The 5th Technical Committee Meeting (TC) of UNAPCAEM & Regional Expert Group Meeting on Application of Agricultural Machinery for Sustainable Agriculture in the Asia-Pacific Region

Environmentally Efficient Machinery for Sustainable Agriculture in Asia and the Pacific: Challenges and Prospects
and
Regional Expert Group Meeting on Application of Agricultural Machinery for Sustainable Agriculture^[1] in the Asia-Pacific Region

 14-16 October, 2009
Los Baños, Philippines

Organized and co-hosted by:
United Nations Asian and Pacific Centre for Agricultural Engineering and Machinery (UNAPCAEM), and the University of the Philippines, Los Baños College

I . Background

In many parts of the world most farmers and rural populations are relatively disadvantaged and lack adequate opportunities to exchange information and learn about, test, adapt and replicate environmentally and socially appropriate approaches that would improve their livelihoods and achieve sustainable agriculture and rural development. Agriculture continues to be the main livelihood of the poor, providing employment for 60 per cent of the working population in Asia and the Pacific. If future economic development is to be sustainable and inclusive, significant investments are required by governments to promote the development of pro-poor sustainable agricultural systems.

Currently, farmers are being asked to produce more crops at lower prices by the food industry. This requires major investments in machinery which has squeezed out many small scale operators. The result is a loss of farming capacities in the region, with many farmers no longer able to afford to raise crops, thus threatening their livelihood and food security.

Increased government support of research into sustainable agriculture is an important building block for regional food security. Significant technological improvements in food production are going to be required if the growing needs of the Asia Pacific region are to be met. Climate change is projected to make significant changes to the conditions for growing crops around the region, and adaptive technologies will be essential for mitigating the worst of these impacts.

In the area of agricultural machinery, adaptive technology has been applied to address occupational safety and health concerns of farmers who operate agricultural machinery. However, much work needs to be done. Agriculture is one of the most hazardous occupations worldwide, with the fatal accident rate in agriculture more than double the average for all other industries. Region-wide safety standards and guidelines on the production and operation of agricultural machines are seen as imperative.

Asia has become a big player in the world arena of agricultural machinery manufacture. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), 30.48 per cent of the tractors sold worldwide in 2004 were produced in Asia, with India topping the list. India supplied as much as one third of all farm tractors in the world. This development momentum is expected to accrue even more growth potential in the future. With the afore-mentioned in mind, steps have been taken.

For example, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has standards for tractors. The OECD Tractor Codes are open to countries which are Members of the OECD, as well as to other countries. To date, 29 countries adhere to them including 4 non OECD Members: China, India, the Russian Federation and Serbia. Each National Authority designated for implementing the Codes can perform tractor tests according to the common harmonised procedures, and then submit results to OECD for approval.

The testing relates to tractor performance characteristics; protective structures ("dynamic test", "static test", "telehandlers" and "falling objects"; for narrow-track wheeled tractors ("front-mounted" or "rear-mounted" structures) and for tracklaying tractors; noise measurement at the driver's position. Since the Codes were established in 1959, more than 2 000 tractor models were tested for their performance characteristics, 10 000 variants of tractors were tested for noise measurement at the driving position or for the driver's protection in case of tractor roll-over. By testifying the quality of the traded material, the approvals granted by the OECD facilitate the international trade ^[2].

In each country, the national stations in charge of tractor testing follow the rules and procedures of the OECD Codes for performing their tests. These rules are regularly discussed and updated. The results of approved tests are published and used by tractor manufacturers, sellers and users.

Another is example is the European Network for Testing of Agricultural Machines (ENTAM). ENTAM is a network among the official testing stations belonging to European countries that have signed an Agreement providing common activities with the aim of establishing and recognizing tests carried out on performance and safety. The purpose of ENTAM is to promote the cooperation of its members to optimize activities, to avoid duplication of work and costs by testing machinery in different countries, to obtain more neutral test results, to make better use of test rigs and test implements by testing only certain machinery at certain designated testing stations, and to provide independent information/better service to manufacturers, farmers and dealers.

Regionally, in regard to the above, a Roundtable Forum for the Regional Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers/Distributors Associations was held in Seoul, Republic of Korea, with an aim to promote synergy in the Asia-Pacific region in the application of uniform testing procedures and safety standards of agricultural machinery. Establishing a regional network for testing agricultural machinery, Asia-Pacific Network for Testing Agricultural Machinery (ANTAM), was proposed.

Time for a more holistic regionally specific network

While framed on the previous efforts from Europe, ANTAM has yet to be realized as the conditions for such a network do not adequately address regional constraints such as land-holding size, is not pro-poor, and do not address agricultural and environmental sustainability. Today, a small window of opportunity exists to transform previous piecemeal efforts that only address a narrow range of safety issues to a comprehensive network that addresses farmer safety, livelihood, food security and the global threat of climate change in which current agricultural practices greatly contribute to.

