NationStates Jolt Archive

Pazu-Lenny Kasigi-Nero and the Love and esterel's UN team would like to introduce a new draft proposal: "Sustainable Agriculture Initiative".

Here is a first draft, we will be very grateful to any ambassador posting their remarks, suggestions and critics.

OOC: I got the idea to write something on this topic several months ago while reading a news about something I have never heard of before: "johads" and about a very succesful johads rain-harvesting system in several villages of Rajasthan (India) which helped to revive several rivers despite drought:
http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl1817/18170810.htm

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The United Nations,

-A- Affirming the importance of sustainable agriculture for our societies,

-B- Defining “Sustainable Agriculture” as a global agriculture achieving all of the three following goals:
- Sufficient and healthy food for population’s need
- Environmental stewardship
- Good living conditions and prosperity for peasants and farms

-C- Convinced that, in order to achieve these ambitious goals, the best of both traditional techniques and new technologies have to be used with a sensible, critical, secure and ethical approach:

-1- ESTABLISH the UNSARC « UN Sustainable Agriculture Resource Center » for the purpose of collecting, sharing, educating and studying sustainable agriculture techniques and experiences in member nations, via UNSARC national branches in interested nations and free internet resources and forums;

-2- PROMOTES by its UNSARC agency the following:
-2.1- Water-saving management systems such as drip irrigation (drop by drop) or surge irrigation (intermittent application of water),
-2.2- Traditional rain-harvesting systems such as reservoirs, tanks, wells or johads (small earthen check dams build across a slope that capture and conserve rainwater), their shading to decrease evaporation and collective projects to build them,
-2.3- Crop rotation practices and polyculture to decrease pests (insects, weeds, pathogens …) and soil depletion,
-2.4- Scientific researches for more-biodegradable and less toxic pesticides (insecticides, herbicides, bactericides …),
-2.5- The sensible use of pesticides for agriculture (as for road maintenance) along with small predators animals in order both to protect crops and avoid soil degradation,
-2.6- Land distribution to peasants, in particular in areas with labour intensive agriculture
-2.7- The suppression of animal carcass in livestock feeding;

-3- CHARGES the UNSARC with studying the safety and effects of artificial hybrid crops (the result of interbreeding between two varieties) and GM crops (Genetically modified crops) and with giving recommendations on this matter following the principles below:
-3.1- The tractability of GM crops and the labelling of genetically modified food,
-3.2- The need of security testing for new hybrid and GM crops; in particular those with an insect resistance trait,
-3.3- The encouragement of scientific researches for new safe hybrid and GM crops with a disease, drought, floods, heat or cold resistance traits or with added vitamin
-3.4- The refusal of sterile GM crops (so called terminator technology) in the wild,
-3.5- The awareness that hybrid and GM crops with an herbicide resistance trait may induce damageable over-use of herbicides,
-3.6- The need for hybrid and GM crops with an insect resistance trait for “refuges” (a 20% belt of non-hybrid or non-GM crops inside any hybrid or GM crop parcel).
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OOC: I like the conservation measures and think this can become a fine proposal. There's no way Felix would support something like this, so I'll probably respond in this thread OOC (or just use Yelda).
prejugés
Did you mean prejudice?

Ceorana would definitely appreciate something like this. I'm not an expert, but would something about suppressing forest depletion to make way for more inefficient farming be within its bounds?

Enrique Lopez
Ambassador to the United Nations

Mr Kasigi-Nero,

Firstly I would like to congratulate you on the birth of the twins and Midori and the babies are doing well.

Secondly having read this over it looks sensible but I have concerns about micromanagement of a nations farming systems.

Ms Yukiko Uehara,
Kirisuban Deputy Ambassador to the UN

Hmm, this would somewhat tread on my idea for an agriculture resolution following the repeal (hopefully) of Support Hemp Production...but that's no reason to oppose it.

I can't help think, though, that this proposal would be ruled illegal as is, for only setting up a committee, and further that it might be voted down for "glob of text" problems. I would be very interested to see how the GA treats its endorsement of GM crops.

~Rono Pyandran
Chief of Staff

A good proposal; it has our support. I can't see any gaping flaws in it.

Christelle Zyryanov,
Ambassador to the United Nations,
PDSRA

Ceorana would definitely appreciate something like this. I'm not an expert, but would something about suppressing forest depletion to make way for more inefficient farming be within its bounds?

