forestry and agriculture policy issues john sessions
TRANSCRIPT
Forestry and Agriculture
Policy Issues
John Sessions
Feeding the World
OverviewOverview
Governments set the rules Policies affecting supply and demand for
forest products Linkages to agricultural policy Conditions that make sustainable
forestry possible
Governments Set the RulesGovernments Set the Rules
Governments largely determine how forests should be used on public and private lands
National, state, provincial policiesPublic ownership (>80%)
Govt Policies affect Supply and Govt Policies affect Supply and Demand for Timber ProductsDemand for Timber Products
Supply side - Policies affecting forest revenue such as
access to markets (roads, railroads)- Taxes and subsidies- Barriers to trade (import and export policies)- Property rights, land tenure, predictability- Timber concession management- Illegal Logging (law enforcement, corruption)
Corruption Can Influence PoliciesCorruption Can Influence Policies
“Use of public office for private gain”
124 of the 177 countries on Transparency International’s 2012 Corruption Perception Index (CPI) are considered to have “serious corruption”
Govt Policies affect Supply and Govt Policies affect Supply and Demand for Timber ProductsDemand for Timber Products
Policies affecting demand for forest products- Level of economic activity- Import restrictions, tariffs- Interest rates, loan conditions- Regulation, subsidies for wood and substitutes- Energy pricing policies toward fuelwood
substitutes- Exchange rates
The Forest/Agriculture InterfaceThe Forest/Agriculture Interface
Population growth, rising incomes - World food production has been increasing faster than world population but access and price are issues
Barriers to Trade -- Many govts have agricultural
subsidies (food security, cultural history, rural employment, foreign exchange earnings, corruption)
USA >$50/ac, European Union >$280/ac, Japan >$400/ac, Brazil ???
Land Title - Development (land clearing) as a means to obtain title
Relative cost of capital, tax policies
Major Causes of Land Change by Region Major Causes of Land Change by Region
Latin America: Large scale conversion from forest to permanent agriculture, cash crops, pastureland
Asia: Migration to new areas for shifting cultivation (resettlement), conversion of shifting cultivation into permanent cultivation, agribusiness
Africa: Direct conversion of forest into small scale agriculture although this could be changing with international investments from Asia
Rising IncomesRising Incomes Meat Demand Up 2% Per Year Meat Demand Up 2% Per Year
Most countries consume most of what they produce (some exceptions)
Global trade is about 10% of production
Will require more land and/or more feed
http://www.wattagnet.com/uploadedImages/WattAgNet/Articles/Feed/0910FImeatchart1.jpg
Clearing SubTropical Forest for Agriculture – NW Argentina
Necessary Conditions for Necessary Conditions for Sustainable ForestrySustainable Forestry
Long Term Investments Make Forestry Unique!
Tenure claims on trees, land, and other forest resources are secure
Returns for forest outputs are competitive with alternative land uses
Authorities do not have conflicts of interest
Basic infrastructure is adequate
Society is able to maintain law and order in forested regions
Forest management rests on a sound scientific and technical basis
Society is able to identify and weight competing social and economic interests in forestry
Missing From Many CountriesMissing From Many Countries
Secure tenure Dependable law enforcement Incorruptible governments Basic infrastructure Open and competitive markets Policy predictability