These conclusions also confirmed findings and recommendations of the
recently released report of the International Assessment of Agricultural
Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD) panel, an
intergovernmental process supported by over 400 experts under the cosponsorship
of the FAO, GEF, UNDP, UNEP, UNESCO, the World Bank and
WHO (issued on 14 April 2008). The IAASTD report stated that “the way
the world grows its food will have to change radically to better serve the
poor and hungry if the world is to cope with growing population and climate
change while avoiding social breakdown and environmental collapse.” The
authors found that progress in agriculture has reaped very unequal benefits
and has come at a high social and environmental cost and food producers
should try using “natural processes” like crop rotation and organic fertilizers.
The authors call for more attention to small-scale farmers and utilization of
sustainable agricultural practices, specifically mentioning organic farming as
an option several times.