Organization of American States Summits of the Americas
 
Follow-up and Implementation: Mandates
  

2
Click here for Related Ministerials
    
AGRICULTURE: Sustainable Development
 MANDATES

  1. To advance the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forest and Land Use, national deforestation and conservation commitments, and regional efforts to halt and reverse deforestation and conserve, sustainably manage, and use ecosystems, we commit to strengthen our efforts to:

    • a. Work, with the support of regional and subregional organizations, to stimulate sustainable development and promote equal opportunity for populations affected by climate change, including indigenous peoples and local communities, respecting, preserving, and maintaining knowledge, innovations, and practices embodying traditional lifestyles relevant for the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, subject to domestic legislation; Our Sustainable Green Future, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).

  1. To decrease the amount of greenhouse gas emissions released into the atmosphere from agricultural, forestry, mining, and other land-use sectors, we commit to:

    • a. Promote policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, strengthen the adaptation and resilience of the agricultural sector to climate change, and enhance food security, as well as the development of sustainable agricultural practices that prioritize the health and well-being of local communities and stakeholders;

    • c. Pursue policies and develop mechanisms to improve the sustainable use and management of chemicals and technological practices, to promote the development of sustainable agriculture practices that maintain productivity and food security, and avoid negative impacts on local communities, rural producers, and consumers, and that support healthy terrestrial ecosystems, water systems, and the health of human populations and of fauna and flora in general;

    • d. Support indigenous peoples, farmers, and/or other people working and living in rural communities in strengthening their capacities to improve adaptation and mitigation, to counter the consequences of climate change, fostering actions to reduce emissions, promoting actions that have a beneficial impact on ecosystems, and promoting climate-smart and sustainable farming;

    • f. Sustainably use and foster the conservation and restoration of ecosystems, including those with high capacity of carbon capture and storage, such as wetlands, moorlands, grasslands, mangroves, secondary forests, and tropical forests and in general terrestrial, marine, and coastal ecosystems, in consultation with stakeholders; Our Sustainable Green Future, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).

  1. We believe that a multidimensional and multisectoral approach to agriculture and rural life is a key factor for sustainable development and food security. In this context and within the framework of the Agro Plan 2003–2015 of the Fourth Ministerial Meeting on Agriculture and Rural Life in the Americas held in Guatemala in 2007, we support the efforts in the repositioning of agriculture and rural issues and priorities in our national strategies and we commit to strengthening national, sub-regional, regional and hemispheric approaches and strategic actions, as applicable, with the support of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and other relevant organisations. (Declaration of Port of Spain, 2009).

  1. We commit to maintain a sustained effort to improve living conditions for inhabitants of rural areas, by promoting investment and creating a favorable environment to achieve sustainable improvements in agriculture that will contribute to social development, rural prosperity, and food security. In this context, we support the implementation of the AGRO 2003-2015 Plan of Action for Agriculture and Rural Life of the Americas, adopted at the Second Ministerial Meeting on Agriculture and Rural Life, held in Panama in November 2003, and we trust that the Global Forum on Biotechnology, which will take place in Chile in March 2004, will contribute to fighting hunger in the region. (Declaration of Nuevo León, 2004).

  1. Recognizing the fundamental importance of agriculture as a way of life for millions of rural families of the Hemisphere as well as the role it plays in the creation of prosperity as a strategic sector in our socio economic system and taking note of the importance of developing its potential in a manner compatible with sustainable development that would ensure adequate treatment and attention to the rural sector: (Plan of Action Québec, 2001).

  1. Promote dialogue involving government ministers, parliamentarians and civil society, in particular organizations linked to rural areas as well as the scientific and academic communities, with the objective of promoting medium and long-term national strategies toward sustainable improvement in agriculture and rural life; (Plan of Action Québec, 2001).

  1. Strive to facilitate access to markets for those goods derived from alternative development programs implemented in countries engaged in the substitution of illicit crops; (Plan of Action Québec, 2001).

