International Conference on Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development
in Mountain Regions (SARD-M2002)
Adelboden, Switzerland, 16-20 June 2002
Summary Report
The International Conference on Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development in
Mountain Regions (SARD-M2002) was held from 16 to 20 June 2002 at Adelboden,
Switzerland. The conference was organised by the Swiss Federal Office for Agriculture, in
close collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO).
About 200 participants from 57 countries and 10 international organisations attended the
meeting, including government ministers and other senior officials, as well as
representatives of different local populations, academic and research institutions,
intergovernmental organisations, business and industry, non-governmental organisations,
and the media.
The conference aimed to promote mutual understanding, solidarity and information
sharing regarding the challenges and possibilities of sustainable agriculture and rural
development (SARD) in mountain regions. It sought to enhance networking and the creation
of strategic alliances between various stakeholders, as well as to provide a forum to
articulate concerns, share ideas and make recommendations for the future o f SARD in
mountain regions.
Agriculture in itself is not sufficient for sustaining mountain regions. In this respect the
question can be asked on how agricultural policies and regional policies should interact.
Mountain regions as well as the agricultural industry must find and develop their strategic
success angle, which would also enable them to sustain habitation in mountain regions. For
their part, the future of agriculture in mountain regions is also dependent on the socio economic development of mountain regions as a whole. Thanks to the multiple roles and
tasks of its agriculture, the socio-economic development of mountain regions can make a
considerable contribution to sustainable development of those regions in the sense that it
can help in seeking out market success for, and in contributing by donating direct and
indirect help to other economic and social partners.
The fact that mountain regions provide services way beyond their limits on the one
hand, and are increasingly exposed to global effects emanating from negative trade-offs or
climate change on the other, suggests that new alliances with lowland populations will have
to be forged, and compensation schemes for the positive externalities created.
The recommendations flowing from the working groups formed the basis for the
“Adelboden Declaration on SARD Mountains” adopted by consensus and for a list of
elements pointing to future work, to be further developed (Annex 1). The final part of the
Declaration, “SARD – Mountains: Combining SARD and Sustainable Mountain
Development • Strengthening International Progress”, supports the FAO SARD initiative
and the International Partnership on Sustainable Development in Mountain Regions; calls
for the establishment of an “Adelboden Group” on SARD in mountains; and invites countries
to promote the Adelboden Declaration at the WSSD, Bishkek Global Mountain Summit and
other regional and international venues.
The Declaration will be considered by the World Summit on Sustainable Development
(WSSD), Johannesburg, 26 August – 4 September 2002, and the Bishkek Global Mountain
Summit, Kyrgyzstan, 29 October – 1 November 2002, and is expected to promote and
catalyse further implementation of Agenda 21 strengthening linkages between Chapter 13
(Managing Fragile Ecosystems: Sustainable Mountain Development) and 14 (SARD).
Adelboden Declaration on SARD Mountains
Recalling “Agenda 21” adopted at the United Nations Conference on Environment and
Development (Rio de Janeiro, July 1992), and the recommendations of the UN Commission on
Sustainable Development relevant to “Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development”
(SARD),
Recalling the decisions of the UN General Assembly to designate 2002 as the “International
Year of Mountains”, and to convene the forthcoming “World Summit on Sustainable
Development” (WSSD) in Johannesburg (26 August - 4 September 2002), and of the Kyrgyz
Republic to host the “Bishkek Global Mountain Summit” (28 October – 1 November 2002),
Considering the particular importance of Chapter 14 (SARD) and Chapter 13 (Managing
Fragile Ecosystems: Sustainable Mountain Development) of “Agenda 21” for the livelihoods
of mountain people,
Considering the FAO “World Food Summit – five years later” (Rome, June 2002), whose
declaration calls for an International Alliance Against Hunger, and which organised a sideevent on sustainable mountain development,
The representatives of mountain people, major groups of civil society, governments and
international organizations, attending the SARD - Mountains 2002 Conference in Adelboden,
Switzerland, 16 – 20 June 2002, declare by consensus the following:
SARD as an overall approach for the mountains
Noting that, based on the experience since Rio, implementation of Chapter 14 (SARD) and
Chapter 13 (Mountains), is closely linked to many other “Agenda 21” chapters which cover
issues such as poverty, consumption, health, land, forests, desertification, biological diversity,
fresh water, local populations, local authorities, access to resources, role of trade, role of
farmers,
Noting therefore that to succeed, SARD in Mountains has to be pursued in a holistic, site specific, integrated and flexible approach, ensuring the active participation of mountain people
with all other stakeholders,
Noting that while agriculture plays a key role for the mountain people in many parts of the
world, sustainable livelihood systems and integrated rural development require diversification
into other economic activities,
Noting that all mountain areas and other fragile ecosystems face major challenges in the three
pillars of sustainability: economic, environmental and social, taking also into account the
political and cultural dimensions.
Disadvantages and potentials of mountain areas and their populations
Noting in particular that:

