Multifunctional practices continue, are promoted by policies: under what form? â« 2000's: Up-take by research, development of analytical tools ...
Synthesis about Multifunctionality, Rural Policy and Governance Eric Sabourin (Cirad) Sergio Schneider (UFRGS) Emilie Coudel (Cirad Introduction:
Multifunctionality: from fashionable to controversial Emergence 1980’s: first used in forestry (Austria, Switzerland) 1992: mentioned in Article 14 of Agenda 21 International frenzy Late 1990’s: Friends of Multifunctionality (Japan, European Union, South Corea, Norway, Switzerland) 1996: emphasized by FAO in the Rome declaration of the World Food Security 2000: adopted within the Agenda 2000 of EU CAP Controversy 2001: OECD mandates national reviews to clarify concept and policy implications Cairns group gains force (interest group of agricultural exporting countries) After 2003: In international political arenas, replaced by “neutral” concepts • FAO : Roles of Agriculture (ROA) • OECD : non-commodity outputs (NCO) • WTO : non-trade concerns • UE: sustainability of rural areas, conditionality • Millenium Ecosystem Assessment (MAE): services Anchoring the concept in reality Multifunctional practices continue, are promoted by policies: under what form? 2000’s: Up-take by research, development of analytical tools
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Normative versus analytical Multifunctionality : a policy objective or a frame for analysis? Multi-functionality
Linking to societal demand
Analytical
Sustainability Resource-oriented
Activity (functions & interrelations)
Activity-oriented
Science provides information
Impact on resources
Resources Environmental Social Economic
Policy provides objectives and criteria
Performance with thresholds
Governance
Normative
Multifunctionality can help to better understand the stakes of governance and how they contribute or not to sustainability.
Figure 1. Normative vs positive : Multifunctionality can be uses as a policy objective or a frame for analysis. Multifunctionality can help to better understand the stakes of governance and how they contribute or not to sustainability. Two moments for Mutifunctionality policy tools: We can distinguish two moments or to waves of multifunctionality agenda. On one hand, multifunctionality arguments can be promoted by public policies as “good governance” practices or as a new « referentiel », but without a clear policy design direction or vision. Multifunctionality is integrated as a guiding principle within national rural policies. It sometimes refers, not exactly to “multifunctional policies”, but to the coordination between agricultural and rural policies. Recently Multifunctionality has emerged in new and unexpected countries and context, as in Australia and Canada which have in the past been in the Cairns Group. On the other hand we can observe the emergence of “multifonctionality by below” as an argument mobilized by social movements in order to request specific public policies support. In these two cases are observed conflicts of interest between groups of actors, between national governments, international institutions, and local demands. The main question is: “Are we facing a new wave of Multifunctionality tools, more pragmatic and less ideologic”?.
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Implications for governance What are the factors shaping governance? International regulations Session 2 Policies (from national to local) 4 governance LocalSession forum Supply chain rules Collective Session 5 arrangements
Context political stability, demography, environmental changes
How are they currently influencing the system?
What is their impact?
Multifunctional System (Farm, Forest, Rural area) How could they better enhance the system? Session 7
Societal expectations
Outputs Ecosystem support (biodiversity, soils, water) Production (food & fiber) Social (work, well-being) Cultural (landscape, religious, know-hows) Institutional (trust, knowledge systems) Session 3
Figure 2.
WG 16 program 1. Integrating multifunctionality as a guiding principle within national rural policies · How has the development of multifunctional agriculture policy tools been fostered or hampered by international debates and agreements? · How have policy transfers contributed to up-date, transform or substitute the multifunctionality agenda? · How has the “multifunctionality” concept been operationalized/integrated within rural policies? · What is the consequence on the evolution of rural policies? 2. Assessing the multiple functions of agriculture, forest and rural areas and implications for policies · What are the functions of agriculture, forest and rural areas which are considered as important by different stakeholders? · What are the expectations/demands of society towards agriculture and rural areas? · How can policies be developed to support these functions?
3. New forms of local and agri-environmental governance · How do local stakeholders take part in the definition of policies for rural development? · How is local planning oriented towards promoting multifunctionality? · What are the factors which influence success or limitations of these local policies? 4. Collective initiatives and local experiences to promote multifunctionality
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· Which opportunities offer collective arrangements involving farmers and other stakeholders for producing or managing public goods? · How do local stakeholders learn from these experiences? · How can these local experiences be up-scaled?
