The chapter on sustainable agriculture reflects growing concern regarding sustainable agriculture in light of the link between environmental degradation and the problems of hunger, oversupply and trade and price supports. The chapter represents a comprehensive integration of criteria for environmentally sound management practices in all aspects of food and fiber production. Most of the bracketed paragraphs addressed finance and four paragraphs contained the phrase "people under occupation." Both of these issues were resolved in separate consultations (see Chapter 1 and Chapter 33). The one remaining bracketed paragraph dealt with plant genetic resources. The US was not prepared to lift the brackets in paragraph 14.57(d) that read: "To take appropriate measures for [the fair and equitable] sharing of benefits and results of research and development in plant breeding between sources and users of plant genetic resources." The US maintained that the language in brackets should read "mutually agreed". Koh referred this paragraph to the contact group on Biodiversity and Biotechnology. The US finally agreed to lift the brackets and leave the text as is.
The 12 programme areas in this chapter include: agricultural policy review; ensuring people's participation; improving farm production and farming systems; land-resource planning information and education; land conservation and rehabilitation; water for sustainable food production and rural development; conservation and sustainable utilization of plant genetic resources; conservation and sustainable utilization of animal genetic resources; integrated pest management; sustainable plant nutrition; rural energy transition; and evaluation of the effects of ozone depletion on plants and animals.
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