KB). Paper presented at the International Conference on Land, Poverty, Social Justice and Development, 12-14 January 2006, The Hague, Netherlands.
Pimbert, M. (1999). Sustaining the Multiple Functions of Agricultural Biodiversity (PDF 350KB) . FAO Background paper for the Conference on the Multifunctional Character of Agriculture and Land, The Netherlands.
Pimbert, M., and Pretty, J. (1997). Diversity and sustainability in community based conservation (PDF 142 KB). Paper presented at the UNESCO-IIPA regional workshop on Community-based Conservation, February 1997, India.
More information on this project and its findings to date can be found at the diverse food systems webpage