The workshop on Adoption of Technologies for Sustainable Farming Systems, hosted by The Netherland’s Ministry of Agriculture, Nature Management and Fisheries, was held in Wageningen on 4-7 July 2000. The workshop drew together participants from agriculture and environment ministries and research institutes from OECD Member countries, the Commission of European Communities, FAO and the International Federation of Agricultural Producers. It formed an integral part of the OECD programme of work on agriculture and the environment under the auspices of the Joint Working Party on Agriculture and Environment. In addition to outlining directions for possible future work in this domain, the workshop offered an opportunity to share knowledge and experiences and, more specifically, to: − share country experiences and approaches in developing and encouraging the adoption of appropriate technologies for particular farming systems; in light of these experiences examine the efficacy of different policy approaches and instruments; − improve understanding of the sustainability of farming systems and technology, particularly in the context of future demand for food and other agricultural products; − show key trends in farming practices and structures, consumer tastes and agro-food industries and the effects they will have on sustainable farming; − look at the roles for governments and markets in stimulating adoption of appropriate technologies that can improve sustainability at the farm level; and − identify policy approaches for stimulating the adoption of technologies that can improve sustainability at the farm level. The workshop allowed for a great degree of interaction among the participants, especially in the smaller group sessions which addressed technologies and institutional arrangements, and their influence on the adoption of technologies at the farm level. Case studies prepared by countries formed the basis for discussion in these sessions. The last day of the workshop was devoted to a panel discussion covering all the different themes and was followed by a stocktaking of the lessons learned and discussion on the workshop conclusions.

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