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Der agrarpolitische Reformprozess wird zu einer Verbesserung der Umweltleistungen beitragen
Author(s) -
DeBoe Gwen,
Deconinck Koen,
Henderson Ben,
Lankoski Jussi
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
eurochoices
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.487
H-Index - 15
eISSN - 1746-692X
pISSN - 1478-0917
DOI - 10.1111/1746-692x.12247
Subject(s) - externality , agriculture , harm , business , production (economics) , environmental impact assessment , dividend , natural resource economics , environmental policy , common agricultural policy , variety (cybernetics) , public economics , payment , economics , environmental economics , environmental planning , economic policy , european union , political science , finance , environmental science , ecology , macroeconomics , artificial intelligence , computer science , law , biology , microeconomics
Summary Agriculture is a major source of environmental pressure worldwide. At the same time, most countries support the farming sector through a variety of policy instruments. This article discusses the impact of agricultural policies on environmental performance. The available evidence as well as modelling studies undertaken at the OECD show that the way in which agricultural support is provided affects its environmental impact. Support coupled to production or input use is particularly harmful for the environment, while other instruments such as largely decoupled payments, which do not depend on current production choices, are among the least environmentally harmful forms of support. Yet the most environmentally harmful instruments remain widely used, although less so in the EU . Policies should therefore be reoriented towards more decoupled forms of support – a reform which would pay a ‘double dividend’ in terms of both improved economic efficiency and environmental performance. This would reduce the environmental harm created by agricultural activities, but additional policy measures are needed to address the remaining environmental externalities – both in providing public goods and reducing environmental damage – that are not reflected in prices received or paid by farmers. Policymakers also have an important role to play in designing policies that can be effectively monitored and evaluated in terms of both their economic and environmental consequences.