Introduction

Of the world's 1.09 billion extremely poor people, about 74% or 810 million live in marginal areas and rely on small-scale agriculture for their livelihood. In most developing countries, agriculture continues to be the most important sector of the economy, accounting for the biggest proportion of employment and export earnings (Båge, 2005). As such, unless effective strategies for agriculture development are successfully implemented, ending rural poverty will remain a distant goal.

During the past few decades, the Green Revolution has brought about significant changes in the world's food production systems. It is recognized that while the Green Revolution has benefited better-off farmers in irrigated areas, it has by-passed the poor in marginal areas. Low-external input sustainable agriculture (LEISA) has long been viewed as an alternative for areas where the Green Revolution technologies are not feasible. More recently, one particular alternative that has gained interest is organic agriculture ¹, due to its commercial viability. Most farmers in marginal areas practice traditional agriculture methods using very little or no agrochemicals. By adopting organic agriculture (OA), which requires less financial inputs while placing more reliance on natural and human resources, farmers could move towards more sustainable agricultural practices (Scialabba, 2000). Improving the agricultural production system in marginal areas in a sustainable manner and providing market access for the poor hold the key to the mass reduction of poverty.

Recognizing that the needs of the world's poorest are multidimensional and recognizing the needs for people-centered, time-bound, measurable indicators to monitor effectiveness of poverty reduction efforts, the states of the United Nations has agreed to adopted the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to assess poverty reduction efforts. The MDGs is a set of eight goals derived from the various declarations and commitments adopted in conferences organized by the United Nations. The MDGs cover a diverse set of development outcomes, ranging from halving extreme poverty to protecting the environment and promoting a global partnership in development. Each goal has corresponding time-bound targets, most of which should be achieved by 2015 (Table 1 [ PDF 99.3KB | 3 pages ]). The MDGs have been universally accepted as a framework for measuring development progress, and have become a blueprint for development interventions adopted by UN member countries and all the world's leading development institutions -. At both the national and international levels, policymakers and donors are now evaluating development interventions and strategies in relation to their impacts on the MDGs, with a goal of achieving the targets by 2015.

Agriculture potential contribution to the MDGs has been widely recognized. More recently, international organizations such as the UN's Food and Agriculture Administration (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), and the World Bank, have produced a number of discussion papers on agriculture and the MDGs (See IFAD, 2005a; Rosegrant, et al., 2005; von Braun, et al., 2003). In this paper, we look specifically at how organic agriculture can contribute to the MDGs.

This paper reviews the existing literature on organic agriculture, poverty reduction and its linkages to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The paper aims at informing governments and donors of the potential impact of OA on the MDGs along with identifying the key gaps in the knowledge base on the linkages for each MDGs. Ultimately, the paper hopes to provide a starting point for developing a research agenda that can be used for policy formulation to support organic agriculture, particularly in marginal areas where majority of the poor reside.

This paper is organized into five parts. Following this introduction, Part II looks at the status of rural poverty in Asia and explores the factors behind the increasing interest in OA as an alternative strategy for poverty alleviation in marginal areas. Part III reviews the existing literature on the impact of OA and attempts to link these impacts to the MDGs. Based on this literature review, Part IV concludes.

Download this Discussion Paper [ PDF 296.7KB| 28 pages ].

Comment(s)

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1. Anthony Zola
   (posted 06 October 2006 / 10:00:45 AM)
   
   Aspects of this paper are based upon a recent international workshop in Bangkok. The workshop was excellent and the proceedings already make an important contribution to the existing literature. This document reflects only one aspect of the discussion, albeit a very important aspect, that of meeting the MDGs and how organic agriculture can contribute to that process.