  • II.2 Sustainable Agriculture and Forests Recognizing that the primary challenges to the attainment of sustainable development in this area include:

    • Adoption of policies aimed at promoting sustainable agriculture, conservation, and sustainable management of natural resources;

    • Development of a portfolio of agricultural production systems that seeks a lasting balance between their economic, social, and environmental components and enables farmers to enhance the value and productivity of their lands;

    • Exchange of information and experiences through formal and non-formal educational programs that emphasize the critical role of agriculture in sustainable development;

    • Development of baseline data on, and encouragement of access to, whole systems integrating research on economic, social, and environmental facets of sustainable agriculture;

    • Involvement of agricultural producers and rural communities in priority setting and program evaluation in research, education, and training and in policy development relevant to the sustainable development of agriculture;

    • Continuation, with renewed political commitment, of the international dialogue on forest issues initiated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Forests under the auspices of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development;

    • Establishment and implementation of national forest plans and programs, as appropriate to each country, as important tools for sustainable management of forests developed through participatory processes that include all interested parties and take into account the multiple environmental and socioeconomic benefits provided by forests;

    • Establishment of better forest assessment and management systems and of systems to facilitate monitoring of the sustainable management of forests so as to conserve biodiversity and maintain forest health, vitality, and productivity;

    • Promotion of intersectoral policies and land use plans, as appropriate to each country, that encourage sustainable forest management and review of existing incentives, including agricultural incentives, that may adversely affect forests;

    • Better definition, as appropriate to the legal system of each country and as necessary, of land tenure and property rights as a means to promote sustainable forest management;

    • Promotion of appropriate mechanisms for soil conservation;

    • Promotion of national forest management policies that respect and support the culture and needs of indigenous and local communities;

    • Establishment and strengthening of national systems of parks and protected areas;

    • Support for the generation of basic information on environmental criteria and indicators at all levels to evaluate progress toward sustainable management of biodiversity and the improvement of environmental statistics, in accordance with the processes which take place within the framework of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity; and

    • Conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of its components, and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources, in accordance with the provisions of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, (Plan of Action Santa Cruz de la Sierra, 1996).

  • Initiative 8. Promote agricultural export programs, including those that benefit small producers, and wider access to markets for agricultural products, in accordance with the principles of the World Trade Organization, and seek to determine the effect of economic policies on sustainable agriculture and rural development. (Plan of Action Santa Cruz de la Sierra, 1996).

  • Initiative 9. Seek to formulate and implement programs to promote the development and adoption of integrated pest management and integrated nutrient management, as well as measures aimed at education in the use of agrochemicals posing risks to human health and the environment and in the effective regulation of their use and of trade therein, and encourage those that are currently being negotiated, in particular on prior informed consent procedures for certain hazardous chemicals and pesticides in international trade. (Plan of Action Santa Cruz de la Sierra, 1996).

  • Initiative 10. Seek to establish, as appropriate, education, information, training, and research programs and promote the exchange of best practices, to foster innovations in agricultural technology, including models for integrated farming systems that emphasize productivity, profitability, efficiency, and environmental protection. These programs should address the needs of small-scale farmers, poverty eradication, improved nutritional standards, and food security. (Plan of Action Santa Cruz de la Sierra, 1996).

  • Initiative 11. Seek to establish, as appropriate, research programs which examine whole systems including ecosystem, whole farm, and watershed analysis approaches and develop economic and yield data for sustainable agricultural practices. (Plan of Action Santa Cruz de la Sierra, 1996).

  • Initiative 13. Seek to develop, as appropriate, the capacities of local communities and of rural organizations such as farmer-initiated cooperatives, inter alia through information and training, in order to foster conservation and sustainable agriculture through programs in areas such as integrated pest management, soil conservation, water quality, crop diversification, and waste management. (Plan of Action Santa Cruz de la Sierra, 1996).

  • Initiative 14. Promote national efforts and regional cooperation to improve the conservation and sustainable use of genetic resources for food and agriculture. (Plan of Action Santa Cruz de la Sierra, 1996).

  • Initiative 15. Promote and support traditional agricultural practices which have a beneficial impact on agrobiodiversity. (Plan of Action Santa Cruz de la Sierra, 1996)./li>

  • Initiative 16. As appropriate to the legal systems of each country, seek to address social issues related to land tenure and land use conflicts in countries where they exist and promote sustainable agriculture under the various forms of land tenure taking into account the interests of all stakeholders. (Plan of Action Santa Cruz de la Sierra, 1996).

 

 
2
    
 
© Summits of the Americas