NACSAA Pushes Science-Based Decision Making, Other Principles, in Bonn

July 09, 2019

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(Solutions from the Land) Science-based decision making and putting farmers at the center of all discussions were among the guiding principles touted by representatives of NACSAA and many of its member organizations in a workshop held by United Nation's facilitators in Bonn, Germany, on the development of an agricultural work program aimed at stemming climate change. (A compilation of our Twitter posts from Bonn can be found HERE.)

Negotiators in Bonn held their third in a series of at least six workshops that are being staged by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) this year to facilitate the construction of the Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture(KJWA) agreement. NACSAA has taken an active role throughout the development of this first-ever global climate agricultural work program.

Now in the second for what has been planned to be a three-year effort, last month's sessions in Bonn focused on:

Joining in representing the interests of North American agriculture at the sessions in Bonn were a number of NACSAA members, including USDA, Cornell University, CropLife, The Fertilizer Institute, Environmental Defense Fund, Business for Social Responsibility and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.

They observed a convergence of interest in integrating efforts to achieve various UN Sustainable Development Goals with a strong emphasis on climate, biodiversity and food system reform.

Countering throughout the workshop the contentions made by anti- technology and environmental justice representatives that the global food system is broken, NACSAA representatives and their allies promoted guiding principles that would build on current agricultural trends to insure an adequate, safe and low-cost supply of food, feed, fiber and energy in the decades ahead.

Specifically, NACSAA urged UN negotiators to recognize and respect in the formation of the Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture that:

Science-based decision making should be the foundation for the adoption of climate smart technologies and practices for sustainable agriculture and global food production.
Production and production efficiency per unit of land must increase going forward to meet the food needs of the future while incurring no net environmental cost.
Outcomes (rather than means) applicable to any scale of enterprise must be emphasized, without predetermining technologies, production type or design components.
There is no silver bullet solution for enhancing the resilience in agriculture: KJWA must embrace a systems approach that recognizes the tremendous diversity of agricultural landscapes and ecosystems and enables producers to utilize the systems, technologies and practices that best support their farming operations.
Farmers must be at the center of all discussions and decision-making; significant input will be needed from a wide range of agricultural stakeholders, including technical agricultural experts drawn from farmer organizations, academia, industry, and international and regional organizations, especially those outside of the UNFCCC structure.

Thanks to the hard work and contributions of its members, NACSAA has accomplished its primary objective of establishing itself as a credible, knowledgeable and respected platform for contributions from North America agriculture. Based on the success achieved in Bonn, planning is underway to expand and enhance the alliance's presence at next Conference of the Parties (COP 25) this December in Santiago, Chile, including a possible knowledge-sharing pavilion that will function as a learning platform for information about soil health, nutrient and water management, livestock, biofuels and more.

NACSAA efforts are now shifting to the next submission, due Sept. 30, on improved nutrient use and manure management toward sustainable and resilient agricultural systems. READ MORE

NACSAA Joins Field to Market: The Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture (Solutions from the Land)

Farmers Conservation Alliance Bring Water Expertise to NACSAA (Solutions from the Land)

NACSAA Experts Prep Koronivia Submission on Nutrients, Manure Handling (North American Climate Smart Agriculture Alliance)