Daily report for 19 April 1995

PRESENTATIONS OF NATIONAL EXPERIENCES IN INTEGRATED LAND MANAGEMENT AND SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE

The CSD heard national presentations on integrated land management and ruraldevelopment and agriculture. Before the presentations, Sweden announcedthat 220 Swedish municipalities are preparing Local Agenda 21 plans. A nationalconsultative process has had a tremendous impact and Agenda 21 has become the bestknown UN document in Sweden. Some people know Chapter 28 'almost by heart.'

AUSTRALIA: Geoff Gorrie, First Assistant Secretary, Land ResourcesDivision, Department of Primary Industries and Energy, described Australia'scommunity and government partnership called the Landcare Programme. Planningapproaches are developed according to local needs and with the involvement ofinterest groups. European settlement introduced inappropriate farming practices leadingto erosion, loss of soil and biodiversity, and poor water quality. Special aboriginalcoordinators are now involved in some Landcare programmes. The concept ofLandcare originated with farming communities in the mid-1980's and focuses on soilconservation. Landcare groups have provided a mechanism for local communities toidentify and address the causes of soil, water and vegetation management problems.Socio-economic issues are also addressed. An example is the West Hume LandcareGroup in New South Wales, involving 160 farms over an area of 69,000 hectares.

In 1989, the National Farmers' Federation and the Australian ConservationFoundation proposed that the 1990's should be the Decade for Landcare. A range ofGovernment funding and assistance programmes is available. National LandcareProgramme campaigns are under way throughout the nation. Achievements of the firstthree years of the Decade for Landcare include: increased community awareness; theformation of 2,200 Landcare groups; increasing corporate support; and a new researchand development focus on sustainable management of natural resources. Outstandingobjectives are: encouraging sustainable practices on a voluntary basis; greater emphasison implementation on the ground; and integration of production and conservationobjectives. Farmers participating in structural adjustment take account of sustainableregional development. Some have decided to move out of farming.

The Australian Conservation Foundation, which initiated the LandcareProgramme, highlighted the insufficient political support and the impacts of landclearance.

CHILE: Dr. Manuel Lladser Prado, Expert from INTEC (TechnologyInstitute of Chile), gave a presentation on the influence of environmental measures onChilean vegetable and fruit exports. Prado noted that the primary problems fordeveloping countries include lack of technical know-how, excessive regulation, andrestrictive trade practices and barriers. He highlighted some of Chile's environmentalproblems, including landfills, litter, depletion of the ozone layer, marine pollution, andexhaustion of non-renewable resources. He referred to the recently establishedEnvironmental Commission and the first Eco Fair that was held in early 1995. In1994, Chile enacted a framework environmental law. Prado described in detail thestate of fruit and vegetable production in Chile and the extensive work beingundertaken to promote clean packaging, including the use of environmentally-friendlymaterials, eco-labeling and recycling.

Brazil asked about why there had been a reduction in the volume ofagricultural exports. Prado said that the declining value of the dollar had been theprimary reason.

HUNGARY: Mrs. Gabriella Mohacsy-Toth, Ministerial Senior Adviser,Hungarian Ministry for Agriculture, presented an historical overview of agriculture inHungary. Between 1948 and 1989 there was intense collectivization, involving 62% ofall farms. This was accompanied by increased use of agrochemicals, mechanizationand monoculture focusing on maize production. Small-scale private farms also playedan important role. Environmental regulation enforcement has been inefficient. Since1989, political, social and economic changes have included a transformation of theland tenure regime and production patterns, a transition to a market economy, andharmonization with EU regulations. A partial compensation process has beenimplemented for confiscated lands. New types of cooperative farms now account for65% of all farms, with partnerships and private farms each accounting for 15%. Newconcepts in environmentally sound land use policies have been introduced, including:soil information systems; agrarian regional development, including provision forbackward regions; a programme to reduce pesticides risk; legislation on landownership and soil conservation; and financial facilities, including State funds forwildlife, forests and land protection. Outstanding problems include: fragmentation ofland units; inappropriate financial provisions; and low regional level activity due to thehistorical dominance of central planning mechanisms. Responding to questions, Mrs.Mohacsy added that a reduction in the use of pesticides by two-thirds has beenaccompanied by a decrease in production levels.

INDONESIA: Minister of Agriculture, Syarifudin Baharsjhah, presentedIndonesia's experience with sustainable agriculture and rural development (SARD).The goals of Indonesia's first 25-year plan were self-sufficiency in rice, the alleviationof poverty and prosperity and well-being for all. The plan, which began in 1969,focused on agriculture and rice self-sufficiency and was implemented in stages toimprove nutrition, living standards and economic growth. The government encouragedfarmers to form village cooperatives and to take greater individual responsibility.Credit was made available to farmers, and subsidized fertilizer was produced anddistributed in greater quantities. The government also purchased surplus rice. Despitewidespread problems with pests and disease, Indonesia became self-sufficient in rice.

By 1986, pesticides were being uniformly and frequently applied, irrespective of realneed and local conditions. A group of Indonesian crop protection experts concludedthat over-fertilization had killed natural predators, resulting in an explosion of croppests. By using resistant rice varieties and applying pesticides only when needed,natural predators could be preserved. The Government prioritized the Integrated PestManagement (IPM) programme, which: restricted pesticide use; demanded that thechoice of pesticides take account of the predator population; and banned many typesof pesticides. Indonesia has once again achieved self-sufficiency in rice, and pesticideuse has decreased 60%.

