THE STATEMENT AGRICULTURE AND ENVIRONMENT

Agriculture is an important sector for all people and countries from environmental, economic and social point of view. In the regions with intensive agriculture, many activities have an unfavorable impact on different biodiversity and environment components.

Intensification and concentration of agricultural production overdose of artificial fertilizers and pesticides result in degradation of agricultural areas: soil, surface water as well as decline of biodiversity. For economy reasons farmers stop cultivating in less favourable areas which causes forest succession and loss of many plant and animal species unique for those areas.

Consumers recognize agriculture as a specific "food factory" where such rules as using best available technologies, monitoring its influence on environment or paying for environmental pollution and caused by the factory do not apply. "Agriculture production" seems to exist in non-exploitable environment with ever lasting resources.

Oxygen deficit, decline of natural biodiversity in Baltic Sea is also an effect of intensive agricultural practices where nitrogen and phosphorus surpluses from fields cause problems listed above. It is magnified by natural sensitiveness of Baltic Sea with its low saltiness, where small changes caused by pollution cause big marine environment changes.

Growing political and social problems of rural areas are the result of such approach. There are no consistent governmental policies for agriculture and rural development taking into consideration social consultation and cooperation with farmers in agro-environmental aspects, which results in weak cooperation between other groups involved in rural problems (local governments, extension services, NGOs, research institutions). As a result rural areas are pushed to the margin; hidden unemployment and land abandonment are observed. Very low percentage of organic farms in those countries is a result of the lack of information about organic agriculture practices and possibilities to produce high quality food. EU subsidies given for every tone of production force intensive agricultural production to get a lot of money and make sustainable and environmentally friendly agriculture very unprofitable.

We recommend that governments, development agencies and civil society work together to:

• Increase the efforts and invite all potential stakeholders at regional, national and European level to embrace the integration of natural conservation and agriculture as an optimal proven model which can contribute to sustainable rural development
• Take the responsibility for the continued development of strong participatory, self-reliant and locally adapted sustainable agriculture movement from the grassroots level in Europe
• Put efforts into developing national and regional legislation and standard linking biodiversity, environment and agriculture

In order to fully benefit from the potential of sustainable agriculture in the context of conserving nature and biodiversity we call upon implementation following instruments:

• Relocate of public funds from supporting high-input agriculture to enhance the supply of good quality of food, environmental goods and services through organic agriculture, biodiversity conservation and their integration into rural development.
• promoting and favoring (subsidies, tax preferences) clean and environmentally friendly agricultural production
• Promote private investments in business that directly benefit integrated agricultural and conservation programmes and small enterprises and producers
• Develop sustainable forms of agriculture as organic agriculture with incorporate rural tourism and local handicraft and other alternative forms of livelihoods in sustainable rural development
• Intensive agricultural production shall be charged with the costs of environmental pollution ‘at the source’, consequently using the rule ‘polluter pays’.

• Develop programs for agri-environmental education and training in schools, universities and among the general public
• Create support for farmers, extension services and training
• Build local capacity in the rural areas and local initiative groups
• Special focus on scientific research in sustainable land use and organic agriculture

• Integrate the convention of biodiversity as well as other environmental legislation into the whole package of agricultural regulations and acts
• Implement new methodologies of data collection and interpretation
• Reform the current legislative framework which stimulates and promote intensive agriculture
• Reduce pollution of surface waters and make the protection of Baltic Sea waters and other seas by efficient use the Code for Good Agricultural Practices

• Encourage the sharing of knowledge about the importance of agri-biological diversity
• Focus efforts on the preservation and protection of local genetic resources base and indigenous knowledge
• Recognise genetically modified organisms (GMOs) as a threat to biodiversity and sustainable agriculture and work towards a moratorium on the use of such organisms in agriculture

We ask environmentalist, farmers, politicians, industry and international institutions to support and implement the above actions with the objectives of revitalizing agriculture forwards sustainable food security. We urge the agriculture and nature conservation movements to work much more closely and more intensively together. The proposed actions can be achieved through assuring urgent measures and implementation of global and regional financial instruments for environmentally sound development.

The statement is open to individual signatures and organization at…….

For more contacts:
Maria Staniszewska
Svetla Nikolova

Supported by independent experts and researchers of Polish and Bulgarian universities and research institutions.