duces the options available for responding to uncertainties in the future. It increases asymmetries in access to germplasm and increases the vulnerabilities of the poor. Participatory plant breeding provides strong evidence that diverse actors can engage in an effective practice for achieving and sustaining the broader goals of sustainability and development by bringing together the skills and techniques of advanced and conventional breeding and farmers' preferences and germplasm management capacities and skills, including seed production for sale. Further development and expansion would require adjustment of varietal release protocols and appropriate policy recognition under UPOV 1991.

• The debates surrounding the use of synthetic pesticides have led to new arrangements that have increased awareness, availability and effectiveness of the range of options for pest management. Institutional responses to evidence of harm caused by certain synthetic chemicals in actual conditions of use include the strengthening of regulatory controls over synthetic chemical pesticides at global and national levels, growing consumer and retail markets for pesticide-free and organic products, removal of highly toxic products from sale, development of less acutely toxic products and more precise means of delivery and education of users in safe and sustainable practices. What constitutes safe and sustainable practice has been defined in widely varying ways by different actors reflecting different conditions of use as well as different assessments of acceptable tradeoffs, between crop security, productivity and economic gain on the one hand and health and environmental protections on the other.

       IPM exemplifies a flexible and wide-reaching arrangement of actors, institutions and AKST practices that better address the needs of diverse farmers and a more broadly acceptable balance of interests. Although definitions, interpretations and outcomes of IPM programs vary widely among actors, IPM typically incorporates KST from a broad range of sciences, including social sciences, and the experience and knowledge of a diverse set of actors. IPM has become standard practice in a number of high value production systems and has been adopted also by an increasing number of important commercial actors in food processing and retailing. Successful approaches to introducing IPM to small-scale producers in the tropics include farmer field schools, push-pull approaches, advisory services provided under

contractual arrangements for supply to central processing facilities and creative use of communication tools such as short farmer-to-farmer videos and focused-message information campaigns. A combination of such approaches, backed by strong policy reform to restrict the sale of old-fashioned and highly toxic synthetic controls, will be needed to meet future development and sustainability goals. Further experimentation and operational fine-tuning of the institutional arrangements for IPM in the field in different settings is also needed. These can be evaluated by comparative assessment using a combination of social, environmental and economic measures that include both positive and negative externalities.

• Food systems have changed fundamentally over the last decades. Local food systems, known to sustain livelihoods at micro level, are currently challenged by globalized food systems that are evolving to meet urban demands. This trend brings opportunities but also threatens livelihoods and sovereignties of marginalized communities and indigenous peoples. Evidence based research has shown that social, ethical and cultural values in some countries can be integrated in the commercial mechanisms driving the evolution of food systems. Fair trade, territorial identities and ethnic labeling are among the options that can be considered by decision makers who wish to promote effective measures to protect the interests of the marginalized and revitalize rural livelihoods and food cultures. The promotion of geographic indicators can open development opportunities based on local resources and knowledge. They also offer opportunities for new agroenterprises such as tourism and specialty product development, as well as for collaboration with utilities such as water companies. Substantial evidence shows that production systems dominated by export markets can be weakened by erratic changes and price instability on international markets. Exportoriented food systems have sparked growing concern about the sustainability of long-distance food shipping and about the ecological footprint and social impacts of international trade in food products and agricultural commodities. Local consumption and domestic outlets for farmers' products, often enhanced by the desire to sustain cultural identities associated with the consumption of products identified with their territorial origin, can alleviate the risks for food security and food sovereignty inherent in international trade.