New programmes have been implemented to enable small farmers to achieve self-reliance, take advantage of opportunities, obtain credit and accumulate savings. Thedevelopment of cash crops, the enhancement of economies of scale throughcooperation, and partnerships between farmers' groups and agribusiness have alsobeen encouraged.

Ghana asked about the factors contributing to the repayment of credit byfarmer groups. Baharsjhah said that before credit is extended to a group, it mustpresent a project plan to a facilitator. Only after a discussion on the feasibility of theproject is credit made available.

Tunisia asked how the 60% reduction of pesticides was achieved. Indonesiaused two measures: the IPM programme, which bans pesticides that contribute to theresistance or resurgence of pests; and training farmers to determine the balancebetween pests and pest predators.

MOROCCO: Korachi Taleb Bensouda, Inspector-General in charge of theEnvironment, Ministry for Agriculture, reported on land management and sustainabledevelopment in Morocco. Agricultural production is largely affected by Morocco'sclimatic and ecosystem diversity. Only 12% of Morocco is suitable for agriculture.The rural population is ageing and declining in number. The Moroccan landmanagement programme has four main focuses: food security; improving agriculturalproduction; protection and conservation of natural resources; and better integration ofagriculture into the economy. Morocco also has a number of national plans formanaging irrigation and water use, reforestation, electrification, and preventing soilerosion and land degradation. The government is also trying to promote publicawareness of sectoral-based projects and methods for sustainable agriculture and ruraldevelopment. Conservation of agricultural land is vital. Twelve million hectares ofland are subject to erosion. Morocco is applying reforestation and other techniques toprevent further erosion. Popular participation is fundamental to the success of suchprogrammes.

Tunisia described its National Commission for Sustainable Development,which includes government officials, members of parliament and NGOs. Tunisia'snational Agenda 21 will be completed soon. Tunisia recently convened the Med 21Conference on sustainable development in the Mediterranean basin.

China described his country's experience with land management, includingthe development of criteria and indicators for sustainable forest management and largescale afforestation. Every able-bodied Chinese citizen is obliged to plant three to fivetrees per year. The Chinese government is also working to control forest fires andinsects, and prevent the stealing of logs and poaching of animals. The objective is toimprove the ecosystem while developing the forest industry.

IN THE CORRIDORS

NGOs have been busy roaming the corridors and meeting rooms exchanging views onthe Chair's draft decisions and lobbying delegates. On the financial resources andmechanisms draft, some NGOs believe that: more emphasis should be placed on theneed for policy reforms, economic instruments and military spending reductions togenerate additional resources for ODA; debt relief should not be linked to IMF-sponsored structural adjustment programmes; international financial institutions shouldrealign their activities to support sustainable development; and the CSD should studythe feasibility of economic instruments and develop consensus around the coordinatedimplementation of specific proposals.

On the draft decision on production and consumption patterns, some NGOs feel thatthe language is too general and does not place sufficient emphasis on the consumptionside of the equation. Some NGOs have also called for greater emphasis on the needfor national-level action in the North.

On the biotechnology draft decision, some NGOs are calling for: more information andproposals on the ecological, safety, health and socio-economic effects of geneticengineering; monitoring and assessing the viability of biotechnology experiments andprojects; enhancement of the role of NGOs in the implementation of Chapter 16; 'bestpractice' case studies; and discussions in the Biodiversity COP on intellectualproperty rights that balance the need to reward innovation, while recognizing farmers'rights and the knowledge of indigenous peoples and farming communities.

THINGS TO LOOK FOR TODAY

DRAFTING GROUPS: The three drafting groups will begin their worktoday. Group A, under the Chairmanship of Magns Jhannesson (Iceland), will meetat 10:00 am and 3:00 pm in Conference Room 1 to negotiate decisions on: financialresources and mechanisms; combating poverty; demographic dynamics andsustainability; changing consumption patterns; and trade, environment and sustainabledevelopment.

Group B, under the chairmanship of Takao Shibata (Japan), will meet at 3:00 pm inConference Room 2 to negotiate decisions on: transfer of technology, cooperation andcapacity building; science for sustainable development; integrating environment anddevelopment for decision-making; information for decision-making; nationalinformation; and major groups.

Group C, under the chairmanship of Henry Aryamanya-Mugisha (Uganda), will meetat 10:00 am in Conference Room 2 to negotiate decisions on: the sectoral chapters ofAgenda 21 under review in 1995; biotechnology; and the implementation of thedecisions of the second session of the CSD.

Look for the draft mandate for the intergovernmental panel on forests to be circulated.

WORKSHOP ON PESTICIDE USE REDUCTION: The World WildlifeFund and Earth Summit Watch will host this workshop at 1:15 pm in ConferenceRoom 2.

FORUM ON COMMUNITIES FIGHTING FOR ECOLOGICALRIGHTS: This Third World Network Forum will take place at 1:15 pm inConference Room 1.

SURVEY ON TIMBER CERTIFICATION: Earth Summit Watch will becirculating a survey to government delegates today. The informal two-question surveyis assessing government views on the issue of timber certification.