Sustainable Agriculture and the Environment in the Humid Tropics (1993) / Chapter Skim
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4 Policy-Related Imperatives for Change
4 Policy-Related Imperatives for Change
Pages 159-191
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From page 159... ...
The goal of the committee's policy-related recommendations is to meet human needs, at individual, national, and international levels, without further undermining the long-term integrity of tropical soils, waters, flora, and fauna the foundations of sustainable development. The countries of the humid tropics will need to take the lead if these efforts are to succeed.
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From page 160... ...
However, the combination of forest management and the use of sustainable land use options will provide a framework within which each country can achieve an equilibrium appropriate to its development stage and natural resource use requirements. These systems can help to offset the impacts of heightened economic and demographic pressures on intact primary and secondary forests by improving the management of agricultural systems, diversifying crop production systems, stabilizing shifting agriculture on steep lands and in forest margins, and restoring degraded and abandoned lands.
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From page 161... ...
This growing body of analysis points to the need for policymaking bodies at the local, national, and international levels to reexamine their roles and responsibilities in determining the future welfare of tropical land resources and the people who depend on them. Reviews of Existing Policies Policy reviews under way at local, national, and international levels must be broadened to consider the negative effects that policies have had on sustainable land use.
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From page 162... ...
In recent years, for example, Brazil has removed the financial incentives that promoted conversion of forestland to large-scale cattle ranches and has put into place programs to encourage sustainable agricultural development (Serrao and Homma, Part Two, this volume)
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From page 163... ...
In general, these policies discourage long-term interest and investments in forest management (both in the public and private sectors) , undervalue the full economic and environmental benefits of conserving primary forests, and hinder the adoption of sustainable land use alternatives.
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From page 164... ...
Well-conceived infrastructure development policies can fail if sustainable land use technologies and systems are not In place to support them. The Negative Impacts of Land Use Policies Despite increasing recognition of the importance of tropical forest resources, the exploitation of tropical forests to meet short- to mediumterm development objectives still takes precedence over most long-term uses in many countries.
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From page 165... ...
International development agencies, In particular, should seek opportunities to coordinate policies in support of conservation and sustainable development objectives in the humid tropics. The Tropi· Subsidized credit.
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From page 166... ...
· Property rights. In many developing countries, the lack of secure tenure is compounded by confusion over the question of rights to various land resources.
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From page 167... ...
In addition, corruption has allowed private timber interests to have undue influence on government subsidies, tax policies, the location of infrastructure development projects, and the distribution of land, aid, and credit. The impact of corruption can be seen in the case of the Philippines.
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From page 168... ...
Planning of Major Infrastructure Projects Impact assessments of infrastructural development projects should be broadened" to anticipate changes in land use systems and subsequent social effects. Infrastructural development projects, usually undertaken with the backing of international development agencies, have caused widespread forest degradation in the humid tropics.
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From page 169... ...
In the future, environmental provisions should seek to prevent land degradation by requiring that sustainable land use practices accompany infrastructure development projects from the outset. The social impacts of these projects have also been inadequately addressed by governments and international agencies.
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From page 170... ...
While agricultural agencies generally receive the greater portion of financial support, they in turn allot little funding to forest-related activities or to research and development in sustainable agriculture (Okigbo, 1991; Repetto, 1988a; Villachica et al., 1990~. Few national or state resource bureaucracies are capable of effective protection and stewardship of the resources under their jurisdiction, or of supporting basic or applied research in forest ecology, agroecology, farming systems, indigenous knowledge, or other areas relevant to sustainable land use.
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From page 171... ...
Policies that simultaneously emphasize the goals of conserving biodiversity and implementing sustainable agricultural systems—especially policies aimed at improving the quality of life for small-scale farmers and local communities through conservation measures- need further development and additional support. From an agricultural and rural development perspective, the benefits of this integrate<]
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From page 172... ...
. At the same time, economic analyses are beginning to explore the means by which environmental costs and benefits may be reflected more accurately in markets and incorporated into international development, trade, and lending policies (see, for example, Costanza and Perrings, 1990; Norgaard, 1992~.
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From page 173... ...
International and national institutions need to support these alternatives at all phases of development, dissemination, and implementation. Without support, sustainable agricultural practices are likely to be adopted only slowly and erratically.
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From page 174... ...
In all areas, much greater emphasis needs to be given to the rehabilitation, restoration, and reforestation of degraded and abandoned lands. Efforts to support sustainable agriculture can be grouped into three categories: · Providing an enabling environment; · Providing incentives and opportunities; and · Strengthening research, development, and dissemination.
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From page 175... ...
Lacking secure tenure, farmers and other small-scale resource users have little incentive to conserve, manage, improve, or invest in land resources. Deprived of the benefits of local resources, they must often overexploit those to which they do have access.
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From page 176... ...
