Chapter 1 - Preamble

Section 1 - Social & Economic Dimensions

Section 2 - Conservation and Management of Resources
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22

Section 3 - Strengthening the Role of Major Groups

Section 4 - Means of Implementation

Complete text of Agenda 21: Chapter 14
Chapter 14: Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development

Hunger is already a constant threat to many people, and the world’s long-term ability to meet the growing demand for food and other agricultural products is uncertain.

The global population was 5.5 billion in 1993 and is expected to reach 8.5 billion by 2025, when 83 per cent of the world will be living in developing countries. One of the world’s great challenges is to increase food production in a sustainable manner so that a rapidly global growing global population can be fed.

The productivity of huge food-producing areas is declining even as the demand for food, fibre and fuel is growing. Soil erosion, salination, waterlogging and loss of soil fertility are increasing in all countries. Increased ultraviolet radiation resulting from thinning of the stratospheric ozone layer may also reduce food production.

Agriculture has to meet the rising needs mainly by increasing productivity, because most of the world’s best food lands are already in use. At the same time, further encroachment on land that is only marginally suitable for cultivation must be avoided.

Sustainable agriculture and rural development will require major adjustments in agricultural, environmental and economic policies in all countries, and at the international level. This requires cooperation involving rural people, national governments, the private sector and the international community.

Techniques for increasing production, reducing food spoilage and loss to pests and for conserving soil and water resources are already available but are not widely or systematically applied. By the turn of the century, governments should have sound food policies, based on an awareness of the environmental costs and benefits of various policy choices.

Sustainable land-use polices should encourage planning at a scale large enough to maintain the health of regional ecosystems, such as watersheds. People should encouraged to invest in the future of the land by giving them ownership and providing access to resources, financing and means to market their produce at fair prices.

People need advice and training in the use of technologies and farming systems that conserve and rehabilitate land, while increasing production. These include conservation tillage, crop rotation, use of plant nutrients (including organic fertilizers), agroforestry, terracing and mixed cropping. Both modern and indigenous conservation techniques should be used.

More energy will have to be used to increase food production. This should involve a cost-effective mix of fossil and renewable energy sources, including fuels produced from wood and plants.

Better use of the world’s great variety of plant and animal genetic resources is essential to diversify and increase food production and improve the quality of draught animals. There is a steady loss of invaluable plant and animal species, and efforts to promote genetic diversity are under funded and understaffed. The benefits of research and development in plant breeding and seed production should be shared equitably between sources and users of the material.

The amount of food lost to pests has been estimated at 25 per cent of harvests. Chemical control of food pests has been dominant, but its over-use is costly and has adverse effects on human health and the environment. The best option is integrated pest management, which combines biological controls, host plant resistance and appropriate farming practices, to minimize pesticide use. This technique guarantees food production, reduces costs and is environmentally less harmful.

To keep poor rural populations from using marginal lands, off-farm work such as cottage industries, wildlife utilization, fisheries, village-based light industries, including food processing, and tourism should be developed.

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