Conclusions and recommendations to FAO and other stakeholders in multifunctional land use

The FAO/Netherlands Conference on the Multifunctional Character of Land and Agriculture aims at developing practical ways to promote sustainability by increasing the awareness of the multiple functions of agriculture and land in its diverse and interdependent social, economic, biological and physical environments. The Conference is expected to produce recommendations for implementation and policy options for sustainable agriculture and land management, based on success stories, best practices and lessons learned. A large number of Dutch NGOs and farmers' organisations, organisations for nature conservation and environmental management and organisations for development co-operation - contributed with case studies and information and/or participated in preparing the following recommendations to the Conference. The recommendations are in three fields, namely the multifunctionality of land use, the sustainability of land use and stakeholders' platforms for the negotiation of land use.

I. Multifunctionality of land use

The multifunctional character of land refers to the combination of different activities and functions in the same land area. The functions of land are economic (agriculture, livestock production/ pastoral production, recreational activities, forest exploitation, mining, etc.), ecological (as a wildlife habitat, biodiversity, etc.) and socio-cultural (living, ritual functions, etc.). Combining functions is advantageous for the users when the integrated use sums up to more than the mere sum of the individual parts. Multifunctional land use is a scale dependent concept; i.e. the effects of combination of certain possible functions of land can only be meaningfully analysed at a certain scale. The conservation of genetic resources, for example, can only be meaningfully analysed at regional or national level. Four aggregation levels can be distinguished: the field, the farm or farming household, the region (which depending on the context may be an administrative region, the catchment area of a river, a landscape or an agro-ecological zone), and finally the national and international level. Preconditions for successful multifunctional land use at the regional and higher levels include a certain degree of political stability, the existence of a fair trading and marketing system and the existence of mechanisms for the prevention and resolution of conflicts related to land use.

FAO, other international organisations and governments should recognise the multifunctional character of land use. Land is not only a private means of production. It is also used for 'producing' public goods, such as nature, landscape and biodiversity. Policies based on this recognition will also contribute to food security and achieve long-term sustainable land use and the improvement of the quality of life in rural areas. Research, extension and awareness raising in relation to multifunctional land use should be supported.

Multifunctionality should be based on the valuation of natural resources, eco-systems and their functions. Quantification helps to decide the level of payments or other forms of retribution to persons who supply green services (e.g. in the field of nature or eco-system management and landscape maintenance). FAO should encourage the establishment of mechanisms for the classification and valuation of green services, as well as the development of the instruments necessary for implementation and retribution mechanisms.

At the end of 1999, the WTO millennium round on the liberalisation of markets for agricultural products will start. In this negotiation process, costs and benefits in terms of the sustainability of agricultural production and its effects on the environment, landscapes and biodiversity should be taken into account. In the new trade rules, the existing allowance for payment of green services should be maintained. An important precondition for multifunctional land use is the existence of a fair trading and marketing system. EU should stop the dumping of food and other agricultural products on the world market and eliminate income subsidies to farmers and/or price subsidies for agricultural products.

Multifunctional land use is directly related to the broadening of the rural production base and the strengthening of the economy at household and regional level. Functions that are added to the farm enterprise, include home processing, direct marketing to consumers and other agricultural based functions. Other additional functions are non-agricultural, such as nature and eco-system management and recreational activities. At the regional level different functions such as agriculture, livestock production/ pastoral production, eco-system management, forest exploitation and mining are integrated in new ways. Thus, FAO should co-operate with other international organisations in order to facilitate an integral approach towards multifunctional land use at the household and regional level.

The multifunctional character of agriculture and land is directly related to the availability of water and biotic resources, and the claims of different stakeholders on these resources. FAO should promote investment policies and regulations related to multifunctional land use should to be coupled with investment policies and regulations related to the (multifunctional) use of water and biotic resources.

Adequate land tenure systems that respect the cultural background of land users and security of access and rights to land are a condition for multifunctional land use. The FAO should promote national agricultural policies, which secure appropriate and equitable land tenure systems for all types of land uses and address land degradation. The same applies for access to water and other natural resources.

II. Sustainable land use

The sustainability of a particular agro-ecosystem or land use can be conceptualised as its ability to adapt and to recover from disturbances, to adapt to new conditions and/ or respond to new needs, while maintaining its vitality and identity. This concept has economic, ecological, socio-cultural and institutional dimensions, such as the productivity of the system, the security of production over time, the continuity of productive resources, the ongoing adaptation of production systems to environmental, social and economic changes, the socio-cultural identity of the farming population, and the social structures for natural resource management. Whereas multifunctional land use refers to the way land is used (a means); sustainable land use should be considered as a long-term goal of whatever kind of land use. Although in many cases sustainable agriculture and land use is relatively multifunctional, multifunctional agriculture and land use is not necessarily sustainable.

CSD should develop internationally accepted criteria and indicators of sustainability and monitoring instruments, which allow for the measurement of the sustainability of different agricultural production systems and forms of land use. These criteria and indicators can be used to improve sustainability of agricultural production systems and rural land use. These criteria and indicators can also be used as the basis for an international certification system for sustainable products.

Given the fact that production levels of conventional and organic forms of agriculture can still be increased substantially through the introduction of adequate management practices, there is no need to promote genetically manipulated seeds. The use of genetically manipulated organisms (GMOs) has negative effects on biodiversity. As GMOs are living organisms, it is probable that mutations will occur. The risks of undesired mutations absolutely must be taken into account. The intellectual property rights system is causing a further monopolisation of the seed sector by a few large transnational companies. FAO, CGIAR and other international organisations should adopt a precautionary approach in this theme. The labelling of food and other consumer items containing genetically manipulated products should be obligatory, as well as consumer information.

