From left: government delegates, co-chairs Hans Herren and Judy Wakungu, UNEP Director Achim Steiner and IAASTD Director Bob Watson; authors and delegates dancing after adoption; The IAASTD turtle, who started it's long walk in 2004 in Nairobi, coming down the home stretch - More pictures
Internal NGO website on the "International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development"

>>How can we reduce hunger and poverty, improve rural livelihoods, and facilitate equitable, environmentally, socially and economically sustainable development through the generation, access to, and use of agricultural knowledge, science and technology? <<

News & background:

Search for IAASTD via Google News: World news (English) on IAASTD     Deutsche Nachrichten zum IAASTD     La presse sur IAASTD     la prensa sobre IAASTD
Videos on the IAASTD
on YouTube

May 23, Huffington Post: The Global Struggle Over Who Will End Hunger

May 22, IPS: Seeds of Hope Take Root in Kenya

May 14, All Africa.com, Op Ed by Hans Herren: Africa - Supporting a True Agricultural Revolution

May 9, Ethioppian Journal: Protecting Investors, but What About the People? - Dissecting the Contradictions of Agricultural Investment

May 8, Huffington Post, Devinder Sharma: Michelle Obama Can Lead a Global Movement for Organic Food

April 29, Foreing Policy, Anna Lappé: Don't Panic, Go Organic

April 21 2010, IPS: Green Agriculture Growing in Leaps and Bounds

April 19 2010, The Faster Times: F ood Politics Anna Lappé: Sustainable Farming Can Feed the World

April 14 2010, IPS: Farmers on Fringe of Intl Agriculture Policy? a report from CGIARs recent GCARD meeting in Montpellier

April, 12 2010, Various NGS: An Open Letter to Oxfam America on its Stance on Biotechnology

April 12 2010, The Huffington Post: Agri-preneurship, A Solution to Africa's Food Crisis

31 March 2010, Biodiversidad en América Latina y El Caribe: Bolivia: comienza el ciclo nacional de ferias agroecológicas

10 March 2010, PAN Briefing: Scientists Support Farmers Regaining Control of Agriculture, Findings from the UN-led International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development

1 March 2010, Resurgence 259, Benny Haerlin: The next food revolution, The future of food, agriculture, development and sustainability depends on small-scale farmers

February 26 2010, PAN North America: Monsanto, Pioneer & Gates seed industrial ag in Africa

February 26 2010, Futura Environment: Sous les tropiques, les fermes familiales font du développement durable

February 15 2010, Rajni Bakshi on rediff: Bt brinjal and the politics of knowledge

February 3, The Ecologist: UK overseas aid ignoring small scale agriculture

December 17 2009, Times of India: No climate mitigation with expanding agriculture trade

December 7 2009, Ecologist: Agriculture: Copenhagen's blind spot

November 23 2009, Jules Pretty in Monthly Review: Can Ecological Agriculture Feed Nine Billion People?

November 21 2009, Le Courrier: L'agriculture mondialisée: un péril vert?

November 5th 2009, UBC report: Save the seeds, save ourselves

October 21st 2009, Farming UK: Royal Society report on science and agriculture: GM not the only answer

October 19th 2009, BBC: UK urged to lead on future food

October 19th 2009, Bulatlat: Change in Control of Food Production Key to Solving World Hunger

September 9th 2009, ZNet Ending Akfrica's Hunger, by Raj Patel, Eric Holt-Gimenez and Annie Shattuck

August 11th, Smallholder: Soil Association response to the UK Food Security Assessment

August 10th, Alternet: Is Obama's Plan for Tackling Hunger Just Another Chance for Big Ag and Biotech to Cash In?

July 8th 2009, Foreing Policy in Focus: G8 Summit: Feed the Hungry or Fuel Hunger?

30th June 2009, IPS: Rechercher la diversité, la maîtrise de la résistance et des fermiers

26th June 2009, all Africa: The Global Food Price Crisis - A Critique of Orthodox Perspectives by Walden Bello

24th June 2009, Institute for Development Studies: Transforming Agriculture through Farmer-Centred Innovation

17th June 2009, The Huffington Post: All That Glitters Is Not Gold: Biotechnology Has Failed Us, So Why Promote It Abroad?

13th June 2009, Mainstream India: Reflections on the Election Results and Tasks Ahead

9th June 2009, The Phillipine News today: Agriculture at a Crossroads

4th June 2009, The Huffington Post: Biotech FAIL: Bad Science, Worse Faith and Superweeds

19th May 2009, La Via Campesina & Friends of the Earth: Food Sovereignty: A New Model for a Human Right

14th May 2009, Nnimmo Basseyon CSD in AllAfrica.com: Africa: Full Speed in the Wrong Direction

13 May Earth Negotiations Bulletin: CSD, May 14th Ministerial Roundtable with Robert T. Watson

UN Commission for Sustainable Development, 17th Session, New York 4-15 May
Roundtable on Realizing a Sustainable Green Revolution in Africa: CSD Chair Gerda Verburg, Vivain Pliner, Secretariat, and Robert Watson, Director, International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD).


