Let’s not turn agriculture into a ‘tragedy of the commons’

At a time when all eyes are fixed on the drama unfolding in Europe, the war reminds everyone the necessity of strong and sovereign agriculture in the short term. Globalization did not change the fact that many revolutions start with an inflation of agricultural commodity prices, and that political stability goes hand in hand with food security. Together, Russia and the Ukraine account for about 30 per cent of global wheat exports, leading some commenters to suggest Vladimir Putin actually has one more weapon: the weapon of wheat. Confronted with this threat, Canada benefits from two major assets: a wealth of natural resources and democracy. Canadian agriculture, representing only 1.7 per cent of the national GDP, occupies five per cent of the country’s landmass, with 80 per cent of agricultural lands situated in the Prairies. Despite this, Canada remains strong in the global export market, exporting 40 per cent of its beef production, 76 per cent of its canola oil and 70 per cent of its wheat. Above all, the agri-food sector is an economic sector with significant potential, driven by growing global demand. Despite the tragic context of the last few weeks, the short-term threat of climate change on the agricultural sector as a source of instability and vulnerability, cannot be forgotten. Farmers are at the mercy of more frequent and intense climatic hazards, creating uncertainty about harvests and subsequent large variations in domestic and international markets. However, agriculture is one of the only economic sectors where potential growth is compatible with climate. Agricultural production requires the use of natural resources and therefore cannot exist without an environmental footprint. But it is possible, and pressingly urgent, to define agricultural policies that are not only constraints, but also assets for producers, taking into account the added societal and environmental values that are currently left out of the market. Agriculture is a sector under two major concurrent constraints. The first is a demographic crisis, causing a shortage of workforce, desertification of rural areas, and an ever-widening chasm between rural and urban populations. The second is the environmental ramifications associated with agricultural production. Modern food systems, such as the one observed in Canada, are generally characterized by higher productivity—higher environmental impact, actualized through the intensive use of inputs, and stimulated by domestic and international consumption of low-cost products. This creates a paradoxical situation where existing food systems and international trade encourage practises that do not align with planetary health, while at the same time, farmers experience consumers and public authorities pressures to green their practises. Can Canadian farmers adopt greener practises? Recent research demonstrates that when possible, the answer is yes. For example, about 90 per cent of Alberta farmers adopted cropping practices that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, implementing technical solutions, associated with resulting increased revenue. Yet, the market does not necessarily reward sustainable production systems. Promising advances in feed additives, such as 3-NOP, show significant potential to reduce methane emissions in cattle. Despite approval in Chile and Brazil, novel feed additives face regulatory barriers, bolstered by indifference in key governing players, before acceptance and classification as a feed additive. Notwithstanding the presence or absence of technical solutions, agriculture as a sector does not allow asset relocation, as it is impossible to move land. Climactic and geographic constraints are barriers to changing type of production. Canada can boast of an agricultural sector that is low in greenhouse gas emissions, relative to total production. This is partly because producers face climate constraints, which led them to grow crops requiring reduced nitrogen input requirements and a lower carbon footprint, particularly in Western Canada. Consequently, the additional potential for emission reduction is limited. Canadian agriculture and its ecosystem services, such as carbon sequestration capacity or the preservation of precious ecosystems, is one of the solutions to the challenges of climate change. Yet one must remember that Canadian agriculture accounts for less than 10 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions. When the economist Garrett Hardin described the tragedy of the commons in 1968, he concluded that “the population problem had no technical solution, it requires a fundamental extension of morality." The increase in agriculture production, and use in natural resources, echoes a demand for consumption linked to the increased in human population and individual consumption. Agriculture employs 1.7 per cent of the Canadian workforce. To think that this fraction alone can meet the challenges of climate change by mobilizing technological solutions is illusory. Provincial and federal governments must develop agricultural policies that double as environmental policies. A simple approach is to subsidize sustainable farming practices to ensure widespread adoption; a more complex, but likely more effective approach, is to introduce a mechanism that ensures the prices of agricultural products reflect the environmental benefits derived from farming practices. In summary, producers should commit to social and environmental responsibilities, funded by consumers: a sort of social agreement. Guillaume Lhermie is the director of the Simpson Centre for Agricultural and Food Policy, located at the University of Calgary, School of Public Policy. Dr. Lhermie also holds an appointment as associate professor of Animal Health Economics and Policy at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Calgary. The Hill Times

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Let’s not turn agriculture into a ‘tragedy of the commons’

The agri-food sector is an economic sector with significant potential, driven by growing global demand.

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