Agricultural Technology for Sustainable Development

A/RES/70/198View PDF

Who created this mandate?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 20Sustainable development, published in 2015.

What other versions does this mandate have?

6 versions · 2016–2025

This is an older version — the most recent is A/RES/80/133

2025A/RES/80/133Agricultural technology for sustainable developmentLatestCompare with previous version
2023A/RES/78/144Agricultural technology for sustainable developmentCompare with previous version
2022A/RES/76/200Agricultural technology for sustainable developmentCompare with previous version
2020A/RES/74/215Agricultural technology for sustainable developmentCompare with previous version
2018A/RES/72/215Agricultural technology for sustainable developmentCompare with previous version

Versions are identified automatically by matching titles within the same organ (~97% accuracy on a manual audit).

What subjects does this mandate have?

6 topics

Agricultural Development Agricultural Engineering Agricultural Research Information Exchange Sustainable Agriculture Technology Transfer

Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

1 report of the Secretary-General submitted under this mandate, 2017.

2017A/72/216Agricultural technology for sustainable development report of the Secretary-General

Identified automatically from the metadata in each report’s UN Digital Library catalogue record.

What does this mandate say?

16 operative paragraphs

Welcomes the report of the Secretary-General;

Urges Member States, relevant United Nations organizations and other stakeholders to strengthen efforts to improve the development of sustainable agricultural technologies and their transfer and dissemination under mutually agreed terms to developing countries, especially the least developed countries, in particular at the bilateral and regional levels, and to support national efforts to foster the utilization of local know-how and agricultural technologies, promote agricultural technology research and access to knowledge and information through suitable communication for development strategies and enable rural women, as well as men and youth, to increase sustainable agricultural productivity, reduce post-harvest losses and enhance food and nutritional security;

Encourages international, regional and national efforts to strengthen capacity in developing countries, especially that of smallholder and family farmers, in particular rural women and youth, in order to enhance the productivity and nutritional quality of food crops and animal products, promote sustainable practices in pre-harvest and post-harvest agricultural activities and enhance food security and nutrition-related programmes and policies that take into consideration the specific needs of women, young children and youth, with particular attention to securing the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour;

Calls upon Member States and relevant United Nations organizations and other stakeholders to mainstream gender perspectives into agricultural policies and projects and to focus on closing the gender gap by, inter alia, encouraging gender-balanced investments, in order to achieve equal access for women to labour-saving technologies and agricultural technology information and know-how, equipment, decision-making forums and associated agricultural resources to ensure that agriculture, food security and nutrition-related programmes and policies take into consideration the specific needs of women and the barriers that women face in accessing agricultural inputs and resources;

Encourages Governments to develop and implement youth-focused agricultural development projects and programmes, including through training, education, financial inclusion services, including microcredit services, and capacity-building, including with regard to innovation, in association with the private sector, in order to stimulate the interest and the involvement of youth in agriculture;

Acknowledges the need to revitalize the agricultural sector, promote rural development and ensure food security, notably in developing countries, in a sustainable manner, reaffirms the commitment to supporting sustainable agriculture, forestry, fisheries and pastoralism and to taking action to fight hunger and malnutrition among the urban poor, recognizes the enormous investment needs in those areas, and encourages increased public and private investments;

Invites Governments and international organizations, in collaboration with cooperatives and cooperative organizations, to promote, as appropriate, consistent with the rules of the World Trade Organization, the growth of agricultural cooperatives through easy access to affordable finance, the adoption of sustainable production techniques, investment in rural infrastructure and irrigation, strengthened marketing mechanisms, access to appropriate risk management instruments and support for the participation of women and youth in economic activities;

Underlines the importance of supporting and advancing research in improving and diversifying crop varieties and seed systems, as well as supporting the establishment of sustainable agricultural systems and management practices, such as conservation agriculture, animal disease control and integrated pest management, in order to make agriculture more resilient and, in particular, to make crops and farm animals more tolerant to diseases, pests and environmental stresses, including drought and climate change, in accordance with national regulations and relevant international agreements;

Stresses the need to significantly reduce pre-harvest, post-harvest and other food losses and waste throughout the food supply chain through, inter alia, improved production planning, the promotion of resource-efficient production and processing practices, improved preservation and packing technologies, improved transportation and logistics management and enhanced awareness of purchasing and consumption habits, to help all actors in the value chain to enjoy greater benefits;

Underlines the importance of the sustainable use and management of water resources to increase and ensure agricultural productivity, and calls for further efforts to develop and strengthen irrigation facilities and water-saving technology;

Encourages Member States, civil society and public and private institutions to develop partnerships to support financial and market services, including training, capacity-building, infrastructure and extension services, and calls for further efforts by all stakeholders to include smallholder farmers, in particular rural women and youth, in planning and taking decisions about making appropriate sustainable agricultural technologies and practices accessible and affordable to them;

Recognizes the potential of information and communications technology as a tool for improving agricultural productivity, practices and smallholder livelihoods, strengthening agricultural markets and institutions, improving agricultural services, empowering farmer communities and connecting farmers in developing countries to regional and global agricultural markets, and stresses the need to ensure the access of women and youth to information and communication technology, especially in rural areas;

Calls upon Member States to include sustainable agricultural development as an integral part of their national policies and strategies, notes the positive impact that North-South, South-South and triangular cooperation can have in this regard, and urges the relevant bodies of the United Nations system to include elements of agricultural technology, research and development in efforts to realize the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, with a focus on the research and development of technology that is affordable, durable and sustainable and that can be easily used by and disseminated to smallholder farmers, in particular rural women;

Requests relevant United Nations organizations, including the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the International Fund for Agricultural Development, to promote, support and facilitate the exchange of experience among Member States through, inter alia, guidance and other public goods related to ways to augment sustainable agriculture and management practices, such as conservation agriculture, and to increase the adaptive capacity of agriculture and the use of agricultural technologies that support more sustainable food systems and have a positive impact on the entire value chain, including technology for post-harvest crop storage, processing, handling and transportation, including in pressing environmental circumstances;

Underlines the instrumental role of agricultural technology, agricultural research and technology transfer on mutually agreed terms and the sharing of knowledge and practices in furthering sustainable development and in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, calls, therefore, upon Member States and encourages relevant international bodies to support sustainable agricultural research and development, and in this regard calls for continued support to the international agricultural research system, including the Consortium of International Agricultural Research Centers and other relevant international organizations and initiatives;

Requests the Secretary-General to submit to the General Assembly at its seventy-second session a report on the implementation of the present resolution, and decides to include the item entitled “Sustainable development” in the provisional agenda of its seventy-second session, unless otherwise agreed in the discussions on the revitalization of the Second Committee.

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What does this mandate say?

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