The FAO Asia Pacific Regional Conference was held in a hybrid format in March 2022. AFSA sits on the Steering Committee which organised the Civil Society Consultation in advance of the conference, which produced two excellent papers on agroecology and One Health.
Throughout the conference, within the theme of climate resilience civil society advocated for climate justice & rejection of Nature-based Solutions, REDD+, climate smart agriculture and multistakeholderism, calling instead for broader support for an agroecological transition and the end of industrial agriculture. Positively, the One Health theme highlighted a positive focus on ecosystem health in the revised definition of One Health – an approach to livestock farming that considers the health of humans, animals, and environment systemically. The theme of ‘inclusive digitalisation of agriculture’ was categorically rejected by civil society organisations.
The final Civil Society Statement reiterated our concerns and recommendations to the FAO and our national governments.