3-5 April 2017 - FAO Headquarters, Rome, Italy

There has been considerable discussion over the past thirty years on how to define “sustainable agriculture.” During most of this period, sustainability was exclusively considered an environmental issue and was therefore measured as such. The 2030 Agenda requires that all sectors, including agriculture, be considered from the point of view of the three dimensions of sustainability: economic, social and environmental. This multidimensional role of agriculture requires it to be seen and analysed in a more holistic and broader context than in the past; that is, to include social, environmental and economic dimensions underpinned by governance and resilience.

SDG indicator 2.4.1, which is under the responsibility of FAO, is defined as the “percentage of agricultural area under productive and sustainable agriculture”, where agricultural area is defined as arable land, permanent crops and permanent meadows and pastures. FAO has been tasked with leading the work on developing a methodology for this indicator, which will capture the multidimensional aspects of sustainable agriculture once the indicator is defined, validated and endorsed.

The purpose of this workshop will be to bring together technical experts and statisticians to support the methodological work being conducted for SDG indicator 2.4.1. There will be significant attention dedicated to reviewing the sub-indicators by dimension, thresholds, calculation and data collection. Participants include statisticians and technical experts from countries, international organizations, civil society and the private sector.