Ecology and equitable development

31. It is urgently necessary to manage this planet in an ecologically sustainable manner. From the viewpoint of agri-food production, which is already substantial, there are two elements to be considered. First of all, this sort of environmentally-friendly management will have a cost which will need to be incorporated into economic activity(⁴⁸). We should be asking ourselves whether it will always be those living in poverty who have to bear this burden to the detriment of their nutrition. Secondly, of concern is the gaining of a better understanding of linkage of ecology and the economy within the current notion of sustainable development. But this objective must not distract from the need to put even greater effort into promoting equitable development. In the end, development cannot be sustainable unless equitable. Otherwise it is likely that the present distortions will be compounded by new ones.