Preserving the options : food productivity   and sustainability

Walsh, John

Preserving the options : food productivity and sustainability

Walsh, John

This booklet describes the efforts of nearly a thousand agricultural scientists working to sustain food production in developing countries. It was commissioned by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). In past famines, large-scale starvation was averted by the introduction of high-yielding crop varieties developed at CGIAR centers. However, food security has come at high cost to the environment. To reverse this trend, CGIAR researchers are working at some 200 locations around the globe to help ensure the long-term sustainability of agriculture and the natural resource based on which farming depends. To meet future challenge, the CGIAR has recently undergone extensive restructuring. The objective has been to increase the ability of researchers to help farmers adopt more sustainable and environmentally friendly farming practices. Today's CGIAR scientists are as concerned with environment and natural resources as the last generation of researchers was with increasing production. This booklet describes the issue of sustainability as seen by agricultural scientists working in the field. It shows that agriculturalists and environmentalists share many common concerns, and demonstrates the urgency of their working together to meet common goals.

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