Design and implementation of agri-environmental mechanisms are guidelines feasible? David Baldock IEEP

Transcription

1 Design and implementation of agri-environmental mechanisms are guidelines feasible? David Baldock IEEP 20 June 2011

2 Feasibility of providing guidelines Is it feasible to provide guidance, relevant to all OECD countries, on the design and implementation of chosen agri-environment policy mechanisms? covering agri-environmental incentive payments, environmental standards or taxes, guidance on: setting the objectives of intervention policy coherence reference level evidence base targeting delivery and ensuring compliance policy evaluation institutional capacity and budgeting 2

3 Setting objectives of intervention clarity and precision is required (but not always easily achieved) set within a strategic policy framework: policy objectives operational objectives performance objectives single or multiple environmental objectives? secondary objectives policy objectives may change over time 3

4 Policy coherence maximise synergy and minimise conflict between policies: agri-environmental environmental agricultural agri-environmental internal and external coherence policies may be implemented by different levels or institutions of governance problems of coherence of data 4

5 The reference level the reference level concept, developed by the OECD, formulates cost allocation an explicit reference level usually helpful it comprises legislation, other standards and reflects social preferences reference levels vary between countries and over time it sets the baseline for voluntary incentive payments risks of setting it at too demanding or too low a level 5

6 Targeting the intervention Targeting seeks to optimise cost-effectiveness and environmental efficiency, by focusing resources and effort On clear objectives and priorities On priority areas and spatially coherent outcomes On priority farms, farm types, operations etc Applicable at different levels, including the landscape scale Can be applied alongside tailoring, which seeks to match interventions to specific conditions Costs and benefits of targeting 6

7 The evidence base analysis of evidence supports successful policy design: identifying environmental problems and opportunities defining operational objectives analysing relevant chains of causation selecting most effective management interventions providing a baseline against which delivery can be measured anticipating perverse effects environmental evidence socio-economic evidence use of farmland agricultural dynamics drivers and attitudes scale and availability of data 7

8 Delivery and ensuring compliance administration of a voluntary incentive payment scheme: separation of functions applications and selection, setting up spatially specific contracts payments and compliance monitoring evaluation of effectiveness, review and revision training, advice and information pilot schemes dealing with changing needs and circumstances two-way communication with farmers and stakeholders monitoring and ensuring compliance 8

9 Evaluation of incentive policies a management tool used throughout the life of the policy monitoring provides information on progress of implementation over time evaluation provides in-depth analysis of impacts against quantified performance objectives indicators are a useful evaluation tool, but only if directly related to clearly defined objectives: input, output, result and impact indicators importance of baseline indicators time series data or control sample? monitoring and evaluation must be devised as part of the process of designing the policy and its implementation afterwards is too late 9

10 Institutional capacity and budgeting range of mainly public sector institutions are delivering policies, for example on water quality, taxation, environment, agriculture, require coordination, coherence, growing sophistication many new policies require increase in capacity (staff, IT systems) and resources for staff training, monitoring and evaluation introducing agri-environment incentive payments for the first time can be complex: separation of scheme management and payment functions seasonal peaks of work, specialist expertise and advice required on-going communication with farmers and stakeholders pre-delivery training of staff, advisors and trainers significant peak demand on resources when delivery commences regionally targeted payments and local capacity building multi-annual budgets for farmer payments and farmer training 10

11 Feasibility of providing guidelines? It is feasible to provide guidance on many aspects of the design and implementation of agri-environment policies, relevant to the situation in most OECD countries - but the scope of the guidance and the level of detail will vary: for regulatory, taxation and payment schemes guidance on: designing a policy framework setting objectives ensuring policy coherence determining the reference level additionally, for payment schemes, guidance on: Targeting / tailoring delivery monitoring and evaluation 11

12 Thank you for your attention For publications, news and newsletter on all dimensions of EU environmental and rural policy visit IEEP s web-site David Baldock (dbaldock@ieep.eu) Photo acknowledgements: Annie Maria V. Nguyen, C Keenleyside, Dallis Bros, Defra, EEA, Natural England, Macomb Paynes, Miro Demko, mrtruffle, Molly des Jardin, Ricardo Funari, tetejaune, ystenes 12