IISD Input to the CFS-RAI E-Consultation

The IISD provides detailed feedback on the CFS-RAI zero draft, arguing for a broader definition of agricultural producers to include non-food crops, strengthening environmental and water efficiency standards, and prioritizing domestic judicial mechanisms over international arbitration for dispute settlement. It emphasizes the need for binding management plans following impact assessments and the integration of these voluntary principles into national policies and regional frameworks like the Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP).

• IISD recommends expanding the scope of the principles beyond food production to include non-food crops such as rubber, cotton, and biofuel crops, and suggests using the term "small-scale agricultural producers and processors" to be more inclusive of these livelihoods.
• The document suggests strengthening environmental protections in the zero draft by explicitly including water efficiency, controlling soil erosion, reducing exposure to chemicals, pesticides, and fertilizers, and increasing the use of agricultural by-products.
• IISD argues that impact assessments should specifically target social, environmental, and human rights issues, primarily for large commercial investors, and that the resulting management and mitigation plans must be binding, enforceable, and verified by independent third parties.
• Regarding legal disputes, IISD advises that domestic courts should be the primary forum for resolving conflicts between governments and foreign investors, cautioning against the preference for international arbitration over domestic processes.
• To ensure the voluntary principles are effective, IISD suggests integrating them into national policies and regional vehicles, specifically mentioning the Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) as a potential mechanism.

APA

International Institute for Sustainable Development (2014). IISD Input to the CFS-RAI E-Consultation. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/iisd_cfs_rai_consultation_0.pdf

Chicago

International Institute for Sustainable Development. IISD Input to the CFS-RAI E-Consultation. 2014. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/iisd_cfs_rai_consultation_0.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=International Institute for Sustainable Development |title=IISD Input to the CFS-RAI E-Consultation |date=February 2014 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/iisd_cfs_rai_consultation_0.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{internationalinstituteforsustainabledevelopment2014iisd, author = {{International Institute for Sustainable Development}}, title = {{IISD Input to the CFS-RAI E-Consultation}}, publisher = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2014}, month = feb, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/iisd_cfs_rai_consultation_0.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }