6.7 Actions for combined agribusiness & development assistance. Preferably as per this moment we stop distinguishing between ‘Western’ and ‘Development’ agriculture. Until now there was a difference between small scale Low External Input (LEI) ‘development’ agriculture and large scale, intensive, mechanised, large scale ‘Western’ High External Input (HEI) agriculture Low External Input Subsistence Agriculture (LEISA), also known as development agriculture comprises of: (1) The subsistence farmers, who do not consider their activities as agriculture but as part of their existence. These farmers require a support network, policies to eliminate risks, to guide and strengthen their way of food production and management of water and energy, preferably through existing NGO’s. (2) Small farmers and small scale enterprises with low external input. They are mainly supported by NGO’s, international donors and other aid organisations and will receive micro credits etc. Large Scale, Western, Agriculture has a high energy consumption, is strongly mechanised and logistically well organised. This agriculture involves worldwide production chains, like the meat and dairy chains, where grains and soy are grown on different continents from where they will be used as animal feed. 30 % of the world grain production is used as feed. Farmers in Argentina thus do not produce their own food but European cattle feed. If western countries will start producing their own cattle feed again, farmers in Argentina can produce their own food again and start the restoration of their agro-eco systems, and soils. A third road exists. What does it look like? Local farmers in developing countries start producing in a more intensive and sustainable way, for local and export markets. This type of agriculture will use 80% of the total agricultural area. If these farmers are assisted to become self-supportive and produce a little bit for the market, for the greater part the problem is solved. These farmers use an ecological healthy system, which is economically feasible and matches their culture. They have a high potential for carbon fixation. It is high time that their role in the greening of the economy is recognised, small as it may be. In order to do so, we will adhere to the following lines of action: a. small scale low input farmers and family enterprises will be strengthened with knowledge on cyclic agriculture, as is done by the Biodiversity Fund of
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