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Stock-Taking Paper

TAKING STOCK OF THE MULTIFUNCTIONAL CHARACTER OF AGRICULTURE AND LAND

Paper prepared for FAO/Netherlands Conference on : " The Multifunctional Character of Agriculture and Land", Maastricht, Netherlands, September 12-17, 1999

Conclusions

The MCS case studies and other sources of information clearly illustrate that the concept of the multifunctional character of agriculture and land use can be used to identify many potential private and public benefits to farmers, rural communities and societies as a whole. The major conclusions may be summarised as follows:
  • active participation and leadership by rural communities is fundamental to achieving sustainable agriculture and rural development;
  • the progressive emergence of local and national institutions that mobilise farmers' associations, community groups, NGOs, the private sector and government agencies are a promising means of collectively addressing concerns about agriculture and land use;
  • an enabling national policy environment is necessary, but, in many social and economic contexts, developing and implementing effective policies remains a major challenge;
  • efficient and transparent flow of information, between all levels, from the individual, rural land user to international bodies and institutions, is essential in order to promote participation and ownership in innovation;
  • there must be wide availability of applied research results and locally relevant, adaptable scientific and technical information on agriculture and natural resources;
  • there must be improvements in economic instruments, including rural credit and savings institutions, tools for valuation of the range of functions of agriculture, and longer-term assessments and perspectives for investment.

Other evidence suggests that some farmers have started to apply agricultural and land-management practices with multiple functions that deliver substantial benefits. For example, a recent study of 45 projects in 17 countries of Africa found that 730,000 farm households on some 600-900,000 hectares are practising sustainable agriculture, combining various functions. Yields have increased (95% of examples aiming to increase cereal yield did so by 50-100%), and there have been substantial additional benefits for natural and social capital. Millions of farmers in Africa could adopt agricultural practices that may deliver similar food and non-food benefits, as well as food security through increased access, supply and income. In Indonesia, more than one million rice farmers have attended farmer field schools and have adopted new methods of farming rice, with considerable benefits to themselves and the environment through reduced use of pesticides.

In Europe, innovations in sustainable practices in agriculture are spreading following both increased policy support and demand from consumers. In the cases where farmers have switched to strictly organic farming there is almost always a large cut in productivity, and economic viability is often only maintained through grants and/or receipt of premium prices from consumers. However the limited number of studies carried out suggest that, with a combination of measures, yields increase over time as soil fertility improves and other elements of the system provide valued services to farmers. Combining new technologies and "green" systems remains a major challenge in the most highly industrialised economies, with direct applicability to developing countries.

In the social context, the past decade has seen the emergence of many thousands of local resource management groups world-wide - for irrigation and watershed management, forest protection, integrated pest management, and farmers' research. Comparisons (e.g. in the Philippines, Kenya, Denmark, Australia, USA) between farmers working in groups and those working individually (with the same set of technologies), suggest that co-operation brings both environmental and social benefits -for farmers and for the public. Systems also become more productive when human capital increases, particularly in the form of farmers' capacity to innovate and actively manage their farm systems for sustainable outcomes. Lack of information and management skills, however, remains a major barrier to exploration of the potential for new dimensions in agriculture. Less information is available about resource conservation than about the use of external inputs in modern agricultural systems, and less research on resource-conserving technologies is conducted by research institutions.

It is clear that the process by which farmers learn about technology alternatives is crucial. If they are enforced or coerced, then they may only use new technologies for a limited period. But if the process is participatory and enhances farmers' capacity to learn about their farm and its resources, then it appears that the foundation for redesign and continuous innovation is laid. What needs to be made sustainable is the social process of innovation itself.

The challenge is to find new ways to stimulate capitalisation of the multiple, potential functions of agriculture and land use. This, in turn, could lead to substantial benefits for national economies throughout the world. Possible ways forward, in terms of the actions, collaboration and partnerships needed to realise the potential contribution of the MFCAL concept to the achievement of sustainability, are discussed in the accompanying Issues Paper.