EcoAgriculture President and CEO Sara Scherr underscores the need to align the research and development agendas for sustainable agriculture in landscapes at IFPRI Policy Seminar.
On February 28th, EcoAgriculture Partners President Sara Scherr presented at an IFPRI Policy Seminar on Managing Natural Resources for Sustainable Production Systems. The seminar focused specifically on how the sustainable agriculture research community can better establish an effective research agenda. Also presenting at the seminar were Karen Macours, Chair of the Standing Panel on Impact Assessment of the ISPC, and James Stevenson, Agricultural Research Officer (CGIAR).
One of three keynote presenters, Sara emphasized the need for a research agenda for sustainable agriculture that is as ambitious as the vision for sustainable agriculture held among advocates and stakeholders. Previous agricultural research has traditionally been very siloed, but as the discourse surrounding sustainable agriculture becomes more integrated and intersectional, there is a tremendous opportunity for the development and research agendas to align so that agricultural landscapes produce food as well as ecosystem services. This alignment is essential for the future of sustainable agriculture globally, with a central challenge being identifying successful strategies for sustainable agricultural intensification while maintaining genetic biodiversity. Sara says achieving this feat requires an integrated approach, where the research community, stakeholders in the landscape, and landscapes investors form multi-stakeholder platforms to better negotiate intersecting priorities for agricultural landscapes.
Watch Sara’s full presentation below: