Right to Food: “Agroecology outperforms large-scale industrial farming for global food security,” says UN expert

http://www.unog.ch/unog/website/news_media.nsf/(httpNewsByYear_en)/8658E9837171C014C125774A004F9ED2?OpenDocument

In the aforementioned article (first reported 22 June 2010), UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, Professor Olivier De Schutter "makes an airtight case for a global policy shift toward agroecological production."

"Along with 25 of the world’s most renowned experts on agroecology, the UN expert urged the international community to re-think current agricultural policies and build on the potential of agroecology."

"The widest study ever conducted on agroecological approaches (Jules Pretty, Professor of Environment and Society at the University of Essex, UK) covered 286 projects in 57 developing countries, representing a total surface of 37 million hectares: the average crop yield gain was 79%. Concrete examples of ‘agroecological success stories’ abound in Africa."

In a number of articles authored by Professor Pretty, he has made specific mention of permaculture as one of the design strategies and systems worthy of attention and consideration which utilizes the agroecological approach being endorsed.  In a piece titled "Can Ecological Agriculture Feed Nine Billion People?", he writes under the heading "What is Agricultural Sustainability?":

"What, then, do we now understand by agricultural sustainability? Many different approaches have emerged to advance greater sustainability over both pre-industrial and industrialized agricultural systems. These include biodynamic, community-based, ecoagriculture, ecological, environmentally sensitive, extensive, farm-fresh, free-range, low-input, organic, permaculture, sustainable, and wise-use."

http://monthlyreview.org/091123pretty.php

More writings from Professor Pretty referring to permaculture:

http://www.sustainablewoodstock.co.uk/Monthly%20Review%20(Pretty)%20Nov%2009.pdf

http://www.rsc.org/ebooks/archive/free/BK9780854042012/BK9780854042012-00001.pdf

http://www.rimisp.org/getdoc.php?docid=6440

To quote the famous 19th century French Romantic writer, Victor Marie Hugo:

"One resists the invasion of armies; one does not resist the invasion of ideas."