Sustainability indicators: key tools for Swiss agricultural policy

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Sustainability indicators key tools for Swiss
agricultural policy
INFASA Symposium

• INFASA Symposium, 16 March 2006
• Vinzenz Jung, Swiss Federal Office for
  Agriculture

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Change in the structure of support
Policy background
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General direct payments
Policy background

• to remunerate farmers for the provision of
  public goods
• to compensate for difficult production
  conditions in mountains

• Ecological direct payments
• for ecological compensation areas which foster
  biodiversity
• for the extensive production of cereals and
  rape-seed
• for organic farming
• for special animal welfare commitments

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Policy background
Federal Constitution (proposal 1995)
1 The Confederation shall ensure that agriculture
contributes substantially by way of an
ecological and market-oriented production
a. to the provision of food to the
population b. to the conservation of natural
resources and the upkeep of rural
landscapes c. to a decentralized settlement of
the country.
2 (...)
d. It complements farmers incomes with direct
payments (...)
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Policy background
Federal Constitution (adopted 1996)
1 The Confederation shall ensure that agriculture
contributes substantially by way of a
sustainable and market-oriented production
a. to the provision of food to the
population b. to the conservation of natural
resources and the upkeep of rural
landscapes c. to a decentralized settlement of
the country.
2 (...)
a. It complements farmers incomes with direct
payments (...) contingent on ecological
cross- compliance conditions.
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Policy background
Cross-compliance conditions for all direct
payments

• a. balanced fertiliser use
• b. appropriate share of ecological compensation
  areas
• c. regular crop rotation
• d. suitable soil protection
• selected and targeted application of plant
  treatment products
• animal welfare standards

Necessary steps
Criteria
Implementation
Control
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Indicator-based monitoring
Indicators
as of 1995
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Indicator-based monitoring
Indicators
as of 1995
as of 2000
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Indicator-based monitoring
Indicators
as of 1995
as of 2000
continued/ intensified
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Indicator-based monitoring
Indicators
continued / intensified
as of 1995
as of 2000
continued/ intensified
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Indicator-based monitoring
Indicators
continued / intensified
as of 1995
as of 2000
continued/ intensified
as of 2005
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Sustainability indicators
Indicators

• Conceptual work started in 2001
• Indicator development and implementation 2002
  (ongoing)
• First publication (indicators and results) in
  2005

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Sustainability indicators Concept
Indicators
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Sustainability indicators Concept
Indicators
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Sustainability indicators Concept
Indicators
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Sustainability indicators Concept
Indicators
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Sustainability indicators Concept
Indicators
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Sustainability indicators Concept
Indicators
2 indicators
1 indicator
4 indicators
1 indicator
2 indicators
2 indicators
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Sustainability indicators first results
Indicators
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Sustainability indicators first results
Indicators
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Sustainability indicators first results
Indicators
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Sustainability indicators first results
Indicators
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Sustainability indicators first results
Indicators
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Sustainability indicators first results
Indicators
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Challenges and limits
Indicators

• Conceptual level
• System boundaries
• Indicators have to make sense from a global
  perspective
• Indicator design

• Implementation What conceptually may look like
  a good indicator is sometimes too difficult to
  implement or too expensive

• Sustainability indicators cannot replace broad
  monitoring

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Sustainability indicators use
Indicators

• Retrospective evaluation (ex-post), every four
  years
• Prospective evaluation (ex-ante) (Ex.
  Evaluation of policy package AP 2011)

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Do indicators have an impact?
Indicators
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Challenge N-efficiency
Indicators
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Answer Programme to improve sustainable resource
use
Indicators
Region or value chain
Fertilizer use Pesticides Soil Energy Biodiversity
More efficient use of natural resources
Measures
Concept
Planning
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Conclusions
Indicators

• Indicators play an important role in Swiss
  agricultural policy
• Policy evaluation Broad monitoring
  Sustainability indicators
• Policy development Example Resource
  programme in new policy package AP 2011
• Indicator work is work in progress, long-term
  commitment is crucial.