Ecosystem Services: The Farmers' Challenge

Abstract

We read the Research Article “Bringing ecosystem services into economic decision-making: Land use in the United Kingdom” (I. J. Bateman et al. , 5 July, p. [45][1]) with interest. The National Farmers' Union believes that one of the biggest challenges facing farmers and growers in England and Wales will be balancing their commitment to meeting global food demand with their responsibility to reduce environmental impact. We feel that the economic valuations assigned to ecosystem services should be treated with some caution, as the National Ecosystem Assessment model is far too simplistic. By crudely comparing market prices for agricultural produce against the value of nonmarket goods such as biodiversity, the model disregards the fact that market power may diminish the prices that farmers receive for their output to a level below the value that consumers place on their food. It also fails to account for likely future increases in food prices. Furthermore, Bateman et al. 's analysis suggests that “farming in the United Kingdom will largely benefit from warmer temperatures.” The United Kingdom's first Climate Change Risk Assessment ([ 1 ][2]) also stated that warmer temperatures may present some opportunities to improve yields, with the caveat that reduced water availability may limit these benefits. However, farming is vulnerable to extreme weather events, as we saw last year ([ 2 ][3]). Recent work by the Government's Food Research Partnership suggests that the United Kingdom is “potentially at considerable risk from increasing weather extremes, locally for UK production, and globally for UK food prices” ([ 3 ][4]). Suggesting that farmers should get paid far more for services they provide to the nation's ecosystems than the compensation they get for producing food is not only worrying but also misleading. The National Farmers' Union believes that successful policy-making has its roots in robust scientific evidence, where the assumptions made and uncertainty and limitations associated with the analysis are clear. This is especially critical in the face of a challenge as formidable as climate change, which is likely to present society within the United Kingdom's borders and across the world with some very difficult decisions. 1. [↵][5] UK Climate Change Risk Assessment: Government Report (The Stationery Office, London, 2012). 2. [↵][6] National Farmers' Union, “NFU outlook for 2013” ([www.nfuonline.com/news/press-centre/nfu-outlook-for-2013/][7]). 3. [↵][8] 1. T. Benton 2. et al ., “Severe weather and UK food chain resilience: Detailed Appendix to Synthesis Report” (2012); [www.foodsecurity.ac.uk/assets/pdfs/frp-severe-weather-uk-food-chain-resilience.pdf][9]. [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.1234379 [2]: #ref-1 [3]: #ref-2 [4]: #ref-3 [5]: #xref-ref-1-1 View reference 1 in text [6]: #xref-ref-2-1 View reference 2 in text [7]: http://www.nfuonline.com/news/press-centre/nfu-outlook-for-2013/ [8]: #xref-ref-3-1 View reference 3 in text [9]: http://www.foodsecurity.ac.uk/assets/pdfs/frp-severe-weather-uk-food-chain-resilience.pdf