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PolicybriefingfromSustainAlliance,LandworkersAlliance,SoilAssociation,OrganicfarmersandGrowersandotherpublicinterestgroups*Agroecology:WhyweneedanamendmentonagroecologicalwholefarmsystemsintheAgricultureBillWeareseekingsupportfortheproposedamendmenttoClause1tabledatReportStagebyKerryMcCarthyAmendment1:Clause1,page2,line3,atendinsert—(h)establishingandmaintainingwholefarmagroecologicalsystems.Amendment2:Clause1,page2,line9,atendinsert—““wholefarmagroecologicalsystems”includeanywholeenterprisesystemforfarmingorlandmanagementwhichisdesignedtoproducefoodand/orfuelwhiledeliveringenvironmentalandsocialbenefits,andmayincludeorganicfarming,”
ThisamendmentenhancestheAgricultureBillbecause:
1)Agroecologyintegratesfoodproductionwithdeliveryofenvironmentalandsocialpublicgoods.Thisamendmentwouldprovidesupportforfarmstocontinuetoproducefood,whichisessentialtoasecuredomesticfoodsupply,whilstdeliveringpublicgoods.Anagroecologyschemewouldgivecurrentfarmerssupportandincentivestofarmerstotransitiontoecologicalfarmingmodels,whichproducefoodatthesametimeasrestoringnature,andcontributingtoafoodsystemthatprovidesfreshandnutritiousfoodforall.
2)Farmerswillberewardedonawholefarmbasis-notonlyfor“managinglandorwaterinawaythatprotectsorimprovestheenvironment”,asinpoint(a)ofclause1,butfordoingsoacrossthewholefarminanintegratedmanner.Agroecologicalwholefarmsystemscandeliverahigherlevelofbenefitssuchas,inthecaseoforganicfarming:
• 50%morewildlifethanconventionalfarms;• healthiersoilswith44%avehigherlevelsofhumicacid–whichstoreslongtermsoilcarbon;• 35-65%lessnitrogenand• nopersistentpesticidesleachedfromorganicarablefields.
Thesebenefitsaredeliveredinanintegratedmannerasapartofthewholefarmsystem,ratherthanonlyonthemargins.
3)Deliveringsocialbenefits.IfAgroecologyisspecifiedasaBillpurpose,thegovernmentcoulddevelopschemeswhichdeliversocialbenefitsasapartofthefarmsystem.Farmsmightbesupportedtoprovidepublicaccesstonutritiousfood,forexamplethroughcommunityfarmprojectswherelowincomehouseholdscanbuyfruitandvegetables,orpublicaccesstolearningaboutwheretheirfoodcomesfrom,andhowtocookit,whichcouldsupportimprovedpublichealthorschemestoimprovethequantityandqualityofjobs.Suchsocialcohesionandpublichealthoutcomesarenotcurrentlyinthebill.Thisamendmentdiffersfromcurrentsubclause1(a)becauseitintegratesotherobjectives.Whatisagroecology?Agroecologyisasetofguidingprinciplestoencouragewholefarmsystemsthatdeliverenvironmentalandsocialpublicbenefits.Ideallyitwouldunderpinallfarmsupportdelivery.Organicfarmingisalegallydefinedandprovenagro-ecologicalapproachthatdeliversmultiplepublicgoods.Supportfororganicfarmingisthemostdirectwaythatgovernmentcandeliverenvironmentalbenefitsthroughwholefarmssystems.Agroecologyisawiderumbrellawhichencompassesawiderangeofinitiatives,whichincreasethesocialandenvironmentalbenefitsoffarmingtoenableincreasedaccesstogoodfoodforall.Agroecologicalapproachesinvolvepracticessuchasusingcompostedmanureinsteadofartificialfertilisers,pasturefeedinglivestock,longercroprotationswithbetterprovisionofseedsforbirds,integratedpestmanagement,agroforestry,maintaininghedgerows,andsellingdirectlytolocalcommunities.Dependingon
