Towards Sustainable Agriculture in Chile, Reflections on the Role of Public Policy

Oscar Melo,Daniela Acuña,Nadia Báez

doi:10.7764/ijanr.v48i3.2359

Abstract

Given the increasing demand for agricultural products and the environmental degradation that current agricultural practices generate, there is an urgent need to change the activity. Sustainable agriculture emerges as an attractive alternative to mitigate the adverse effects of the activity on the environment, increase its resilience to global change, and increase the current population’s quality of life without sacrificing that of future generations. However, identifying effective policies that can achieve these goals remains elusive. In Chile, this sector has been one of the drivers of growth and poverty reduction but still faces many environmental and social challenges, and there is a growing public demand for achieving sustainability from an economic, environmental, and social perspective. Public and private institutions have made relevant efforts to increase Chilean agriculture sustainability. However, the need to transition towards sustainable agriculture is still not recognized by all stakeholders. In this article, we review current challenges and policies to achieve a more sustainable agriculture in Chile.

Highlights

Conventional agriculture, based on the high use of inputs, has increased environmental degradation
Given the central role of climate change in the sustainability of the agriculture and forestry sector, we review policies related to this phenomenon in a separate section
The growth and competitiveness of the rural economy must be enhanced through the application of policies and instruments that promote social development, especially considering the particularities of the most vulnerable groups in agriculture and the sustainable management of natural resources, which are increasingly subject to greater demand and competition among activities, as well as severe impacts from climate change

Summary

Introduction

Conventional agriculture, based on the high use of inputs, has increased environmental degradation. The Chilean Ministry of Agriculture emphasizes that the design and implementation of comprehensive policies should aim to enhance sustainable agricultural and forestry production in the economic, social, and environmental areas, promoting strategies for adapting to climate change while maintaining the protection and value of the national phytosanitary and zoosanitary condition (MINAGRI, 2013, 2019). The growth and competitiveness of the rural economy must be enhanced through the application of policies and instruments that promote social development, especially considering the particularities of the most vulnerable groups in agriculture and the sustainable management of natural resources, which are increasingly subject to greater demand and competition among activities, as well as severe impacts from climate change. Existing evaluations are not very auspicious regarding the impact of these instruments due to additionality problems, there is no doubt that this alternative is better than implementing support schemes that may incentivize production or the use of inputs or production factors that cause environmental degradation

Conclusions

Findings

Background