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PolicybriefingfromSustainAlliance,LandworkersAlliance,SoilAssociation,OrganicfarmersandGrowersandotherpublicinterestgroups*Agroecology:WhyweneedanamendmentonagroecologicalwholefarmsystemsintheAgricultureBillWeareseekingsupportfortheproposedamendmenttoClause1tabledatReportStagebyKerryMcCarthyAmendment1:Clause1,page2,line3,atendinsert—(h)establishingandmaintainingwholefarmagroecologicalsystems.Amendment2:Clause1,page2,line9,atendinsert—““wholefarmagroecologicalsystems”includeanywholeenterprisesystemforfarmingorlandmanagementwhichisdesignedtoproducefoodand/orfuelwhiledeliveringenvironmentalandsocialbenefits,andmayincludeorganicfarming,”

ThisamendmentenhancestheAgricultureBillbecause:

1)Agroecologyintegratesfoodproductionwithdeliveryofenvironmentalandsocialpublicgoods.Thisamendmentwouldprovidesupportforfarmstocontinuetoproducefood,whichisessentialtoasecuredomesticfoodsupply,whilstdeliveringpublicgoods.Anagroecologyschemewouldgivecurrentfarmerssupportandincentivestofarmerstotransitiontoecologicalfarmingmodels,whichproducefoodatthesametimeasrestoringnature,andcontributingtoafoodsystemthatprovidesfreshandnutritiousfoodforall.

2)Farmerswillberewardedonawholefarmbasis-notonlyfor“managinglandorwaterinawaythatprotectsorimprovestheenvironment”,asinpoint(a)ofclause1,butfordoingsoacrossthewholefarminanintegratedmanner.Agroecologicalwholefarmsystemscandeliverahigherlevelofbenefitssuchas,inthecaseoforganicfarming:

• 50%morewildlifethanconventionalfarms;• healthiersoilswith44%avehigherlevelsofhumicacid–whichstoreslongtermsoilcarbon;• 35-65%lessnitrogenand• nopersistentpesticidesleachedfromorganicarablefields.

Thesebenefitsaredeliveredinanintegratedmannerasapartofthewholefarmsystem,ratherthanonlyonthemargins.

3)Deliveringsocialbenefits.IfAgroecologyisspecifiedasaBillpurpose,thegovernmentcoulddevelopschemeswhichdeliversocialbenefitsasapartofthefarmsystem.Farmsmightbesupportedtoprovidepublicaccesstonutritiousfood,forexamplethroughcommunityfarmprojectswherelowincomehouseholdscanbuyfruitandvegetables,orpublicaccesstolearningaboutwheretheirfoodcomesfrom,andhowtocookit,whichcouldsupportimprovedpublichealthorschemestoimprovethequantityandqualityofjobs.Suchsocialcohesionandpublichealthoutcomesarenotcurrentlyinthebill.Thisamendmentdiffersfromcurrentsubclause1(a)becauseitintegratesotherobjectives.Whatisagroecology?Agroecologyisasetofguidingprinciplestoencouragewholefarmsystemsthatdeliverenvironmentalandsocialpublicbenefits.Ideallyitwouldunderpinallfarmsupportdelivery.Organicfarmingisalegallydefinedandprovenagro-ecologicalapproachthatdeliversmultiplepublicgoods.Supportfororganicfarmingisthemostdirectwaythatgovernmentcandeliverenvironmentalbenefitsthroughwholefarmssystems.Agroecologyisawiderumbrellawhichencompassesawiderangeofinitiatives,whichincreasethesocialandenvironmentalbenefitsoffarmingtoenableincreasedaccesstogoodfoodforall.Agroecologicalapproachesinvolvepracticessuchasusingcompostedmanureinsteadofartificialfertilisers,pasturefeedinglivestock,longercroprotationswithbetterprovisionofseedsforbirds,integratedpestmanagement,agroforestry,maintaininghedgerows,andsellingdirectlytolocalcommunities.Dependingon

