The ICARRD Conference closed on March 10th with the adoption of a Final Declaration. Photo: Ubirajara Machado

1.400 participants, representing government delegations from 92 countries, NGOs and civil society observers from more than 150 farmer and civil society organizations worldwide called for a new vision of rural development and agrarian reform that contributes to revitalize rural communities and thus reduce poverty and hunger in the planet.

The consensus-based principles emerged from ICARRD highlighted that:

• Agrarian reform and land policies for rural development are essential for social cohesion, conflict reduction, food security, poverty eradication, economic growth, and environmental rehabilitation.

• The wide diversity of agrarian reform, land policies and rural development situations calls for more exchange of experiences and locally-designed solutions and processes, rather than common guidelines and indicators of success.

• A number of fundamental rights should be better recognized in policies, institutional patterns and plans (e.g. land and natural resources, food sovereignty, women, indigenous peoples, pastoralists and vulnerable groups.

• Land and other natural resources are not only economic assets but also cultural, social and historical assets. Therefore, there is a need to address them in an integrated and territorial way through negotiation, dialogue and participatory approaches.

• Secure access to land and natural resources are essential but not sufficient to address poverty reduction. There is also a need for:
  • productive aspects – emphasis on role of family farming and other small-scale production system
  • non-agricultural livelihood strategies  - emphasis on employment & rural workers because they are often landless and the poorest of the poor
  • complement productive aspects with safety nets in marginalized areas
  • all support services, rural infrastructure and market access  to rural people
  • good governance for all of the above and for ALL actors (government, private sector, civil society).

For further information on the ICARRD outcomes, please read the
Final Conference Report.