Rio+20 summit coordinator pushing to focus event on agriculture to inject new energy, help address other issues such as land use, biodiversity, energy, water

Andrew Rogers

LOS ANGELES , September 2, 2011 (Industry Intelligence) – Rio+20 global development summit coordinator Brice Lalonde is pushing to take a strong focus on agriculture to try to inject new energy into the event, the Guardian reported Sept. 2.

The departure from UN tradition could be controversial but Lalonde believes the focus would be more effective than the traditional list of aspirations in encouraging countries to meet goals that are clearly defined.

Agriculture is a major concern in a year of famine and increasing global food prices, and Lolonde argues that the subject would help people concentrate on the summit. He also believes that agriculture cannot be worked on in isolation, as countries would have to make progress on other development goals.

Focusing on an overarching topic like agriculture would allow countries to work on it in conjunction with other goals including land use, biodiversity, women’s empowerment, energy, and water, according to Lalonde.

Other people attending the summit want to focus on issues such as energy, women’s empowerment, and social justice, despite Lalonde’s desire to focus on agriculture.

Lalonde believes that the best strategy would be to encourage an agricultural revolution that incorporates technological advances.

The primary source of this article is the Guardian, London, England, on Sept. 2, 2011.

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