Innovation and Incentives for Farmers Needed to Protect Worlds Biodiversity
Brussels
, 22 May 2010: Farming First calls on governments to enable agricultural innovation and empower farmers to safeguard the worlds biodiversity while increasing global food production.Safeguarding natural resources through sustainable agricultural practices such as sustainable use of land, water and energy resources, conservation agriculture, cultivation of local species and giving value to marginal areas such as wetlands and forests.
Sharing knowledge of agricultures role in preserving biodiversity through stewardship programmes for farmers and government mechanisms for incentivising biodiversity-friendly practices.
Building local access to agricultural tools and infrastructure which help protect biodiversity, such as multi-cropping systems or crop rotation, without jeopardising agricultural production.
Protecting harvests by building storage facilities and transport mechanisms, whilst providing support to farmers in managing weather variations and minimising the amount of yield lost to prevent further expansion in land used for agriculture.
Enabling access to markets via payment incentives for ecosystem services, such as carbon sequestration, reforestation, measures against desertification and other sustainable land management practices as well as developing and supporting markets for underutilised local species which encourage local biodiversity.
Prioritising research imperatives by addressing both farmers needs and the specificities of local ecosystems as well as factoring in farmers local expertise and providing resources such as seed banks.
Farming First is a global coalition of 128 organisations calling for a broad-based, knowledge-centred approach to increase agricultural output in a sustainable and socially responsible manner. It members include representatives of the worlds farmers, scientists, engineers and industry.