6 May 2009, Africa Science News: Call for agricultural research to serve people, not corporate interests

28 April 2009, Fresh Plaza: Agroecological Farming key to Africa’s future

25 April 2009: The Record: food crisis - A new deal will be needed to avert a global disaster in agriculture

23 April 2009, All-Africa.com: Olivier de Schutter: Africa Realising the Right to Food

22 April 2009, Diario: One step forward, two steps back in addressing the food crisis
    G8 Ministers have failed to present proposals that will effectively tackle the global food crisis

19 April 2009, All Gov, USA: New Bill Supporting Patented Seeds Divides Aid Groups
   Foreign policy in focus: Global Food Security Act
   Food First: Why the Global Food Security Act Will Fail to Curb Hunger

18 April, The Independent: Strange fruit: Could genetically modified foods offer a solution to the world's food crisis?

17. April 2009, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippine News : Chemically-driven agri will not solve poverty— study

16 April 2009, Common Dreams: G8 Urged to Reject Another 'Green Revolution'
U.S. working group on the food crisis urges G8 to reject failed green revolution policies for Africa
16 April 2009, Greenpeace: Agriculture at a crossroads

9 April 2009, One World: Global Climate Talks Must Address Agriculture

6 April 2009, Xhinhua: UN General Assembly president calls for "new politics of food" to fight against food crisis
6 April 2009, UN: General Assembly President calls for new type of bottom-up ‘food democracy’

2 April 2009, IPS: CLIMATE CHANGE: Farming Could Be Friend or Foe

March 2009, Rural 21: German Development Ministry endorses global agricultural report

12 March 2009, Euractive: Europe and global food security

10 March 2009, Public Service, UNESCO: G20 nations must address the 'most pressing issue of our time

1 March 2009, The Guardian: 93 months and counting

26 February 2009, IPS: Climaste Change - New Thinking to Tackle Old Problems

26 February, All Africa: Africa: Global Food Crisis - Ecological Agriculture is Productive

26 January 2009, OneWorld.net: Bold steps urged for Madrid food summit

22 January 2009, All-Africa: Subsidies That Work and Africa: Agricultural Knowledge

20 January 2009, Chicago Tribune: Agriculture does not need 'business as usual'

15. January 2009, Brazzil-Magazin:There's No Place for Brazil's Ethanol and Biofuels in a Real Green World
An open letter by various US organisations opposing the expansion of agrofuels

13. January 2009 European Parliament: Resolution on the Common Agricultural Policy and Global Food Security
" having regard to the recommendations of the International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD)"

12. January 2009, Citizen-Time: Family Farmers demand real change
By Ben Burkett, president of the National Family Farm Coalition, NFFC, USA

2 January 2009, Lancaster Farming: Rodale Calls for ‘Organic Green Revolution’

31 December 2009, PAN: Hope for the New Year - 2008 Highlights

27. November, Nature, Ediotrial: A fruitless campaign
on "Freedom to Innovate: Biotechnology in Africa's Development"

5. November, Truth About Trade & Technology: Why the IAASTD failed

31. October, Foreign Policy in Focus: The Food Crisis and Gender

9. October, The Jordan Times, Traditional Agricultural Methods No Longer Useful

7. October, UNCTAD, Statements by Supachai Panitchpakdi, Secretary-General of UNCTAD

23. September, Guardian, When the going gets tough

3. September, Science Alert, Australia: Tackling the global food challenge

1. September 2008, Organic Market: Organic agriculture for food security in Africa, IFOAM on the African Green Revolution Conference

28 August, New UK Food Group report: More Aid for African Agriculture: policy implications for small-scale farmers
A comprehensive analysis of the situation, including an overview on all major players and a great stock of evidence and background materials

28 August, New Statesman, Both Sides are probably wrong by John Vidal

13 August 2008, New Scientist: Why Prince Charles is right – and wrong on GM comment by Andrew Coghlan

8 August, Asia Times: Food crisis sows seed for change by Alexandra Spieldoch

July 2008, INRA magazine: Penser la recherche agronomique au niveau mondial
L’IAASTD relève un bilan contrasté de l’évolution de l’agriculture au cours des 50 dernières années : la production alimentaire a plus que doublé, mais l’écart de rendement entre les régions s’est accru et l’agriculture intensive en intrants chimiques et énergie est aujourd’hui jugée peu durable.

