"The International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD) is a unique international effort that will evaluate the relevance, quality and effectiveness of agricultural knowledge, science, and technology (AKST);

and effectiveness of public and private sector policies as well as institutional arrangements in relation to AKST. [...]

The IAASTD is a three-year collaborative effort (2005 - 2007) that will assess AKST in relation to meeting development and sustainability goals of:

* Reducing hunger and poverty

* Improving nutrition, health and rural livelihoods

* Facilitating social and environmental sustainability

The project is a major global initiative, developed out of a consultative process involving 900 participants and 110 countries from all regions of the world.

The IAASTD was launched as an intergovernmental process, with a multi-stakeholder Bureau, under the co-sponsorship of the FAO, GEF, UNDP, UNEP, UNESCO, the World Bank and WHO.