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thelocalcontext,therearebroadrangesofwholefarmtechniquesthatworktogetherwithmeasurestoencouragewildlifewhilstalsoproducingfoodanddeliveringsocialbenefits.Usingagroecologyasaguidingprinciplewouldprovidegovernmentwithaclearpathwayforfuturesupporttofarmerstodeliverabroadrangeofpublicgoodsacrossthewholefarm.Thissupportcouldbedirectedtowardstrainingfarmers,capitalgrantsfortheinfrastructureinvestmentsrequiredtotransitiontoagroecologicalfarmingsystems,andsignificantlyincreasedresearchintoagroecologicalfarmingsystems.Doesthisfitwiththetransitiontopublicmoneyforpublicgoods?Yes.Supportforagroecologicalfarmingsystemsfitswithgovernmentaspirationstosupportthedeliveryofpublicgoods.Adoptionofthisamendmentwouldmeanthatfarmerswillnotonlybepaidforindividualpublicgoodsdeliveredinspecificareasofafarmssuchasthemargins,butalsoforchangingpracticeandimpactinthemiddleofthefields.Awhole-farmapproachmayalsobeeasiertomonitor,comparedtomeasuringmultiple,individualpublicgoodoutcomes. Isthisasubsidyforfoodproduction?No,farmerswillnotbesupportedforproducingfoodperse.Theywillbesupportedthroughtargetedfundingandpolicyforthewidespreadadoptionofagroecologicalsystemssofarmscontinueproducingfoodwhilstdeliveringpubliclydesirableoutcomes.Withoutthisamendmentallthefinancialassistanceprovidedforinthebillcouldgoto‘edgeoffield’measures,potentiallyproducingundesirableoutcomes,suchasincentivestostopproducingfoodaltogether.WhatdoesthisamendmentdothatisnotalreadyintheBill?ThecurrentBillfailstosupportwholefarmsystemsindeliveringpublicgoodsinanintegratedmanner.Whilstagroecologicalfarms,includingorganiccouldgetstart-upfundingundersection1(2)ofthebillandcertainagroecologicalapproachescouldgetfundingundersections(a),(c),(d),(e),(f)and(g)ofclause1,supportforwholefarmssystemstodeliverpublicgoodsonanon-goingbasisisnotexplicitanywhereinthebill.WhyshouldthisbeintheBillratherthansecondarylegislationorpolicy?ThisBillisthefoundationonwhichthesecondarylegislationandpolicieswillbebuiltsotheyneedtodevelopwiththisguidingprinciple.ThewholefarmplansproposedfortheEnvironmentalLandManagementschememaynotresultinwholefarmsystemsfordeliveryofpublicgoods.Theapproachneedstobeinprimarylegislationsothatitconsistentlyguidesallsecondarylegislation.ItalsoensuresthattheAgricultureBillwillbeconfiguredtofeedintotheemergingNationalFoodStrategy,designedtoensureeveryoneaccesstohealthyaffordablesustainablyproducedfood.
Contact:VickiHird,[email protected];JyotiFernandes,[email protected];RobPercival,[email protected];Christopher
Stopes,[email protected]
*Thiscampaignissupportedby: ATeamFoundation;CentreforAgroecology,WaterandResilience;CompassioninWorldFarming;Farmerama;GaiaFoundation;GrowingCommunities;KindlingTrust;EcologicalLandCooperative;TheCommunitySupportedAgricultureNetwork;People’sFoodPolicy;RealFarmingTrust;WWOOKUK;LandworkersAlliance;OF&G;SoilAssociation,SustainAlliance;SustainableFoodTrust;YouthOn
OrganicFarms;TheLancashireLarderDecember2018
TheUNFoodandAgricultureOrganisation(FAO)describesagroecologyas“thebasisforevolvingfoodsystemsthatareequallystrong inenvironmental, economic, social andagronomicdimensions….Agroecology is basedonapplying ecological conceptsandprinciplestooptimizeinteractionsbetweenplants,animals,humansandtheenvironmentwhiletakingintoconsiderationthesocialaspectsthatneedtobeaddressedforasustainableandfairfoodsystem.Bybuildingsynergies,agroecologycansupportfoodproductionand food security andnutritionwhile restoring the ecosystem services andbiodiversity that are essential forsustainableagriculture.Agroecologycanplayanimportantroleinbuildingresilienceandadaptingtoclimatechange.”TheUNFAOandagrowingnumberofcountrieshaveembracedagroecology.InOctober2018, thehighestgoverningbodyofFAO,consistingof192members,adoptedaresolutiontoendorsethe‘10elementsofagroecology’andtorequestpartners toscaleupagroecologyaroundtheworld.TheFrenchgovernmenthasmadeagroecologythecentralplankoftheiragriculturepoli-cy,settingambitioustargetsforconvertingfarmsthroughpolicyincentives,training,researchandnewentrantsprogrammmes.
