Science and Technology Mailing List Archive

["David Bourn" <<address removed>>]

In all these discussions on the role of agriculture in poverty reduction,
there does not seem to have been much concern expressed about environmental
sustainability.

In its future efforts to promote and facilitate poverty reduction through
growth and development of the agricultural sector, DFID should not lose
sight of one of the other Millennium Development Goal; that of ensuring
environmental sustainability and "integrating the principles of sustainable
development into country policies and programmes, and reversing the loss of
environmental resources". 

In my experience of living and working mainly in Africa, there is often a
dearth of reliable information about the current state of land use and
natural resources, and the magnitude and extent of changes resulting from
agricultural expansion and economic growth. 

Without reasonably recent and credible assessments of the distribution and
abundance of renewable natural resources, and the general state of the
national environment, it is difficult to see how the principles of
sustainable development can be effectively integrated into country policies
and programmes.

Although now very much out of vogue, I believe that a strong, public good,
case remains for the periodic assessment of renewable natural resources and
land use for strategic planning, targeting and environmental monitoring.
Just as with periodic censuses of people, there should also be regular
surveys of agricultural and other renewable natural resources to determine
what changes have taken place since the previous one.

Given its former reputation and expertise in this field, DFID should perhaps
consider strengthening its long-term, support to selected national and
regional organisations involved in agricultural and natural resource
assessment and environmental monitoring, with a view to standardising
procedures, promoting best practices and facilitating regional co-operation.

For poverty reduction and agricultural development to be sustainable, it
seems to me that environmental considerations must be more effectively
mainstreamed/integrated in agriculture and rural development agendas, as
mentioned in last week's summary by Felicity Proctor, and that such support
would contribute to that goal.

David Bourn
Environmental Research Group Oxford Limited
WWW: http://ergodd.zoo.ox.ac.uk/



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