Mumbai: The Inter-governmental International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD) will release its final report on agricultural research on 15April and India will host the Asian component, according to THE International Institute of Environment and Development (IIED).
The International project has sought citizens’ views on agricultural research as people in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East will have their say on the future of food and farming under a major project that aims to make agricultural research better at serving people’s needs, IIED release said here.
The IIED initiative comes as a landmark inter-governmental report that finds agriculture must be more natural and locally relevant to protect soils, biodiversity and livelihoods worldwide.
IIED’s work will complement and build on the final report of IAASTD, which took more than three years and will be launched simultaneously in several capitals on 15April.
While the IAASTD gathered the views of hundreds of scientists and policy makers, it had hardly done anything to engage directly with farmers and consumers.
“The IAASTD report indicates that a door has opened. Food providers and consumers now have an opportunity to push the door further open, and voice directly to the change of direction and recognition that things cannot go on as before,” Dr Michel Pimbert, director of IIED’s sustainable agriculture, biodiversity and livelihoods programme.
