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Hope from the Agriculture panel |
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A highlight for me of Monday May 5 was a series of comments made by Per Pinstrup-Andersen, previously the director of the International Food Policy Research Institute, and currently a professor of nutrition, public policy and economics at Cornell University. Mr. Pinstrup-Andersen was a panelist in the opening panel focusing on the Agriculture Thematic section of CSD-16. His opening statement was a profound and thoughtful exploration of the current belief that food security and environmental sustainability goals must be at odds with one another. He explained that many people often consider these two objectives to conflict with one another, especially considering that agriculture is the greatest human use of natural and environmental resources. He urged the delegation to reframe their understanding of these two goals as ones that inherently oppose one another, and instead suggested that both can only be achieved simultaneously—one cannot be attained at the expense of another. I was excited to hear this view expounded in the opening statements of the very first panel of this year’s CSD, and I hope that this message continues to permeate the conversations and interactions that take place over the next two weeks.
Another note of excitement: at the end of this panel, the panelists
were welcomed to make a final statement after having heard the remarks
and interventions of the delegates. Mr. Pinstrup-Andersen’s closing
response was that he feels hopeful for the future of agriculture after
hearing the commitments and goals of the member delegates. It is
exciting to hear such optimism, especially when talking about issues of
such grave import.
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