Improving the Environmental Performance of Agriculture [electronic resource]: Policy options and market approaches / Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

Format:

Book

Government document

Author/Creator:

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Environment.

Agriculture and Food.

Local Subjects:

Environment.

Agriculture and Food.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (50 p.)

Place of Publication:

Paris : OECD Publishing, 2001.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

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.

Contents:

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

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

ISBN:

1-280-08131-7

9786610081318

OCLC:

1024276029