5. Prospective thinking: what is the future of multifunctionality in policies? · Does multifunctionality still have a future within policies? · How have policies for multifunctionality been substituted by other arguments and tools? · What are the consequences of this substitution, in terms of efficiency in targeted objectives, of governance structures? Main results of the debate
1.Integrating multifunctionality as a guiding principle within national rural policies - There is not always, real “multifunctional policies”, but coordination between agricultural and rural policies - The reference to multifunctionality emerges in new and unexpected countries, which have in the past been in the Cairns Group (Australia, Canada, New Zealand) - Multifunctionality policies can also express conflicts of interest between groups of actors (International institutions, local demands) 2. Assessing the multiple functions of agriculture, forest and rural areas and implications for policies - Priority is given to the functions to be supported , but how to enable society to take part in the choice among several functions and priorities? - Its necessary to analyse jointness, synergies, trade-offs between functions
3. Decentralisation and new forms of local governance In terms of decentralisation and new forms of local governance studies have pointed three points: - the success of local initiative do not depends only of political frame, it requests also capacity of local organisation (municipalities, groups) to build a vision & a strategy - There is a context of competitiveness of rural development and difference in capacity to find funds (often favourable to peri-urban) - The question of funding: what about the level of devolution, risk of payments? How to promote seed payment, long-term funds?
4. Collective initiatives and local experiences to promote multifunctionality - These initiatives emerge to take in charge non-public services (need for information) - There is a will to build together, enthusiasm, sharing knowledge, social learning, identity building - Papers note the Importance of advocacy to enable policy up-taking, transferability, upscaling : what kind of policy to support such experiences? Facilitating creativity? - Difficulties of collective action? Conservative “traditions”, difference between actors 5. Prospective thinking: what is the future of multifunctionality in policies? - The relation between rural and urban / effectiveness about different policy tools “changing mind sets”
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Drivers
Health Urban sprawl Rural exodus Env. degradation
Representativity, protagonism Decentralization Interests Alliances Actors in negotiation Conflicts Construction
Feed-back, advocacy Up-scaling
Which functions to prioritize
Societal demand
Transferability Evaluation
Sustainability
Jointness
What coordination between policies Decisions & Instruments “Multifunctional policies” are rare
Achieve target? Equity Viability
Management
Public goods Impact on local economy
implementation
Target areas/scale Low funding…
Competitiveness
Will to be multifunctional (vision, strategy) Interaction between levels Capacity to capture resources Innovation, new practices, knowle Devolution, subsidiarity Collective action Sharing responsabilities Conflicts?
Figure 3 2. New initiatives which mobilise multifunctionality Collective initiatives and interesting local experiences to promote multifunctionality We observe common resource governance through the creation of management institutional devices. They can emerge to take in charge non-public services (need for information for orphan technologies as agroecology in Brasil or local product marketing in Australia) In such cases researches have shown the will to build together, enthusiasm, sharing knowledge, social learning and identity building We can note the importance of advocacy to enable policy up-taking, transferability, upscaling : what kind of policy to support such experiences? Facilitating creativity? Several studies deal about the difficulties of collective action because of tensions between outsiders and natives, between innovations and conservative “traditions”, or because the difference of status between the actors. Government sectors and policy maker initiatives We can first find MFA arguments to support farming system in crisis (Japan, Montenegro) Secondly, rural spaces multifonctionality appears as a justification for new environmental or social measures (Canada). Thirdly MFA is request as a justification in urban-rural relationship about land use issues (Australia, Italia) Public policies governance emerge such as the creation of space for interaction between multiple actors and spheres of power, which has also much to do with the discussion on the different levels of governance.
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3. Discussion What is really new ? - good governance - Environnemental agenda (MAE, PES, etc) take place of multifonctionality agenda of 1990/2000
Multifunctionality of agriculture is appropriated as a concept or even as a management of common resources practice with multiple functions for rural communities, such as water, biodiversity, etc. Several papers discuss this issue, some of them mobilizing Elinor Ostrom reference; The multifunctionality is also expressed in an effort of the state and policy makers to design and to implement actions and programs that exceed the sector focus, even pointing the territorial issue, particularly in the case of land use policy or specific identity food-chain promotion, including, marketing and product qualification tools. Therefore, the central issue of governance is permeating both dimensions. An innovation in the debate is that the multifunctionality or multi-functional approach has been or is being incorporated into the practices of farmers on one side and into the actions of policy makers on the other. This happens, often without even mentioning its name or word. So it closely approaches the theme of governance. At least, what is really new speaking of multifunctionality in rural policies? It seems that the concept or argument of multifunctionality has integrated the “good governance” tools or discourses. In Europe, definitively, the environmental agenda (MAE, PES, etc) took the place of the first multifonctionality agenda of 1990/2000 Conclusion : prospective thinking about multifunctionality In terms of prospective thinking, what is the future of multifunctionality in policies? - There are still proponents of a normative definition multifunctionality, it can not be reduced to agriculture, but applied to agriculture and rural spaces - Multifunctionality has rather something to says about relation between rural and urban and a certain effectiveness about different policy tools “changing mind sets” - New forms of public policy regulations are proposed (OCDE Rural working party) The positive vision of MFA is still promoted: OECD considers joint production of externalities and public goods. However, the OECD has evolved in its approach. Sensitive to the need for a comprehensive strategy for sustainable intensification it proposes to work on the value of services provided, and among other environmental services.
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