Enrique Lopez
Ambassador to the United Nations

Ceorana would definitely appreciate something like this. I'm not an expert, but would something about suppressing forest depletion to make way for more inefficient farming be within its bounds?

Enrique Lopez
Ambassador to the United Nations

Thanks for your comment and your interesting suggestion, I don't yet how to write it as it seems to me there is already a resolution on this matter:
#66 Illegal Logging
http://www.nationstates.net/cgi-bin/index.cgi/page=UN_past_resolutions/start=65
but I will try to find something

What about:
-2.8- The mitigation of new cultivated area gained over forests

Did you mean prejudice?

Yes but maybe the word is useless I will drop it, thanks


I can't help think, though, that this proposal would be ruled illegal as is, for only setting up a committee, and further that it might be voted down for "glob of text" problems.

I donno if it's illegal, it doesn't seem to me, but if it is, we can change some of the promotes and recommendations into urges or even mandates


and further that it might be voted down for "glob of text" problems.
Secondly having read this over it looks sensible but I have concerns about micromanagement of a nations farming systems.

Thanks i have a similar concern , but I was thinking it's important to give directions to this agency with concret examples.

I don't see how #66 would get in the way, since it doesn't define "illegal".

Ellen Perionas
Director, Suboffice of Technical Legislative and Legal Matters, Ceorana UN Office

I don't see how #66 would get in the way, since it doesn't define "illegal".

Ellen Perionas
Director, Suboffice of Technical Legislative and Legal Matters, Ceorana UN Office

You right

I can't help think, though, that this proposal would be ruled illegal as is, for only setting up a committee,
I donno if it's illegal, it doesn't seem to me, but if it is, we can change some of the promotes and recommendations into urges or even mandates
I think it's legal, but just barely. "-2- PROMOTES by its UNSARC agency the following:" basically means the same as "URGES the following:". However, you might want to strengthen this or reword it a bit to show that you're doing more than just establishing a committee which will then make a set of recommendations.

and further that it might be voted down for "glob of text" problems.
Agreed. LAE, you need to break up the clauses to make it more readable.
-2-

-2.1-

-2.2-

etc.

Or use Roman numerals and (i), (ii),(iii) etc.

Also, you really don't need the -A-, -B-, -C- in the preamble.

Tarmsden would like to rise in full support of this draft. We have been consistent supporters of peasants and farmers, as well as intelligent agricultural practices. We commend the authors of this resolution for recognizing the long-term benefits of wise agriculture and urge nations to support it.

We feel that the clause about promoting -2.6- Land distribution to peasants, in particular in areas with labour intensive agriculture might be too much of an intrusion into nations' right to determine their own socioeconomic systems, although it wouldn't really affect any of the Godwinnian Commonwealth's members at all (because we've all moved past the labour-intensive stage of agriculture, except for the picking of various fruits by seasonal labour, and don't have 'peasants' any longer...), but find the proposal's general principles otherwise acceptable.

OOC: Catgeory? This had better not be another 'Environmental (All)' resolution...

I think it's legal, but just barely. "-2- PROMOTES by its UNSARC agency the following:" basically means the same as "URGES the following:". However, you might want to strengthen this or reword it a bit to show that you're doing more than just establishing a committee which will then make a set of recommendations.

Ok thanks, I donno yet on this matter, I will think about that


Agreed. LAE, you need to break up the clauses to make it more readable.
-2-

-2.1-

-2.2-

etc.



Ok great
Also, you really don't need the -A-, -B-, -C- in the preamble.

In fact I like -A-, -B-, -C-, it's just more clearer for me

We feel that the clause about promoting

-2.6- Land distribution to peasants, in particular in areas with labour intensive agriculture

might be too much of an intrusion into nations' right to determine their own socioeconomic systems, although it wouldn't really affect any of the Godwinnian Commonwealth's members at all (because we've all moved past the labour-intensive stage of agriculture, except for the picking of various fruits by seasonal labour, and don't have 'peasants' any longer...), but find the proposal's general principles otherwise acceptable.

-2.6- Is for us an important part of sustainable agriculture. I will take just an example to explain my position but there are many: the very thing that started Mikhail Gorbachev's wish to undertake some changes in the former USSR was the absolutly desastrous state of agriculture then, despite its great potential. There was countless errors (over use of pesticides, monoculture or irigation...) but for sure one of the main problem was that land was not in the hand of peasants and that they were not allowed to sell their products on markets.

OOC: Catgeory? This had better not be another 'Environmental (All)' resolution...

