IAASTD Report Calls for Radical Change in Agriculture

The International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD) has released a report that calls for radical change in agriculture to ‘serve the poor and hungry if the world is to cope with a growing population and climate change while avoiding social breakdown and environmental collapse.’ The report said that to meet the challenges, it is necessary to place institutional, economic and legal frameworks that combine productivity and the protection and conservation of natural resources. The three year collaborative international effort aimed to evaluate the relevance, quality and effectiveness of agricultural knowledge, science and technology.

The report, however was not endorsed by CropLife International. In a press release, it noted that the report failed to recognize the role modern plant sciences, including plant biotechnology and crop protection, can play in increasing agricultural crop productivity. It added that other organizations, including the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) and the Public Research and Regulation Initiative (PRRI) have ‘independently reached similar conclusions and expressed dissatisfaction with the report.’

Read the full report at http://www.agassessment.org/docs/Global_Press_Release_final.doc. For the press release of CropLife International, view  http://www.croplife.org/library/attachments/0889ff92-3ffa-41a6-91bd-9e01fc9993bb/2/2008%2004%2015%20-%20Science%20and%20Technology%20are%20Key%20to%20Growing%20More%20Food.pdf