In 2003 the World Bank and several UN agencies initiated the World Agriculture Report (IAASTD) , based on the question of how agriculture in the year 2050 could provide for a growing world population in the most sustainable, equitable and healthy way. After four years of work over 400 experts came to the conclusion that "business as usual" is not an option for the future. Essentially the report called for a radical paradigm shift in agricultural policies and practice to make the goals of reducing hunger and poverty and improving rural livelihoods reality. This paradigm shift included a stronger focus on small-holder farmers and on locally adapted cultivation methods, as well as on agriculture’s multifunctionality.

58 countries approved the IAASTD in 2008, however the last two years have gone by with policies and research almost unaffected by the findings of the report – business continues as usual.

To counter this development Biovision Foundation and the Millennium Institute are engaging in an initiative seeking to change the course of global agriculture. The ultimate goal is a follow-up to the IAASTD including an update of the assessment and the inclusion of its findings in the global agricultural policies and practices.