Biomass civilization: the future for rural development?

Rural areas could lead to a new paradigm of sustainable development for the planet, says Ignasi Sachs, Polish sociologist, best known for his theories of ecodevelopment.

In a recent visit to the ICARRD Secretariat in Rome, Sachs said that the Conference presents opportunities to promote a 'new cycle of rural development', centred on small-holders, as part of the quest to tackle the present trends of climate change and massive urbanization.

Finding ways to do this is the crucial question of the XXI century,
according to Sachs, who believes that the ICARRD conference should provide some answers. To listen to his ideas, just click on the audio-files.

Transcribed below, some excerpts of the interview carried out in September
2005, in the FAO headquarters, in Rome.

"Almost half of humanity is composed by small peasants and their families.To believe that they can be all brought to shanty towns and that the future belongs to total urbanization is to me non sense. We have to think about a new cycle of rural development centred on the improvement of life of small holders."

"....In order to revert the present trend of climate change, we must move from the oil-based civilization to a biomass civilization. Biomass civilization means more rural production. Bio mass is food, it's feed, it's green fertilizers, it's bio energy, it's industrial feedstock, it's pharmacy and cosmetics. It's a whole world that opens and with the progress of biotechnology we can on one hand increase productivity and one the other hand open a range of products derived from it... So, I believe in a future of a modern biomass-based civilization which will reduce our dependence on fossil fuels...We shall become less and less dependent on explosive geopolitics of oil. And bio fuels appear as an important part of this rural development strategy, as a new opportunity for rural development."

Duración: 1m 50s

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