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thelocalcontext,therearebroadrangesofwholefarmtechniquesthatworktogetherwithmeasurestoencouragewildlifewhilstalsoproducingfoodanddeliveringsocialbenefits.Usingagroecologyasaguidingprinciplewouldprovidegovernmentwithaclearpathwayforfuturesupporttofarmerstodeliverabroadrangeofpublicgoodsacrossthewholefarm.Thissupportcouldbedirectedtowardstrainingfarmers,capitalgrantsfortheinfrastructureinvestmentsrequiredtotransitiontoagroecologicalfarmingsystems,andsignificantlyincreasedresearchintoagroecologicalfarmingsystems.Doesthisfitwiththetransitiontopublicmoneyforpublicgoods?Yes.Supportforagroecologicalfarmingsystemsfitswithgovernmentaspirationstosupportthedeliveryofpublicgoods.Adoptionofthisamendmentwouldmeanthatfarmerswillnotonlybepaidforindividualpublicgoodsdeliveredinspecificareasofafarmssuchasthemargins,butalsoforchangingpracticeandimpactinthemiddleofthefields.Awhole-farmapproachmayalsobeeasiertomonitor,comparedtomeasuringmultiple,individualpublicgoodoutcomes. Isthisasubsidyforfoodproduction?No,farmerswillnotbesupportedforproducingfoodperse.Theywillbesupportedthroughtargetedfundingandpolicyforthewidespreadadoptionofagroecologicalsystemssofarmscontinueproducingfoodwhilstdeliveringpubliclydesirableoutcomes.Withoutthisamendmentallthefinancialassistanceprovidedforinthebillcouldgoto‘edgeoffield’measures,potentiallyproducingundesirableoutcomes,suchasincentivestostopproducingfoodaltogether.WhatdoesthisamendmentdothatisnotalreadyintheBill?ThecurrentBillfailstosupportwholefarmsystemsindeliveringpublicgoodsinanintegratedmanner.Whilstagroecologicalfarms,includingorganiccouldgetstart-upfundingundersection1(2)ofthebillandcertainagroecologicalapproachescouldgetfundingundersections(a),(c),(d),(e),(f)and(g)ofclause1,supportforwholefarmssystemstodeliverpublicgoodsonanon-goingbasisisnotexplicitanywhereinthebill.WhyshouldthisbeintheBillratherthansecondarylegislationorpolicy?ThisBillisthefoundationonwhichthesecondarylegislationandpolicieswillbebuiltsotheyneedtodevelopwiththisguidingprinciple.ThewholefarmplansproposedfortheEnvironmentalLandManagementschememaynotresultinwholefarmsystemsfordeliveryofpublicgoods.Theapproachneedstobeinprimarylegislationsothatitconsistentlyguidesallsecondarylegislation.ItalsoensuresthattheAgricultureBillwillbeconfiguredtofeedintotheemergingNationalFoodStrategy,designedtoensureeveryoneaccesstohealthyaffordablesustainablyproducedfood.

Contact:VickiHird,SustainAlliancevicki@sustainweb.org;JyotiFernandes,LandworkersAlliancejyoti@landworkersalliance.org.uk;RobPercival,SoilAssociationRPercival@soilassociation.org;Christopher

Stopes,OrganicfarmersandGrowersCICchristopher@ofgorganic.org

*Thiscampaignissupportedby: ATeamFoundation;CentreforAgroecology,WaterandResilience;CompassioninWorldFarming;Farmerama;GaiaFoundation;GrowingCommunities;KindlingTrust;EcologicalLandCooperative;TheCommunitySupportedAgricultureNetwork;People’sFoodPolicy;RealFarmingTrust;WWOOKUK;LandworkersAlliance;OF&G;SoilAssociation,SustainAlliance;SustainableFoodTrust;YouthOn

OrganicFarms;TheLancashireLarderDecember2018

TheUNFoodandAgricultureOrganisation(FAO)describesagroecologyas“thebasisforevolvingfoodsystemsthatareequallystrong inenvironmental, economic, social andagronomicdimensions….Agroecology is basedonapplying ecological conceptsandprinciplestooptimizeinteractionsbetweenplants,animals,humansandtheenvironmentwhiletakingintoconsiderationthesocialaspectsthatneedtobeaddressedforasustainableandfairfoodsystem.Bybuildingsynergies,agroecologycansupportfoodproductionand food security andnutritionwhile restoring the ecosystem services andbiodiversity that are essential forsustainableagriculture.Agroecologycanplayanimportantroleinbuildingresilienceandadaptingtoclimatechange.”TheUNFAOandagrowingnumberofcountrieshaveembracedagroecology.InOctober2018, thehighestgoverningbodyofFAO,consistingof192members,adoptedaresolutiontoendorsethe‘10elementsofagroecology’andtorequestpartners toscaleupagroecologyaroundtheworld.TheFrenchgovernmenthasmadeagroecologythecentralplankoftheiragriculturepoli-cy,settingambitioustargetsforconvertingfarmsthroughpolicyincentives,training,researchandnewentrantsprogrammmes.