Jun/Jul 2008, ECOS: Redefining our agricultural future by Wendy Pyper

3-5 June: FAO High-Level Conference on World Food Security, website     final declaration
       5 June 2008: Olivier De Schutter (UN envoy on the right to food) at the FAO food conference: The Right to Food

22 May 2008, GRIST: Farm and function Agriculture produces more than just crops -- and it's time for policy to reflect that, by IAASTD author, Prof.Thomas L. Dobbs

20 May 2008, Rodale Institute: Groundbreaking report offers holistic remedies for famine relief and environmental protection in developing countries

12 May 2008: Change in agriculture can meet food needs: IAASTD

8 May 2008, AP: Overlooked in the global food crisis: A problem with dirt

7 May 2008, Interpress: Southern Africa: Small Can Be Beautiful

30 April 2008, Robert Watson in the Guardian: Growth factors

Global Knowledge No 1 2008: Rethinking Agriculture

25. April, The Australian: Global crisis on our plate

18. April, Science: Agriculture at a Crossroads
by IAASTD authors E. Toby Kiers, Roger R. B. Leakey, Anne-Marie Izac, Jack A. Heinemann, Erika Rosenthal, Dev Nathan, Janice Jiggins

16 April 2008, New York Times: U.N. Panel Urges Changes to Feed Poor While Saving Environment
16 April 2008, Germany: Deutsches Umweltministerium begrüßt Bericht des Weltagrarrates

15. April:
Reuters: Free food trade threatens environment, poor: report
Al Jazeera, Video: Rethinking food crisis solutions
Guardian: UN body urges agriculture reforms to stave off food crisis
Inter Press Service: Reinventing Agriculture
The EastAfrican: UN scientists say industrial agriculture has failed
Agence France Press: Farm practices must change to counter high food prices
Inquirer Philippines: World must reform agriculture now or face dire crisis
Le Monde: Des experts appellent à repenser l'agriculture de demain
Der Spiegel: Experten fordern radikale Umkehr der Agrarpolitik
BBC: Global food system 'must change'

African Energy News Review, 13. April 2008: UN biofuel warning, call for return to traditional farming

Farmers Guardian UK, 11. April 2008: Report into global food production may draw flak from both sides of GM debate

Inter Press Service, 9 April: "A Collective Ignorance About How Agriculture Interacts With Natural Systems" Interview with UNEP Director Achim Steiner

The Hindu, 9 April 2008: Agri-practices failed to alleviate food situation: UN report

Trading Markets: 8 April 2008: Agri-Practices Failed To Alleviate Food Situation: Un Report

UN News Centre, 7 April 2008: Agriculture must revert to more natural, local production – UN-backed report

The Bioscience Resource Project, 7. April: How the Science Media Failed the IAASTD

Inter Press Service, 6 april 2008: Towards a New and Improved Green Revolution

Op ed by Hans Herren, co-chair: Investing in Sustenance

Op ed by Jan van Aken, Greenpeace: Defining the Future of Agriculture

New Scientist, 5 April 2008:
Andy Coghlan (editor): How to kickstart an agricultural revolution
Comment by Deborah Keith (Syngenta): Why I had to walk out
Comment by Janice Jiggins: Bridging gulfs to feed the world

Science, 14 March 2008: Duelling visions for a hungry world
AAAS 16. Feburary 2008: Bob Watson gets AAAS award

German: Die Zeit 04. April 2008:Das Weltsättigungsprojekt

Third World Network: IAASTD draft proposes significant changes to status quo

January 2008: Monsanto, Syngenta withdraw from IAASTD
Claiming that the final report of the IAASTD was "unbalanced" and not sufficiently supportive of the use of genetic engineering in agriculture two major Agro-chemical and biotech companies Monsanto and Syngenta have withdrawn from the process. It appears that they did not like the results and findings of the about 4000 scientsts involved and prefer to ignore the advice of the lead scientists, which they have jointly selected with governments and non governmental organisations three years ago.
Guardian, 22 January: Biotech companies desert international agriculture project
Nature 17 January 2008, Editorial: Deserting the hungry? Monsanto and Syngenta are wrong to withdraw from an international assessment on agriculture.

December 2007: Watson interviews on key issues of IAASTD on you tube

19 October 2007: The World Bank's World Development Report 2008 - Focus on agriculture
On October 19th the World Bank officially released the final version of its "World Development Report 2008: Agriculture for Development" with a focus on agriculture. In clear contrast to the present drafts of the IAASTD this report promotes top-down approaches, increased world trade in agricultural goods and "modernisiation" of agriculture at the expense of small and subsistence farmers. The present draft contains a highly ideological praise of genetic engineering (Chapter 7 Innovating through science and technology). At this point the World Bank seems deeply concerned about a quite different view to be presented in a report, which has higher credibility and is based upon more inclusiveness and scientific evidence. The final text of the WDR and some background is available on the World Banks website