Common Agricultural Policy: The Future of Agri-Environmental Payments

Managing the growing areas of extensive farmland and abandoned land is a major issue in today's agricultural and nature conservation policies. The current reform of the Common Agricultural Policy is providing positive opportunities for allocating public money more effectively and efficiently for promoting balanced rural development.

In some areas, especially those close to urban centres, the public contribution to investment in rural development may be limited or even be absent, as there is a strong private business case.
In other areas, there is a more important role to play for agri-environmental payments.

Effective policies for stimulating rural development and the protection of biodiversity must go beyond the traditional boundaries of agricultural and nature conservation policies. Only through creating new links between a variety of policy areas, can European policy optimally stimulate effective rural development at the level of regional cooperation and partnerschips.

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Intensification and Abandonment

Intensification of European agriculture has led to the concentration of the majority of European food production on 30% of available land. On the remaining 70%, agriculture is no longer economically profitable.
Many farmers have already abandoned their land, with a number of negative results:

culturally valuable landscapes and rural communities are disappearing at an alarming rate.
ecologically valuable (open) landscapes are disappearing and are being replaced by forests with less biodiversity. A major part of Europe's biodiversity is linked to (extensive) agriculture.
costs for managing nature in Europe are starting to exceed available funds, as management by nature conservation organisation tends to become far more expensive than traditional management by farmers.

REP: backgrounds

Opportunities for Investment in Rural Development

However, depending on the regional and local situation, there are attractive options to counteract the trend of abandonment and to look for a profitable mix of extensive agriculture and a number of activities that bring added value to the farmer and the region:

combining diversified agriculture with opportunities in nature development, tourism and social services
regional 'branding', setting up regional supply chains, marketing regional products with an attractive added value.

The most attractive options for sustainable rural development and the protection of biodiversity cannot be found within the traditional boundaries of agriculture and nature conservation only. They increasingly require cooperation and creative partnerships between a variety of regional and local interests and their representatives, including, for example, health care organisations, chambers of commerce and private investors.
The best opportunities for creating added value for extensive farming, nature development, regional branding, etc., are found in the vicinity of urban areas, where there is a strong demand for 'natural' rural open space and related products and services. In many cases, (private) investments in rural development in these areas can be a profitable activity.

REP's role

There is a growing body of knowledge and experience on the issue of rural development in Europe. There are many successful examples of diversified agriculture, development of tourism, regional branding etc. that can inspire other regions in their further development.
REP is the platform for exchanging information about successful examples and for discussing their relevance for implementing a Common Agricultural Policy in the near future.

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