Good remark, "Environmental" is ok for me, but no pb if should be another one.

An interesting experience of bioinsecticide (biological insecticide):
http://www.eep.org/newsletters/newsletter100901.htm#ECOMANAGEMENT
(paragraph "Wholefood for mosquitoes")


Here is the new draft, I kept the "mild" tone, maybe I will try a first no-campaign-submision and decide later on this matter.
-----
The United Nations,

-A- Affirming the importance of sustainable agriculture for our societies,

-B- Defining “Sustainable Agriculture” as a global agriculture achieving all of the three following goals:
- Sufficient and healthy food for population’s need
- Environmental stewardship
- Good living conditions and prosperity for peasants and farms

-C- Convinced that, in order to achieve these ambitious goals, the best of both traditional techniques and new technologies have to be used with a sensible, critical, secure and ethical approach:


-1- ESTABLISH the UNSARC « UN Sustainable Agriculture Resource Center » for the purpose of collecting, sharing, educating and studying sustainable agriculture techniques and experiences in member nations, via UNSARC national branches in interested nations and free internet resources and forums;


-2- PROMOTES by its UNSARC agency the following:

-2.1- Water-saving management systems such as drip irrigation (drop by drop) or surge irrigation (intermittent application of water),

-2.2- Traditional rain-harvesting systems such as reservoirs, tanks, wells or johads (small earthen check dams build across a slope that capture and conserve rainwater), their shading to decrease evaporation and collective projects to build them,

-2.3- Crop rotation practices and polyculture to decrease pests (insects, weeds, pathogens …) and soil depletion,

-2.4- Scientific researches for more-biodegradable and less toxic pesticides (insecticides, herbicides, bactericides …) and ecological biological ones,

-2.5- The sensible use of pesticides for agriculture (as for road maintenance) along with small predators animals in order both to protect crops and avoid soil degradation,

-2.6- Land distribution to peasants, in particular in areas with labour intensive agriculture

-2.7- The suppression of animal carcass in livestock feeding;

-2.8- The mitigation of new cultivated areas gained over forests


-3- CHARGES the UNSARC with studying the safety and effects of artificial hybrid crops (the result of interbreeding between two varieties) and GM crops (Genetically modified crops) and with giving recommendations on this matter following the principles below:

-3.1- The tractability of GM crops and the labelling of genetically modified food,

-3.2- The need of security testing for new hybrid and GM crops; in particular those with an insect resistance trait,

-3.3- The encouragement of scientific researches for new safe hybrid and GM crops with a disease, drought, floods, heat or cold resistance traits or with added vitamin

-3.4- The refusal of sterile GM crops (so called terminator technology) in the wild,

-3.5- The awareness that hybrid and GM crops with an herbicide resistance trait may induce damageable over-use of herbicides,

-3.6- The need for hybrid and GM crops with an insect resistance trait for “refuges” (a 20% belt of non-hybrid or non-GM crops inside any hybrid or GM crop parcel),

-3.7- The even greater importance of Crop rotation practices and Polyculture whith hybrid and GM crops.
-----

As the « Sustainable Agriculture Center » proposal reached quorum, we would like to thanks the 126 delegates who approved it.



I don’t know if the following analysis is of interest to any one, but here it is:

Our proposal was very lucky as there were 2 others telegramming campaigns in the same time for 2 proposals which also reached quorum and also benefited from campaign of each others:
“Chemical Transport Standards” and « Repeal "Sexual Freedom"”
Just to give a number, in the previous submitions, without telegramming, « Sustainable Agriculture Center » get 40 to 50 approvals in 4 days. But this week it get 44 aprovals in 1 ½ even before the campaign begin (I begin the campaign 1 ½ after submition, for OOC reasons)

OOC: That is useful info that I'll include in the campaign history of this resolution. Congrats! :)

Do you plan to make a separate poll for the resolution when it hits the floor?

Congratulations. Norderia has prohibited GM foods, and many herbicides and pesticides, but we are not at all against the idea of improving the knowledge base of them, so that they might become safer and healthier, while continuing their volume growth for other nations who are not so inclined.

Well-written, L&E.

Congratulations, L&E.

Thanks for your comments

Congratulations. This proposal now, I think, makes the current queue the most intellectual filled queue I've seen in a long time. Several well thought out resolutions. I can't wait to read the lack of debate, because they are all common sense intitutively obvious to the casual observer type of resolutions. They are the things the UN was really meant for. WELL DONE!