In addition to immediate support for efforts to improve the status of tenure for small-scale farmers and indigenous people, development agencies should support much-needed research in the social sciences on a wide variety of tenure issues: accurate, countryspecific demographic surveys of the number and distribution of people in forests and forest margins; forms of tenure and their connection to land use, agricultural productivity, and conservation practices; traditional means of resolving tenure and resource disputes within and between local communities; the role of women in various tenure systems; the changes in tenure that have accompanied modern settlement and forest conversion; and conflicts between traditional and modern tenure systems. Even as research continues to illuminate the important connections between tenure reform and sustainable land use, national governments in the humid tropics should endeavor to resolve tenure disputes and to anticipate and prevent future conflicts.
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From page 177... ...
In the future, infrastructural development's primary aim should not be to advance deforestation, but rather to support more appropriate land uses on already cleared lands. Strengthening the connections between the small farm and the market can be an efficient and cost-effective means of stimulating the diversified activities on which sustainable land use largely depends (Brannon and Baklanoff, 1987; Gomez-Pompa et al., Part Two, this
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From page 178... ...
LOCAL DECISION MAKING If sustainable land use practices are to be successfully introduced, they must be responsive to the concerns and needs of small farms and rural communities and adaptable to local social, economic, and political conditions (Chambers et al., 1989; Edwards, 1989~. The annals of development agencies contain many cases of well-intended projects that have failed due to inadequate farmer and community participation in project development, planning, and management.
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From page 179... ...
In many parts of the humid tropics, for example, education and public health services can be better integrated with sustainable land use goals. The development agencies can play a critical role by providing technical assistance in community planning.
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From page 180... ...
Rather, international agencies and national governments should carefully review the record of these initial successes and failures, and work together to build programs that anticipate problems through the closer involvement of the users the small-scale farmers and forest dwellers. Providing Incentives and Opportunities National governments in the humid tropics and international aid agencies should develop and provide incentives to encourage long-term investment in increasing the production potential of degraded lands, for settling and' restoring abandoned' lands, and for creating market opportunities for the variety of products available through sustainable land use.
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From page 181... ...
Policy devices that have encouraged deforestation in the pasttax abatement, credits, pricing policies, concessions, and subsidiescan be revised to induce small-scale farmers and other landholders to adopt sustainable agricultural practices. Optimally, national development agencies and international aid agencies would work together toward this goal.
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From page 182... ...
Securing tenure on abandoned lands is a critical step in their rehabilitation, but special concessions may be required to attract farmers, especially landless shifting cultivators, to these areas. Abandoned lands are heterogenous.
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From page 183... ...
Market development is best undertaken by the private sector. Development programs should be prepared to foster awareness and cooperation among private and public sectors concerned with sustainable land use (Kartasubrata, Part Two, this volume)
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From page 184... ...
The successful adoption of sustainable agricultural systems and practices requires a strong network for research, development, and dissemination of information. New Methodologies for Research and Development A comprehensive, interdisciplinary approach to research, education, and training is fundamental to developing and managing the complex, sustainable agroecosystems of the humid tropics.
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From page 185... ...
This work should focus on the potential of these lands to support intensive agriculture as well as less intensive agroforestry and forest management systems. Sustainable agricultural technologies exist for these lands, but they require much more refinement and usually yield low rates of return to capital, management, and labor.
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From page 186... ...
While many of these organizations focus specifically on conservation and agricultural development, many others with an interest and a stake in land use issues lack the experience, resources, and personnel to follow up on their concerns. National and international development agencies need to foster the productive involvement of local NGOs as intermediaries between themselves, national government agencies, universities, and local communities in support of the methods and goals of sustainable land use.
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From page 187... ...
. Dissemination of Information Through Extension Services The implementation of sustainable agriculture systems and practices in the humid tropics will require the active involvement of extension services.
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From page 188... ...
Political and Social Stability In the humid tropics, as elsewhere, long-term patterns of land use and the status of land resources are determined, in part, by the degree of stability within the society and its political institutions. The problems of resource management, and of deforestation in particular, cannot be separated from the issues of urban poverty, social justice, economic inequity, ineffective administration, deteriorating urban infrastructure, political corruption, agrarian reform, human rights abuses, and other pressing social concerns.
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From page 189... ...
The self-reinforcing cycle of social instability and environmental degradation fundamentally undermines the conditions necessary to sustainable use of resources: the mixture of technological innovation, education and access to information, long-term investment, policy reform, political empowerment at the local level, and economic and demographic stability. Population Growth There is little hope of accomplishing sustainable land use unless population growth is brought under control.
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From page 190... ...
Current international policy discussions on carbon dioxide emissions must consider more systematically the ability of sustainable land use systems in the humid tropics to reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations by slowing deforestation, withdrawing carbon and storing it in plant biomass and soil, and providing alternative sources of energy. Changes in land use offer a practical means of removing large quantities of a greenhouse gas from the atmosphere through human intervention (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, l990b)
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From page 191... ...
. Forests near large urban areas and surrounding industrial development projects that require charcoal are especially susceptible to heavy exploitation.
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