Governance and Policy Adaptation

“Increase legitimacy for adaptive governance processes in agricultural- and environmental policy development”

Lead Partner: Stockholm Environment Institute, Sweden, www.sei.se
WP leader: Neil Powell, neil.powell@sei.se

Partners:

• Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
• Baltic Environmental Forum, Vilnius, Lithuania
• Latvian Union Farmers Parliament, Riga, Latvia
• State Agency for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Areas in Schleswig-Holstein
• Stockholm Environment Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
• Stockholm Environment Institute / Estonian Institute for Sustainable Development
  
• Swedish Board of Agriculture, Jönköping, Sweden
• Institute of Technology and Natural Sciences, Falenty, Poland
• Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission (HELCOM)
• Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden

Problem situation

The Baltic Sea is a common resource for the nine riparian countries in the Baltic Sea Region (BSR) and diffuse agricultural pollution do not respect national borders. Each country thus depends on the actions of other countries to achieve targets for environmental sustainability, human health, economic viability and social equity. However, despite the European ambition of improving regional cohesion, in the current policy environment it is frequently more advantageous for countries to pursue national  priorities in many cases at the cost of regional sustainability and cooperation. Even within each country, it is fraught with difficulty to achieve greater coherence between sectoral goals and measures, for instance between the environmental (conservation) and agricultural (production) sectors. Further, the impact  of nutrient enrichment in water bodies on society is contested. This in turn makes it difficult to achieve win-win situations for farmers, industry, and the wider public.

Objective

To support adaptive and collaborative governance in integrated agricultural-environmental policy development in the region and enhance deepened regional integration.

 TASK 1.

Key outputs

• National reports on experiences with implementation of agro-environmental targets,
• Action plans for selected cases,
• Policy analysis reports on best management practices and technologies, investments, monitoring and assessment methods, and bio-security;
• Guidance handbook and tool box for participatory monitoring and implementation of agro-environmental policy;
• Recommendations for national adaptation and implementation of relevant national and EU legislation, including the Common Agricultural Policy, Water Framework Directive, Marine Directive, Nitrates Directive etc.;
• Contributions to a regional policy forum in collaboration with the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM).

Approach

The work is implemented through a partnership of ministries, agencies, research institutes, companies, farmers’ organizations and environmental NGOs in the nine riparian countries. The purpose is to add value to the work of institutions who are implementing agro-environmental policies, measures and programmes.

It is appreciated that countries and stakeholders have different interests and perspectives connected to the Baltic Sea and the role of agriculture. Rather than enforce a certain view on what comprises the desirable situation in the Baltic Sea Region, we identify problem definitions which are relevant for stakeholders and support them in sharing and negotiating their priorities and needs. For this reason the work package does not undertake expert based assessments but supports multi-stakeholder participation in the policy analyses and action planning processes.

It is also acknowledged that the national contexts in each of the nine riparian countries vary and that the drivers of change are not limited to the public sector, but equally in the private and civil society sectors. Policy is defined as a process which consists of both formulation and implementation of targets and measures, in which coercion, market incentives, information and education and mutual learning are all important instruments. Ultimately, the work aims to support policy adaptation by broader and deeper dialogue between countries and sectors.