Meanings of sustainable agriculture: some issues for the South

This publication explores the various dimensions of sustainable agriculture from the perspective of developing countries. The discussion is particularly relevant in the context of the on-going WTO negotiations on trade in agriculture.<B>Conclusions, recommendations, and policy issues:</B> the first priority for approaching sustainable development is mobilising the necessary political support to place sustainable development goals high on the policy agenda locally, nationally and internationallythe current widespread confusion about the meaning of sustainable agriculture has to be dealt with more candidly. Ecological sustainability is an essential component, but social equity and sustainable growth of agricultural outputs are equally crucialdeveloping countries have many convergent interests among themselves in relation to sustainable agriculture (e.g. market access, property rights, environmental regulation, social standards) and must present a common front when bargaining with rich countries developing countries need to maintain their policy options. They need to be able to regulate international trade and investments in ways that direct them towards sustainable development goals, preventing these options being whittled away by international agreements (such as the AoA) that are primarily designed and promoted by the strong with little or no participation by the weakdeveloping countries could strengthen their bargaining power by broadening the bargaining agenda. For example, linking issues of agricultural trade regulations to those of immigration barriers in the Northa strong and democratic United Nations is essential for the promotion of sustainable development and sustainable agricultureone of the principal obstacles at all levels to approaching sustainable development is inequitable and insecure property rights. Property rights would have to be harmonised with Universal Human Rights. Sustainable agriculture, for example, is incompatible with property regimes that exclude large portions of agricultural populations from secure rights to the land and water on which their livelihoods depend[From the author]