Re-connecting agriculture with land use policy: observations from Canada and Spain

Presented by the Environment Institute in association with RDA Barossa, DPLG and PIRSA.

The Environment Institute's proposal to seek World Heritage status for agrarian landscapes around the Mt Lofty Ranges has generated interest and debate across the region. In the course of discussions with stakeholder groups, interest has emerged about how this might work in practice, and the implications for farmers. Such interest is understandable at a time when the farming community is coming to grips with proposals for "right-to-farm" legislation and special Character Preservation Districts, and while issues, such as buffering and land use conflict, seek resolution.

However, the prospect of World Heritage listing is also an opportunity for farmers and farmer groups to re-consider how they currently participate in the governance of agrarian landscapes, and the role they might play in future. An important principle of World Heritage listing is that UNESCO does not become involved in day-to-day governance arrangements: local policy-making and regulation will continue to guide decision-making about land use and environmental management in the listed areas. This gives primary producers important bargaining power because Local, State and Commonwealth governments are unlikely to proceed with an application to UNESCO if a key stakeholder group does not support the proposal. In short, this is an opportunity for farmers to think about how to put the "agriculture" into agrarian landscapes.

To stimulate discussion about the options for re-connecting agriculture with land use policy, the Institute convened a seminar with speakers representing two very different but innovative case studies of agricultural land use policy-making.

Download the Pdf Flyer to find out more about the seminar and the speakers involved.

Presentations