The Conference recommended that FAO strengthen its Organic Agriculture unit and promote organic agriculture to national policy makers as a tool for achieving food security. It also asked the FAO to facilitate the establishment of an organic agriculture research unit within the CGIAR (Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research) system. More than 660,000 samples of plant germplasm, mostly from developing countries, are available with the CGIAR centres that conduct agricultural research and provide germplasm to national public and private sector researchers. In October 1994, these centres signed agreements with the FAO placing the collections of plant germplasm under the auspices of the FAO in trust for the whole world.

The Conference was held in collaboration with international partners: World Watch Institute, WWF, FiBL, IFOAM, Third World Network, RAFI-USA, CIHEAM and the Associazone Italiana Agrioltura Biologica. About 350 participants from more than 80 countries attended, including representatives from 66 FAO member countries, three UN agencies, five inter-governmental institutions, 15 international NGOs, 30 national NGOs, 24 research institutions, 31 universities, 8 private companies and 9 farmer associations.

The objective of the meeting was to identify organic agriculture's potential and limitations in addressing the food security challenge, including conditions required for its success through the analysis of existing information in different agro-ecological areas of the world.

More information here.