Agriculture and Forestry Groups Release Joint Statement of Negotiators at Copenhagen

A Joint Statement was released on December 14 by attendees to the UN Climate Change Talks in Copenhagen that include the Food and Agriculture Organization, International Federation of Agriculture Producers, International Fund for Agricultural Development, Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research and its Challenge Program on Climate Change Agriculture and Food Security, Global Donor Platform for Rural Development, University of Copenhagen Faculty of Life Sciences, Center for International Forestry Research, and the Collaborative Partnership on Forests. The recommendations were the conclusion of the three day events: Agriculture and Rural Development Day, Forest Day, and a side event sponsored by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.

The agreed action points stipulated in the joint statement include:

• Food security should be integrated in the shared vision of the Long Term Cooperative Action text, in order to open the door to adaptation and mitigation support;

• Urge climate negotiators to agree on the early establishment of an agricultural work program under the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice;

• Look for agreement that Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation include agriculture, forestry and other land uses;

• Believe that the Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry accounting system needs to be favorable to agriculture.

See the news at: http://www.ifpri.org/blog/agriculture-and-forestry-groups-release-joint-statement-negotiators-cop-15 Joint Statement downloadable at http://www.agricultureday.org/ARDD_Joint-Statement.pdf