Press Release No. G/42/00
11 October 2000

BANGKOK (United Nations Information Services)--- Although market-oriented policies created new opportunities for many, they also prove environmentally unsustainable, particularly with regard to intensive, high input agriculture, said Mr. Kim Hak-Su, Executive Secretary of ESCAP.

Mr Kim made this remark in a statement to the Regional Workshop on Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and Green Farming in Rural Poverty Alleviation organized by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) in Su-won, Republic of Korea from today until 14 October 2000.

Poverty alleviation has been one of the major areas of ESCAP activities. “With more than 75 percent of the world’s poor concentrated mainly in the rural areas of Asia and the Pacific, the problem has become a particularly pressing one,” said Mr Kim.

He said that new approaches were called for, not only to make economies more market-friendly, but also to make them environment friendly to the poor. Modernized agricultural production was required to be labour-intensive, less dependent on costly farm inputs and more responsive to the market. Sustainable use of agro-chemicals and organic farming appeared to fulfill these criteria and, he suggested that adequate attention be given to this aspect in future poverty alleviation strategies.

“Green Revolution” in the developing countries of the Asia and Pacific region during the past decades had enormously augmented food supply.

Agro-chemicals (pesticides and chemical fertilizers), high yielding seed varieties and intensive agricultural practices were the principal factors in promoting the green revolutions. Agro-chemicals application was encouraged through subsidies, tax incentives and agricultural extension programmes leading to increased outputs and was adopted as the quickest path to food self-sufficiency.

However, increased application of agro-chemicals, also polluted the rural environment with persistent chemicals harmful to human health, to natural eco-systems and to the sustainability of agricultural development. Thus introduction of new approach became imperative and the Integrated Pest Management(IPM) was introduced and propagated as one of the valuable alternatives.

With financial support from the Government of the Republic of Korea, the main objectives of the Workshop are to a) review the current status and future prospects of agro-pesticides utilization and their environment impacts, b) identify socio-economic impacts of IPM and green farming in rural poverty alleviation, c) provide an analytical basis for formulating government policies and d) identify priority project activities for follow-up work.

About 25 participants from Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, People’s Republic of China, Fiji, Indonesia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, the Republic of Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Viet Nam as well as representatives from other international organizations and developed countries are attending the Workshop.