Agriculture

Introduction

Agriculture poses significant opportunities and challenges for sustainable development. Improvements in agriculture practices have greatly enhanced the way in which growing demands for food and other products can be met. At the same time, specialisation intensification and mechanisation have also resulted in a global decline of habitats for plant, invertebrate, and bird species. As major landscape managers, agricultural businesses have the potential to make profound impacts on biodiversity. The challenge for the twenty-first century is therefore how to meet agricultural, development and biodiversity conservation goals.

Uses and Impacts of Biodiversity

At the heart of the UK’s Rural Strategy is the recognition that water, soil and air are essential to a high quality environment. As such, sustainable agriculture is a critical factor in the drive towards sustainable development. In order to achieve agricultural systems which are sustainable, the value and importance of biodiversity needs to be addressed. Failure to do so jeopardises the fundamental core on which agriculture is based, namely “healthy crops require a healthy environment”.
The proportion of land devoted to agriculture (75% in the UK) is generally more than one-third of the land in most countries. The effective maintenance of water quality, waste removal, soil moisture retention with reduction of runoff, water infiltration, erosion control, carbon sequestration, pollination, dispersal of seeds of wild and endangered plants, and sanctuary for species during droughts are all dependant on sustainable agricultural systems managed as ecosystems.

Finally, populations such as pollinators and beneficial predators, important for agriculture, need habitat diversity to survive. Hedgerows and field borders are important habitats in this respect. Aquaculture, often occurring in natural water bodies, is particularly vulnerable to adverse impacts, such as pollution, water diversion/abstraction. Thus, it is important to conserve a diverse range of genetic resources in order to maintain the quality of our ecosystems.

Business case

There are numerous drivers that combine to provide the stimulus for companies to take steps to support the conservation of biodiversity within the agricultural sector. These include:

Regulatory: New Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) regulations, groundwater authorizations, application of waste management controls to agriculture (to improve storage, handling, transport recovery and disposal) are all measures affecting agricultural practices which will eventually be enforced with rigour. Coupled with this are changes in agricultural policy, in the guise of Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform. According to a recent survey (2002) CAP reforms are generally perceived as a risk to the farming business by farmers. This risk, however, could actually represent an opportunity if careful management is applied.

Consumer Pressure: As end users in the food supply chain, consumers are a critical part of the agricultural industry and have the ability, through consumer choice, to reduce agriculture’s impact on biodiversity. There is a growing awareness, and concern, amongst consumers surrounding food safety and security. When Britain's Food Standards Agency announced a massive recall of food products contaminated by the cancer-causing red dye, sudan-1, the public perception of farming, and agribusiness generally, suffered. Consumers have the power to demand products which are produced to high standards and in a more sustainable way. Consumers are also, partly in response to current unsustainable practices in agriculture, increasingly turning “organic”.

Incentives and Opportunities: In response to a growing demand for organic produce, and in recognition of its potential to preserve the environment, Defra is promoting organic farming. Defra’s action plan in 2002 set out to develop organic food and farming. Since then there has been a 14% increase in the proportion of organic food supplied by UK farmers and the hope is that this rises to “70% by 2010”. The total retail market for organic products has now exceeded £1bn. The organic farming sector is an example of an industry capitalising from a consumer desire for higher standards in food production. However, both organic and non-organic farming are vital to sustainable agriculture. Visit www.defra.gov.uk for more information.

What can you do?

The business of agriculture consists of producers (e.g. farmers and farm contractors), suppliers (e.g. agricultural seed and feed companies; agrochemical companies etc), food manufacturers, and consumers. A substantial degree of “traditional knowledge” relating to the importance and function of biodiversity has been developed by communities engaged in agricultural practices. Farmers can, therefore, play an important role in countryside management as environmental stewards. To begin, here are some initial steps:

1. Assess the Impacts the company has on biodiversity;
2. Develop a Site Biodiversity Action Plan;
3. Manage the Supply Chain and farming practices, such as reducing tillage and developing corridors;
4. Increase Awareness among employees, customers and stakeholders.

Furthermore, companies can take part in various initiatives. For example, Defra’s Environmental Stewardship Scheme is an agri-environment programme which acknowledges this and supports farmers as custodians of the landscape. For more information on England’s Rural Development Programme click here.

For farmers and farm contractors interested in moving towards “best farming practices,” the codes of good agricultural practise for the protection of air/water/soil issued by Defra provide a solid basis on which biodiversity conservation could be incorporated into an Environment Management System.

Auditing environmental performance on a whole farm approach (as recommended by the Environment Agency) helps to manage land-use, nutrients, pesticides, water and wastes. The Environment Agency has also published a practical guide to farmers entitled Best Farming Practices which highlights how farmers can protect soil and water, reduce inputs and save money.

Case Studies

Click here to view case studies.

Agribusiness (see also Food and Drink Section)

Sustainable agriculture is vital for the long term viability of the agribusiness sector. Private companies play an important role in the type of agricultural biodiversity used in production. Research into the development and distribution of seeds, livestock and other technologies, directly affects both livelihoods and agricultural biodiversity. It is important to engage fully with stakeholders. Failure to adequately engage with all stakeholders, for example, has somewhat polarised opinions concerning the use of genetically modified (GM) crops. Robust participation with stakeholders may increase business opportunities through transition from the current debate on “end-of-pipe” products towards an “upstream” focus on research and innovation, particularly taking into account the nature of agricultural and environmental conditions in the targeted market.

Resources

Defra – the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs was created in June 2001 from the then Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) and from the environmental and countryside business areas of the then Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR).

Environment Agency – The leading public body responsible for protection and improvement of the environment in England and Wales.

ADAS – a leading research-based consultancy for the rural and land-based industries.

LEAF – an organisation dedicated to helping farmers improve their environment and business performance.

Environmental Legislation: NetRegs is the UK environmental Agencies online resource guide for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to environmental legislation. The guide offers practical advice on how to comply with environmental legislation and reduce the environmental impact of business activities.

Photo Credit: Jo Zaremba / Earthwatch