In order to support the shift towards more sustainable forms of land use, FAO should promote the introduction of the ecotax system and other ëgreení financial instruments, and harmonisation of pricing policies and tax systems at a world scale. In the ecotax system high tax rates apply to fossil carbon emitting energy and non-renewable inputs, while fiscal instruments are used to make labour cheaper. FAO should encourage the realisation of simulation models and other research efforts to identify the effects of the introduction of ecotax and other financial instruments on income and employment, and the establishment of policy platforms to discuss the outcomes of the studies and harmonise the application of ëgreení financial instruments.

At present a high percentage of public and private sector budgets for agricultural research and extension and of subsidies for agriculture is directed towards conventional forms of agriculture (including biotechnology). FAO should make great efforts to encourage CGIAR, the NARS and private sector agricultural research initiatives to reorient their budgets for research and extension in such a way that usersí demands and sustainability criteria are met. Proposals for participatory technology development should be supported.

The official policies of FAO and other multilateral organisations should reflect the concern for a sustainable rural development. The conflicting points should be identified between the UNCED conventions on biodiversity and desertification and other treaties that support sustainability on the one hand, and other international conventions and agreements on the other. The WTO regime should be harmonised with the legally binding commitments of conventions that support sustainable land use.

Smallholder farm households play an important role in the conservation of agrobiodiversity and food security, just as pastoralists in maintaining the fragile eco-system of arid and semi-arid areas, and forest people in taking care of biodiversity in forest eco-systems. Although recognised internationally, the UN should encourage operationalisation at national level and the development of systems for supporting these households of often indigenous people in the conservation of biodiversity as a global public good.

FAO, CSD and other international organisations should promote sustainable consumption patterns of agricultural products taking into account the ecological impacts (that can be measured by for example the ëecological footprintí method) and consumer concerns such as consumersí rights to information, environmental, social and cultural concerns, health concerns and animal welfare concerns.

III. Stakeholders' platforms for the negotiation of land use

The increasing multifunctionality of land use requires the collaboration between all different stakeholders involved to co-ordinate and regulate the multiple functions as effectively as possible. Stakeholdersí platforms are considered as the most suitable instrument to pursue this goal, this has been proved in several cases. Stakeholder platforms can operate at different levels: national, regional or even lower levels. Governments play a double role, firstly in defining and indicating the effective playing field of these platforms (laws and regulations, administration), and secondly in the participation as one of the stakeholders. Joint problem definition, identification of solutions and implementation of interventions can be most effectively tackled by these platforms. The various experiences gained so far confirm the relevance and usefulness of this tool.

The effective functioning of these platforms depends on various pre-conditions such a proper administrative structure and legal framework, democratic decision-making and a guaranteed security situation. In the absence of an effective government the functioning of platforms is seriously hampered. Checks and balances are needed to prevent the domination of a platform by more powerful stakeholders groups. Anyhow, it has been shown to be essential that all producersí organisations are involved in these platforms.

In many countries legal frameworks need to be adapted in such a way that they do not hamper the functioning of stakeholdersí platforms and the implementation of multifunctional types of agriculture and land use. FAO should promote adaptations where necessary. National legislation should have a certain degree of flexibility and leave room to regional and lower level governments to adapt general regulations and guidelines to the specific context in order to facilitate the role and functioning of stakeholders platforms. Specifically, space should be created to stakeholders for experimental and innovative approaches.

Joint problem analysis and identification of solutions are prerequisites to achieve successful forms of multifunctional land use. FAO, international organisations and governments should identify the actors involved and bring them together in a stakeholders' platform in the first stages of project and/or programme formulation. Identification of existing institutions in which different stakeholders already collaborate is part of this first step. The building of new stakeholdersí platforms and the strengthening of existing ones should be integrated in the project cycle. The multifunctionality of land use may require the creation of additional institutions in this process.

In view of the existing and newly emerging stakeholders' platforms NGOs, international organisations and governments should make a quick joint assessment of existing platforms in order to identify lessons learnt. More specifically it is intended to exchange and share experiences, to formulate practical tools for its functioning, to identify possible fields of research and capacity building to tackle in the next stage. Such a joint assessment will improve the common understanding of this tool and increase the ownership of the outcomes. It should bring together experiences from different countries and regions, taking into consideration concrete cases and possibilities for collaboration between the various stakeholders involved. The NGOs involved in the preparation of this document commit themselves to this joint assessment and will draft an outline for Terms of Reference, which can be used after a specification and adaptation for each individual assessment.

In many countries existing organisations of land users already play an important role in the management of natural resources. This role includes the resolution of conflicts related to access to natural resources by different groups of users. The increasing multifunctionality of land use implies the involvement of new stakeholders such as women, young farmers and consumers whose claims and interests may conflict with those of the existing ones. Existing organisations of land users should be involved in an early stage in the stakeholders' platforms and their experiences should be taken into account. Capacity building programmes directed towards all stakeholders involved are needed in order to enhance the functioning of the platform; all groups of land users should be represented adequately in the stakeholders' platform. Attention should be given to avoiding domination of the platform by stronger and more powerful (groups of) stakeholders.

FAO, other international organisations and governments should actively support networks to stimulate the exchange of experiences and information between different stakeholders; this exchange may take place in or between countries of the south and the north, as well as between countries of the two hemispheres.

Netherlands, june/july 1999