mountain areas and their populations are more exposed to poverty, hunger, social and
political marginalisation and conflicts, and are therefore generally behind in
development,

mountain agriculture has specificities and some inherent constraints due to geographical
isolation, difficult climatic conditions and fragile ecosystems rendering production,
marketing and development more difficult,

globalisation has often had negative effects on mountain areas, and that it is important to
reduce market distortions. Even if these distortions are removed, comparative
disadvantages still prevail in mountain areas which therefore require special attention,
Noting that, on the other hand, mountain areas offer certain comparative advantages and have
significant potentials and provide a wide range of goods and services to the rest of society, e.g.
in relation to biodiversity, landscape, water, risk prevention, specific products and culture,
Noting as a result the web of interdependencies between the mountain areas and the lowlands,
for example through migration and freshwater linkages,
The Adelboden Conference examined the challenges of SARD in mountains and the actions to
be undertaken more specifically under the four themes: the roles and tasks of agriculture, good
practices for SARD in mountains, access to resources and fair conditions of work
and calls on governments, inter-governmental organisations and other international
organisations, and major groups of civil society and other stakeholders to
develop and improve policies and actions.
To respond to the many challenges of SARD in mountains, appropriate and coherent policies,
instruments and programmes need to be developed and applied in a participatory way across
all domains, namely in the following fields:

political, legal and institutional environment: more attention and accountability to
mountain issues and specificities in particular through poverty alleviation, within the
context of existing local, national and international frameworks; the recognition of the
rights of local communities and individuals to their knowledge, natural resources and
technologies and to benefit sharing; community empowerment; property and succession
rights including appropriate land tenure and cadastral arrangements; rule of law, security,
political rights and democracy, decentralisation and on going local participation and good
governance; role, legal status and rights of indigenous and tribal people, women,
children, and vulnerable groups; decent work norms;

social and cultural environment: access to food, clean water and basic services, such
as population education, health, sanitation, housing, energy; fair working conditions, risk
management and reduction of vulnerability; preservation of culture; ability to organise
and associate, reduction of social exclusion; promotion of social safety nets and
protection of the weakest (children, old, sick, disabled and those affected by HIV,
especially in the developing world); consideration of assistance and support to develop
alternatives to illegal crops;

natural environment: combating deforestation, erosion, land degradation, loss of
biodiversity, all forms of disruption of water flows and retreat of glaciers; preparedness
for adverse effects of climate change and natural disasters, the use and strengthe ning of
early warning systems; sustainable watershed and forest management; soil and eco system restoration and enhancement;

economic environment: rural infrastructure; “substantial improvements in market
access; reductions of, with the view of phasing out, all forms of export subsidies; and
substantial reduction in trade distorting domestic support… and special and differential
treatment for developing countries”; market information and development; access to
credit and financial services; public and private investment; economic valuation and fair
compensation for environmental and other goods and services from mountains; promoting
and strengthening cooperatives and competitive organisations; all forms of sustainable
farming practices; diversification within and outside agriculture, niche markets, seeking
value addition at the primary level thereby contributing to higher income; consumer
information, norms and indicators of production, certification, labels of origin and
quality.

capacity-building and knowledge: research, training, technology transfer and extension;
farm and eco-system management; management of local organisations, in particular
farmers organisations and financial and technical support for these purposes; regional,
North-South and South-South alliances and exchanges of information and best practices;
income generation; capacity for policy elaboration and implementation.
To this effect, initiatives, actions and political decisions are necessary at the local, national,
sub-regional, regional and global levels (“principle of subsidiarity”). They require informed
participation and commitment, including own resources, at all levels based on the principles of
community driven approaches and equity in multi-stakeholder involvement.
It is urgent to implement concrete solutions to conflicts that affect so many people in mountain
areas.
A list of elements pointing to future work, to be further developed, identified in the
discussions of the conference, is reproduced in the annex.
SARD – Mountains: combining SARD and Sustainable Mountain Development •
strengthening international progress
Recognising that the challenges and progress in SARD in mountains depend on urgent action
at both the general level of SARD and Sustainable Mountain Development, we call on
interested countries and other partners to take the following initiatives:

to support the SARD Initiative and the International Partnership on Sustainable
Development in Mountain Regions being facilitated by FAO and to strengthen their
emphasis on SARD in mountains.

to establish an Adelboden Group on SARD in mountains as a platform for discussion
of policies and policy instruments, exchange of experience, and preparation of initiatives.
This group will include interested governments, FAO and other relevant international
organisations, stakeholder groups and NGOs,

to invite FAO, governments and other relevant organisations to make proposals for
follow-up in line with the recommendations of this declaration,

to invite the countries and stakeholders participating in the Adelboden Conference
to promote and incorporate the outcome of this Conference and its Declaration, at the
Johannesburg "World Summit on Sustainable Development” (WSSD), at the “Bishkek
Global Mountain Summit” and other international venues, as well as in local, regional
and national contexts.
Adopted in Adelboden, Switzerland on 20 June 2002