To achieve such a network calls for international instruments that aid in filling the gaps in the realization of environmentally and socially appropriate approaches that would improve agricultural livelihoods and achieve sustainable agriculture and rural development.

In response to farmer, rural community needs, and environmental concerns, the concept of Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development (SARD), was developed and first presented at the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation’s/Netherlands Den Bosch Conference in April 1991. It was subsequently refined and ratified by FAO’s 160 governments in November 1991 and then elaborated as one of 40 programmes of action or “Chapters” of "Agenda 21”, the Action Plan for Sustainable Development adopted by the UN Conference on Environment and Development in Rio in June 1992. This programme became known as Chapter 14 of Agenda 21 and was endorsed by 178 governments.

The concept of SARD attempted to meet the challenge of sustainably feeding a growing global population, at a time when conventional or modern agricultural practices were degrading natural resources. In 1988, the FAO Council defined sustainable development as: the management and conservation of the natural resource base, and the orientation of technological and institutional change in such a manner as to ensure the attainment and continued satisfaction of human needs for present and future generations. Such development conserves land, water, plant genetic resources, is environmentally non-degrading, technologically appropriate, economically viable and socially acceptable ^[3].

The objective of SARD was to increase food production in a sustainable way and enhance food security. This will involve education initiatives, utilization of economic incentives and the development of appropriate and new technologies, thus ensuring stable supplies of nutritionally adequate food, access to those supplies by vulnerable groups, and production for markets; employment and income generation to alleviate poverty; and natural resource management and environmental protection.

International instruments such as SARD can provide a foundation to the development of a more holistic approach in meeting the needs of an agricultural sector that is under threat. Occupational safety and health; functional performance, agricultural sustainability that follows the concept of sustainable agriculture, and addressing additional impacts of agricultural machinery not only on agriculture, but the environment need to synergized to meet Asia and Pacific needs.

II. Why Target Asia and the Pacific?

 The Asia-Pacific is a vast and very diverse region, home to the largest number of food insecure people in the world. More than 64 percent of the worlds’ undernourished adults and children live here and every year 1.9 million children under the age of 5 die of malnutrition. A number of trends will only increase our food insecurity over time. Our region’s population continues to increase, while the growth rate for food productivity is declining. At some point the demand will start to exceed the supply, exacerbating a food crisis that continues to threaten the region.

Over the short term, our region’s biggest challenge is improving poor people’s access to food. Without income, poor people cannot purchase enough food to meet even their basic health needs. Without access to land, poor people cannot grow their own food.

Given the above realities, it is clear that an effective and holistic regional testing mechanism be developed to safeguard farmers, rural communities, and the environment to stave off further food crises, and take substantive steps to mitigate agriculture’s contribution to climate change.

III. Objective

 The objective of the meetings is to discuss how to establish an effective and holistic regional mechanism to promote the agricultural machinery development through technology transfer and capacity building that not only addresses occupational safety and health issues, but also contributes to sustainable agriculture, inclusive and pro-poor development, and mitigates agriculture’s contribution to feeding climate change.

IV. Contributors and Contents

1. Speakers and Participants
About 30 participants will join the 5th TC from 13 countries around the region including government officials, researchers and other key stakeholders, as well as representatives from UNIDO, ADB, IRRI, and experts from AIT and University of South Australia.

2. Activities

• TC Meeting: Environmentally Efficient Machinery for Sustainable Agriculture in Asia and the Pacific: Challenges and Prospects, (14-15 October)
• Expert Group Meeting (EGM) on Application of Agricultural Machinery for Sustainable Agriculture in the Asia-Pacific Region (16 October)
• Introduction of the Study Report on Development of Agricultural Machinery in the Asia-Pacific Region
• Presentation on the Feasibility Study on the Establishment of Asia-Pacific Network for Testing Agricultural Machinery
• Presentation on country needs assessment and policy recommendations
• Discussions and Field Trip
• Presentation of summary report by UNAPCAEM

V. Outcomes

• The TC will provide substantive inputs and technical support toward addressing agricultural machinery development for sustainable agriculture through technology transfer and capacity building; the outputs will guide UNAPCAEM’s future work.
• The EGM will brainstorm on the Study Report on Development of Agricultural Machinery in the Asia-Pacific Region, which contains the overall social and economic and agricultural development in the region, country needs assessment, feasibility study on the proposed establishment of an Asia-Pacific Network for Testing Agricultural Machinery, and policy recommendations. The study report will be available by the end of 2009.

For more information please contact:

UNESCAP
Ms. Ai Yuxin
Senior Expert, UNAPCAEM
A-7/F, China International Science and Technology Convention Centre
No. 12. Yumin Road, Chaoyang District
Beijing 100029, P.R. China
Tel: (86-10) 82253581
Fax: (86-10) 82253584
Email: info@unapcaem.org