UNITED NATIONS COMMISSION ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Ad-Hoc Intersessional Working Group: Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development
Statement by the Australian Delegation
29 February 2000
Statement by Australia
Australia congratulates the Secretary-General on assembling this report and providing further background material on the crucial sectoral theme of sustainable agriculture and rural development for discussion at CSD8.
Australia, as a significant world producer and exporter of agricultural commodities, has a close interest in the sectoral theme before us this afternoon. We are also interested in the linkages which relate to Australia's experience in seeking to create a more sustainable agricultural sector, focussed on nurturing the natural resource base on which its future viability depends.
We hope our deliberations here in the CSD will help to identify further opportunities to augment and integrate work programs being pursued in other fora, in particular the FAO, WTO and OECD.
Australia supports approaches which promote a shift to more sustainable agricultural practices at both the national and global scales. Ensuring that agricultural producers receive market signals that reflect the true costs of the resources they use, as well as the true value of the products they produce is crucial to achieving sustainability. Australia recognises the fundamental importance of the relationship between efficient functioning of markets and sustainable development. Accordingly we have dismantled the agricultural support schemes we once had in place.
For example, many years ago Australia's wool support scheme guaranteed a minimum price for wool and thus operated as a production subsidy for producers. Our evaluation of the scheme concluded that the scheme, in addition to diverting Australian taxes from areas of higher need, by providing an incentive to wool producers to over-stock was responsible for inflicting considerable damage on Australia's range and grazing lands. In other words, significant environmental damage resulted from the distortion of the market signals received by the wool producers.
Australia is well advanced on a comprehensive reform of the arrangements used to manage one of our most precious and scarce resources -- water. Ironically, in the driest inhabited continent on earth, many of Australia's gravest environmental problems have their roots in wastage or overuse of water. Australia's reform framework improves market signals relating to water and has pushed prices higher, resulting in a much more judicious use of the resource. This is encouraging a shift in water usage from less profitable to more profitable agricultural activities. At the same time as they are helping to address the environmental problems associated with unsustainable water use, these water reforms are providing direct economic and social benefits to our farming communities. While the problems are serious and complex, we are greatly encouraged by the results thus far.
Mr Co-Chairman, these examples underscore the importance of the relationship between the more efficient operation of markets and the achievement of sustainable development. Distortion of market signals occurs at both the national and international levels. As a significant impediment to the achievement of sustainable agriculture, it is an issue worthy of note at CSD.
It is crucial, in Australia's view, that the initiatives supported or encouraged by CSD should be non-distorting, in terms of trade, the pricing of environmental resources and in relation to market signals more generally. Moreover, Australia believes that further liberalisation of trade in agricultural commodities is perhaps the single most effective way of promoting and developing sustainable agriculture globally. Thus we have some concerns with the apparent imputation in the Secretary-General's paper that trade liberalisation has in some instances been an impediment to sustainable development.
However, Mr Co-Chairman, this is not a trade forum. Australia notes that the concept of the multifunctional character of agriculture has already been mentioned. As other representatives have recognised, this in an issue upon which there is no broad international consensus. Australia would therefore be concerned if the CSD's deliberations on the important issues of sustainable agriculture and rural development were to be diverted to areas where the opportunities for fruitful outcomes are limited.
Mr Co-Chairman, as mentioned in our previous statement on land resources, Australia has a range of problematic land and water degradation issues it is actively seeking to address through the development of agricultural systems that are better adapted to the particular characteristics of our continent. Australia emphasises the importance of community-based approaches to sustainable agriculture and natural resource management. All key stakeholders must play their part; and this includes local communities and individual farmers accepting an appropriate level of responsibility for managing issues and for developing and implementing appropriate solutions.
Australia has enjoyed great success with this approach, which we have called Landcare. The drivers behind Landcare are local Landcare groups composed primarily of farmers and land managers, but often engaging other members of local communities as well. By providing a broad-based platform to engage the community at all levels, Landcare has become an integral part of managing complex resource issues and advancing sustainable agriculture in rural Australia. By devolving ownership of issues to the people who naturally link the social, economic and environmental aspects of their lives, and who have the greatest vested interest in the long term viability of the land, an integrated and sustainable approach to agriculture, natural resource management and rural development has emerged.
As I mentioned this morning, delegates from all continents are attending the International Landcare 2000 Conference being held later this week in Melbourne. Just as we wish to learn from the experience of other nations, Australia is seeking to assist others to learn from its experience. I would like to use this opportunity to inform delegates that Australia has recently established a clearing-house facility for international landcare issues. The clearinghouse is a coordinating and information point for inquiries on landcare issues and includes a contact list of key international landcare stakeholders. The clearing-house will be accessible on the World Wide Web at www.landcare.gov.au/intemational. Further information can be obtained from [email protected]
Australia believes that nations have much of value to share with each other and we hope that international cooperation in the vitally important areas of sustainable agriculture can be further fostered. We recognise, nevertheless, that each country and community must develop approaches to these issues which are tailored to their own circumstances - with the important caveat that the approaches so developed do not impede the capacities of other nations to achieve sustainability.
Mr Co-Chairman, before concluding I would like to briefly reiterate the point we have already made in relation to the interconnections that exist between enhancing sustainable agriculture and actions that can be taken to address climate change through greenhouse sinks. Australia believes the Kyoto Protocol is an important tool that may help nations to better manage their natural resources.
Mr Co-Chairman, in conclusion, Australia welcomes further international cooperation to advance sustainable agriculture and believe we can play a small but potentially significant role in fostering the development of international approaches to landcare. We are keen to promote community-based partnership approaches and we want to share our knowledge and experience with others where that would be useful. As I've noted earlier, Australia believes that further liberalisation in agricultural commodity trade and steps by nations to facilitate the more efficient operation of both domestic and international markets, offer very significant potential to advance sustainable agriculture globally.