Towards agricultural sustainability

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Towards agricultural sustainability - Victoria,
Australia Anna Ridley Gary Stoneham
(Primary Industries Research) Kim Lowe
(Department of Sustainability and Environment)

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Sustainability concepts

• 1. That current consumption should not preclude
  future generations from a comparable standard
• 2. Biodiversity loss limits options
• World Commission on Environment and Development,
  Our Common Future (1987)

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Sustainability concepts

• Strong Stocks of natural capital are not
  depreciated through time - eg EU
• Weak Trade-offs allowed, provided overall
  ability to consume is maintained -eg Australian
  agriculture
• But need to consider off-site impacts

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Sustainability in Australian agriculture

• Economic (weak) - maintaining ability of the land
  to produce for the future
• Environmental (weak 1st, then strong) - No
  off-site impacts on resource assets
• - Protect min. amount of remaining assets
• Social (hybrid weak/strong) - capacity of society
  to provide for wellbeing of citizens equitably

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International environmental agreements

• Federal Government
• Commonwealth Departments eg. Environment
  Australia (EA)
• Adopt International agreements (Agenda 21,
  Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD)
• National Strategy for ESD - State of Environment
  Reporting
• Coordinate intergovernmental agreements (eg.
  Murray Darling Basin management)

• State and Territory Governments
• State policies, planning controls
• State of the Environment reporting
• State Departments to provide policy, science,
  education
• State Environmental Protection Authorities (EPA)

• Regional / catchment organisations
• 4th tier of government
• decisions, plan and implement strategies
• ranging degree of power/autonomy
• enforce regional arrangements

• Local Government
• Manage recreation and cultural facilities,
  weed/pest control, limited statuatory powers

• Community LandCare
• Voluntary groups, on-ground delivery of national
  programs, not formally linked to government

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Victorian State Government Ministers Catchment
Management Framework
Report on operation of Catchment Land
Protection Act 1994
Contribute to policy
Dept of Sustainability Environment (MDBC / NAP
/ NHT)
Victorian Catchment Management Council Ministerial
ly appointed
Dept of Primary Industries RD,policy,QA,Reg
Federal State funding (NAP, NHT)
EPA Vic
RD and joint policy development
Policy Strategy

• Policy Strategy
• RD
• Extension

Catchment Management Authorities - 10 regions
established under the CALP Act
Investment in regions to meet policy objectives
Sustainable landscapes (public private land)
government
CMA Boards ministerially appointed

• Regional Catchment Strategies
• set strategic direction and objectives for NRM
• form basis of investment from State
  Commonwealth governments

CMA Functional/ Implementation Committees
Regional Catchment Investment Plans linking RCS
to investment
Policies on ground works voluntary programs
grants incentives
community
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Catchment modelling framework
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Result of loss of native vegetation Low water use
of farming systems
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(5) Sustainable Grazing Systems
(3) Ecosystem Biodiversity
(4) Vibrant Communities
(1) Economic Growth
(2) Reduced footprint through perenniality
(6) Catchment Response
10
10 km
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Example biodiversity rules into modelling
framework

• Rule 1 At least one 40 ha remnant for every 400
  ha.
• Rule 2 At least two 10 ha remnants for every 400
  ha.
• Rule 3 Buffer secondary and tertiary roads to 40
  m.
• Rule 4 Buffer streams to 50 m either side.
• Rule 5 Link buffered remnants with 40 m corridor
  to nearest road, stream or remnant gt40 ha,
  whichever is closest.

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Streams Roads
Existing vegetation
Modelled vegetation
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New ideas in economics

• Information problems prevent transactions that
  create environmental value
• Transactions between government and landholder
  prevented by
• hidden information - farmers know about costs and
  profit
• missing information - scientists know about
  impact
• Need policy mechanisms that truthfully reveal
  information
• New solutions are possible - examples
• non-point source problems - auctioning
  conservation contracts
• point-source - tradeable emission permits
• credence goods - eco-labelling

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Auction process

• Farm visit
• Landholder informed of actions and HSS
• fence remnant, exclude stock, control rabbits
  etc.
• Landholder selects actions and places a bid
• Ranking bids
• Bids assessed on value for money basis
• BBI BSS HSS/ bid
• BSS not revealed to landholder
• HSS provided to landholder
• Contracts and monitoring
• Contracts ranked until budget expended
• Progress payments on basis of performance

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Supply of biodiversity

Budget line
Unsuccessful bids
Best value
Marginal bid 2.30/BQ