20 June 2002: The International Conference on Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development in Mountain Regions (SARD-M2002) was held from 16-20 June 2002 at the Kirchgemeindehaus, Adelboden, Switzerland.

The conference was organized by the Swiss Federal Office for Agriculture, in conjunction with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Over 200 participants attended the meeting, including government ministers and other senior officials, as well as representatives of different local populations, academic and research institutions, intergovernmental organizations, business and industry, non-governmental organizations, 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 of SARD in mountain regions.

Participants heard keynote speeches, and engaged in panel and audience discussions to consider cross cutting themes in SARD. Participants then divided into eight working groups to study specific local initiatives and programmes, highlight lessons learned, define specific priorities for action, and formulate concrete recommendations. The recommendations flowing from the working groups formed the basis for the Adelboden Declaration on SARD Mountains.

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 catalyze further implementation of Agenda 21.

The IISD RS Sustainable Developments report outlining these discussions in detail can be found at: http://enb.iisd.org/linkages/sd/mountains/sard/