Agricultural technology for sustainable development A/RES/74/215 the importance of innovation-driven development and support to entrepreneurship and innovation, and welcoming new sustainable agricultural technologies that can contribute to their transition from subsistence farming to innovative, commercial production, helping them to increase their own food security and nutrition, generate marketable surpluses and add value to their production, Recognizing that agricultural technology has a beneficial impact on and an important role in the successful implementation of the goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and in that regard taking note with appreciation of the report of the Secretary-General on progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals 16 and the Global Sustainable Development Report, and the Secretary-General’s strategy on new technologies, Expressing concern about the rise in global hunger, which affected 821 million people in 2018, Recognizing that agricultural technologies have improved the productivity of agriculture and enhanced the sustainability and resilience of food production systems at the local level, Noting with concern the findings of the special report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change on climate change, desertification, land degradation, sustainable land management, food security, and greenhouse gas fluxes in terrestrial ecosystems entitled Climate Change and Land, Taking note of the June 2019 report of the Secretary-General’s High-level Panel on Digital Cooperation entitled “The age of digital interdependence”, Seriously concerned about the findings of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, and stressing the urgent need to step up efforts to prevent the loss of biological diversity and the degradation of land and soil, Welcoming the inauguration of the Technology Bank for the Least Developed Countries, and encouraging its continued support, Recognizing that the agriculture sector is inextricably linked with the entire food system and that agricultural technologies and digitalization can add value throughout the food system by improving the sustainability of storage, transport, trade, processing, transformation, retail, waste reduction and recycling, as well as interactions among these processes, Stressing the crucial role of women in the agricultural sector and their contribution to enhancing agricultural and rural development, impr oving food security and nutrition and eradicating rural poverty, and underlining the fact that meaningful progress in agricultural and agricultural technology development necessitates, inter alia, closing the gender gap, introducing appropriate gender responsive interventions at all stages in agricultural innovation processes, including at the policy level, and ensuring that women have equal access to agricultural technologies, related services and inputs and all necessary productive resources, including tenure rights and access to land, fisheries and forests, as well as to affordable education and training, social services, social protection, health care, health services and financial services, and access to and participation in local, regional and international markets, Recognizing that young people play a significant role in supporting sustainable economic growth and that agricultural technology, innovation and digitalization have an essential role to play in facilitating access to agricultural skills fo r young women and men, improving the livelihoods of youth, creating quality and decent jobs and __________________ 16 19-22429 E/2019/68. 3/8