Equator Initiative / Community Based Initiative Seminar Series "Ecoagricultural Lessons from the Equator Prize Experience" Hank Shannon Conference Room - UNDP Headquarters, New York

Introduction

Powerpoint Presentation of Seminar Slides

UNDP Equator Initiative Ecoagriculture Policy Paper

Draft Project Report

Links

• Equator Initiative
• Ecoagriculture Partners

Christian Isely, of the Equator Initiative and Ecoagriculture Partners, delivers a preliminary address to staff of UNDP in advance of the 18 December 2003 Seminar.

Introduction:

On 18 December 2003 , Christian Isely presented findings from a joint research partnership between the Equator Initiative and Ecoagriculture Partners to an audience at UNDP Headquarters in New York . The project itself was conducted under the guidance of Dr. Sara Scherr, of Ecoagriculture Partners. The purpose of the project - and of the larger partnership between the two sponsor organizations - was to find and study exemplary cases of ecoagriculture applications, using the 2002 Equator Prize Nominations as a data set. This research produced a detailed report soon to be available on this website.

In his presentation of project findings, Mr. Isely covered ecoagriculture as it is applied in the context of Scherr and McNeely's definitive work on the subject, Ecoagriculture: Strategies to Feed the World and Save Wild Species. In this work Ecoagriculture is defined as an umbrella term for landscape scale land-use systems designed to produce both human food and ecosystem services, including habitat for wild biodiversity.

The seven case studies in the report were also highlighted in the presentation with two particular projects, CIPASLA-ASOBESURCA in Colombia and FITEMA in Madagascar , covered by short video clips taken from a special BBC program on the Equator Initiative and its work. These cases, coupled with data taken from the sample set, revealed a number of notable findings.

The first critical finding to emerge was that the role of communities is of tremendous importance both in project initiation and implementation, with cultural legitimacy playing a very pivotal role in ensuring success. The strength of land tenure rights also proved to be pivotal in enabling communities to enact ecoagriculture strategies and practices. The need for national governments to create an environment conducive to local action was recognized as a necessary precondition for community involvement.

Direct lessons for ecoagriculture were also identified. These include an improved recognition of agricultural ecosystems as ecosystems in their own right. As well, it was noted that greater appreciation for the symbiosis between natural and productive landscapes is needed. The need for increased data collection was also emphasized, since present data favors certain types of production systems and strategies. In particular, the need for more research on failures was stated. In response, a template is being developed to standardize data collection and provide a means for the exchange of information.

Mr. Isely went on to explore ecoagriculture in the context of the Millennium Development Goals. It was determined that ecoagriculture strategies will likely play a tremendous role in ensuring achievement of many of the individual goals, while also playing a significant part in achieving the set of goals as a whole. In reference to the strong role ecoagriculture plays in reducing poverty and enhancing biodiversity, Mr. Isely suggested the incorporation of ecoagriculture as an Equator Prize category and identified a number of opportunities for further research using the 2004 cohort of nominations. The talk ended by urging all development institutions- in particular UNDP and GEF - to increasingly recognize the importance of ecoagriculture strategies and practices.