Improving the Environmental Performance of Agriculture [electronic resource]: Policy options and market approaches /
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and DevelopmentContributor
Paris : OECD Publishing,
2001.
Agriculture has major impacts on the environment, especially on land use, soil and water quality, biodiversity and landscapes, which is a growing public concern in OECD countries. The challenge is to find ways for agriculture to efficiently and profitably produce sufficient and safe food to meet growing world demand without harming the environment and degrading natural resources. Agricultural policies often provide substantial production-linked support that have boosted farm output, but with mixed results on environmental quality. The reform of agricultural policies and trade liberalisation has started to alter signals to farmers, leading to changes in farm practices, which will contribute to enhancing the beneficial and reducing the harmful environmental impacts of agriculture. Despite some progress in the environmental performance of agriculture over the last decade, there is still much room for improvement and more needs to be done. On which principles should policies be based? Who should pay or be paid for ensuring environmental quality? When could market approaches be harnessed for charging and remunerating environmental quality? And when might policy action be needed? This report sheds light on these questions and provides criteria and guidelines for the better design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies addressing environmental issues in agriculture.
Executive Summary -- Introduction -- Background -- Policy context -- Environmental impacts -- -What are the main environmental impacts of agricultural activities? -- What is the current environmental performance of agriculture? -- What have been the environmental impacts of agricultural policies? -- What have been the environmental impacts of trade liberalisation?  -- Improving environmental performance: policies and markets  -- How can the environmental impacts of agricultural activities be taken into account? -- What is the role of markets and policies?  -- What is the role of technology and information? -- How could market forces be harnessed to improve the environmental performanceof agriculture? -- What is the role of agri-environmental policies?  -- Guidelines for policies  -- How to determine the need for policy action?  -- How to choose the appropriate agri-environmental policy measure?  -- How to design and implement agri-environmental measures?  -- Concluding comments -- Annex 1 Recent OECD Publications  -- Annex 2 Main Domestic and International Events Shaping Agricultural Sectors and Policies  -- Annex 3 The Polluter-Pays-Principle -- Annex 4 Joint Provision of Environmental Impacts (Outputs) of Agricultural Production -- Annex 5 Environmental Reference Levels: Allocation of Costs and Benefits Associated with Environmental Quality
Agriculture has major impacts on the environment, especially on land use, soil and water quality, biodiversity and landscapes, which is a growing public concern in OECD countries. The challenge is to find ways for agriculture to efficiently and profitably produce sufficient and safe food to meet growing world demand without harming the environment and degrading natural resources. Agricultural policies often provide substantial production-linked support that have boosted farm output, but with mixed results on environmental quality. The reform of agricultural policies and trade liberalisation has started to alter signals to farmers, leading to changes in farm practices, which will contribute to enhancing the beneficial and reducing the harmful environmental impacts of agriculture. Despite some progress in the environmental performance of agriculture over the last decade, there is still much room for improvement and more needs to be done. On which principles should policies be based? Who should pay or be paid for ensuring environmental quality? When could market approaches be harnessed for charging and remunerating environmental quality? And when might policy action be needed? This report sheds light on these questions and provides criteria and guidelines for the better design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies addressing environmental issues in agriculture.
Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph
Environment
Agriculture and Food