supporting agroecological systems, and enhancing biodiver­sity conservation and use at both field and landscape scales; promoting the sustainable management of livestock, forest and fisheries; improving understanding of the agroecologi­cal functioning of mosaics of crop production areas and natural habitats; countering the effects of agriculture on cli­mate change and mitigating the negative impacts of climate change on agriculture.
     Policy options include ending subsidies that encourage unsustainable practices and using market and other mecha­nisms to regulate and generate rewards for agro/environ-mental services, for better natural resource management and  enhanced  environmental  quality.   Examples  include incentives to promote integrated pest management (IPM) and   environmentally   resilient   germplasm   management, payments to farmers and local communities for ecosystem services, facilitating and providing incentives for alternative markets such as green products, certification for sustainable forest and fisheries practices and organic agriculture and the strengthening of local markets. Long-term land and water use rights/tenure, risk reduction measures (safety nets, credit, insurance, etc.) and profitability of recommended technolo­gies are prerequisites for adoption of sustainable practices. Common pool resource regimes and modes of governance that emphasize participatory and democratic approaches are needed.
     Investment opportunities in AKST that could improve sustainability and reduce negative environmental effects include resource conservation technologies, improved tech­niques for organic and low-input systems; a wide range of breeding techniques for temperature and pest tolerance; re­search on the relationship of agricultural ecosystem services and human well-being; economic and non-economic valua­tions of ecosystem services; increasing water use efficiency and reducing water pollution; biocontrols of current and emerging pests and pathogens; biological substitutes for agrochemicals; and reducing the dependency of the agricul­tural sector on fossil fuels.

Human health and nutrition
Inter-linkages between health, nutrition, agriculture, and AKST affect the ability of individuals, communities, and na­tions to reach sustainability goals. These inter-linkages exist within the context of multiple stressors that affect popula­tion health. A broad and integrated approach is needed to identify appropriate use of AKST to increase food security and safety, decrease the incidence and prevalence of a range of infectious (including emerging and reemerging diseases such as malaria, avian influenza, HIV/AIDS and others) and chronic diseases, and decrease occupational exposures, in­juries and deaths. Robust agricultural, public health, and veterinary detection, surveillance, monitoring, and response systems can help identify the true burden of ill health and cost-effective, health-promoting strategies and measures. Additional investments are needed to maintain and improve current systems and regulations.
•     Increasing food security can be facilitated by promot­ing policies and programs to diversify diets and improve micronutrient intake; and developing and deploying ex­isting and new technologies for the production, process­ing, preservation, and distribution of food.

•   Increasing food safety can be facilitated by effective, coordinated, and proactive national and international food safety systems to ensure animal, plant, and human health, such as investments in adequate infrastructure, public health and veterinary capacity, legislative frame­works for identification and control of biological and chemical hazards, and farmer-scientist partnerships for the identification, monitoring and evaluation of risks.
•   The burden of infectious disease can be decreased by strengthening coordination between and the capacity of agricultural, veterinary, and public health systems; inte­grating multi-sectoral policies and programs across the food chain to reduce the spread of infectious diseases; and developing and deploying new AKST to identify, monitor, control, and treat diseases.
•   The burden of chronic disease can be decreased by poli­cies that explicitly recognize the importance of improv­ing human health and nutrition, including regulation of food product formulation through legislation, interna­tional agreements and regulations for food labeling and health claims, and creation of incentives for the produc­tion and consumption of health-promoting foods.
•   Occupational and public health can be improved by de­velopment and enforcement of health and safety regula­tions (including child labor laws and pesticide regula­tions), enforcement of cross-border issues such as illegal use of toxic agrochemicals, and conducting health risk assessments that make explicit the tradeoffs between maximizing livelihood benefits, the environment, and improving health.

Equity
For AKST to contribute to greater equity, investments are re­quired for the development of context-specific technologies, and expanded access of farmers and other rural people to oc­cupational, non-formal and formal education. An environ­ment in which formal science and technology and local and traditional knowledge are seen as part of an integral AKST system can increase equitable access to technologies for a broad range of producers and natural resource managers. Incentives in science, universities and research organizations are needed to foster different kinds of AKST partnerships. Key options include equitable access to and use of natural resources (particularly land and water), systems of incen­tives and rewards for multifunctionality, including ecosys­tem services, and responding to the vulnerability of farming and farm worker communities. Reform of the governance of AKST and related organizations is also important for the crucial role they can play in improving community-level scientific literacy, decentralization of technological oppor­tunities, and the integration of farmer concerns in research priority setting and the design of farmer services. Improving equity requires synergy among various development actors, including farmers, rural laborers, banks, civil society organi­zations, commercial companies, and public agencies. Stake­holder involvement is also crucial in decisions about IPR, infrastructure, tariffs, and the internalization of social and environmental costs. New modes of governance to develop innovative local networks and decentralized government, focusing on small-scale producers and the urban poor (ur-