Policy Seminar Pilot Analysis of Global Ecosystems – AGROECOSYSTEMS International Food Policy Research Institute 2033 K Street, NW, Washington, DC Fourth Floor Conference Facility Thursday, June 21, 2001 3:30 - 5:00 p.m. Presented by Stanley Wood, Senior Scientist, IFPRI; Kate Sebastian, GIS Analyst Consultant, IFPRI; and Sara Scherr, Adjunct Professor, University of Maryland There are concerns that the pace of developing new options for raising agricultural productivity may be insufficient to match the growing demand for food, feed and fiber. A particular worry is that there are clear signs of wear and tear on the natural resource systems – soil, water and biological diversity- that underpin the productive capacity of the world’s agricultural lands. The continued need to expand the long-term productive capacity of agriculture on such lands represents a major development and humanitarian challenge. While informed policymakers are tuned-in to the global food security challenge, there is another significant challenge to which they have been much less responsive – the need for agricultural landscapes to contribute more (or damage less) of a broader range of environmental services valued by society. Historic conversion of land has resulted in agriculture dominating the inhabited landscapes of the world. Agricultural expansion, as well as some of the negative side effects of intensification within agricultural lands, are having significant impact on, for example: the availability and quality of fresh water; the amount and richness of plant and animal biodiversity; and the emission of greenhouse gases. IFPRI, in collaboration with the World Resources Institute, has recently completed a study of status and trends in the capacity of the world’s agroecosystems to provide four major goods and services: food, feed and fiber, freshwater, biodiversity, and carbon storage. The report on that study, “Pilot Analysis of Global Ecosystems: Agroecosystems” by Stanley Wood, Kate Sebastian and Sara Scherr, has attracted considerable media attention. In the Policy Seminar, the authors will review the main findings of the report – that draws heavily on the analysis of digital maps - and outline some of the implications and opportunities those findings suggest. Attendees will receive a copy of the report. The introductory section and executive summary of the report are attached. The entire report may be downloaded in PDF. The reports of four parallel studies on Forests, Grasslands, Fresh Water and Coastal Ecosystems can be accessed at WRI’s web site www.wri.org/wr2000/page.html . All five studies were undertaken as initial pilot activities of the recently launched Millennium Ecosystem Assessment www.millenniumassessment.org/en/index.htm. Kindly RSVP to 202-862-8107 or Email: S.Hill-Lee@cgiar.org.

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