Report on IFAP Participation in the inter preparatory meeting to CSD 13

New York, USA, 26 February-4 March 2005

 

IFAP led a farmers delegation to the Intergovernmental Preparatory Meeting  (IPM) for the 13th session of the Commission on Sustainable Development was held from February 26th to March 4th, at the UN headquarters in New York City, USA.

The IPM meeting was to prepare the upcoming discussion in CSD 13 of policy options on water, sanitation and human settlements.

Throughout the week, government delegates, representatives of intergovernmental organisations as well as major groups’ representatives including farmers interacted in plenary sessions as well as in parallel sessions.

The IFAP delegation included President Jack Wilkinson (Canada), Vice-President Esa Harmala (Finland), Lovermore Simwanda (Zambia) and Nora Ourabah Haddad, Policy Officer (IFAP Secretariat).

President Jack Wilkinson led the IFAP delegation during the first part of the week and opened the major groups interventions during the plenary session. He outlined the “farmers’ willingness to move toward action” and their awareness to face the challenge of “doubling food production on less land to feed a growing world population”. He also insisted on “the urgent need to balance both urban and rural strategies” as well as on the need for a better coordination in programme financing and implementation.  Finally, he insisted on the need to come up with appropriate mechanisms in order to make “farmers feel ownership on the ability to change the way they deal with water resources”.

Vice-President Esa Härmälä led the IFAP delegation during the second part of the week. In his final remarks presented by Mr. Simwanda, he highlighted the importance of strengthening partnerships with the scientific and research community to “bridge the gaps between scientific findings and the real need of farmers and their communities”. Mr. Härmälä pointed out “the resourcefulness of farmers and their organisations to mobilise and harness these resources and translate them into useful techniques”. He also reminded the Committee of the importance of water quality for agriculture “. We too often forget the crucial role of agriculture in this regard to the benefit of safe drinking water for human consumption” he said.

IFAP insisted on the need to tackle such issues as combating desertification at the local level when dealing with water resources management. IFAP also mentioned the need to develop farmer training initiatives on water use efficiency.  Finally, there is a need to build robust and effective institutions for water management for both agriculture and domestic use.

The draft summary presented by the Chair in plenary on the last day is expected to form the basis of a negotiated text to be agreed upon by Environment Ministers during CSD 13, scheduled to meet from 11-22 April 2005, at the UN in New York.

The Chair’s text recognises some of the key roles that farmers and agriculture play in relation to water issues.  Some important IFAP recommendations on water are included such as the integration of water issues in development strategies including poverty reduction strategies, provision of financial support for the poor in rural areas for water access, moving from supply driven to demand driven approaches for the management of the water resources, provision of economic incentives to farmers to encourage investments in water conservation, developing innovative technologies, developing extension services for farmers to improve water use efficiency, and strengthening of research and development.

However, from a farmer’s point of view, the text fails to highlight the linkages between water for food and water for ecosystems as well as the need to balance urban and rural strategies, as mentioned by President Wilkinson in his different interventions.

These issues deserve more attention and therefore should be better reflected in the CSD 13 outcome document in April.  

Even though the text acknowledges, in general, the important role of stakeholders and civil society representatives in the management of water resources, there is no precise link between this role and the different water related issues tackled in the text. For instance, while the chair’s text recognises the need to strengthen scientific research and development, there is no mention of the necessity to involve stakeholders such as farmers.

Another issue that needs to be put on the table for discussion during CSD 13 concerns farming and water quality. Water quality is widely described in the text as an important component for water protection and conservation.  While the text relates water quality to ecosystems and soil conservation, it does not put forward the major role of agriculture and farmers in protecting water quality.

During the upcoming CSD 13 session, IFAP delegates will promote these points and try to have them added to the final CSD negotiated document.