The role of land degradation in the agriculture and environment nexus

The relationship between agriculture and environment could be viewed as conflicting (win-lose) or as synergistic (win-win). A win-lose situation is occurring when agricultural activities such as clearing forest for cultivation is leading to environmental degradation or when environmental protection prevents agricultural activity. A synergistic approach, on the other hand, assumes that sustainable environmental management and agricultural production can be achieved simultaneously. One central goal of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and UNEP is to mainstream sustainable land management into sectors such as agriculture and forestry, thus assuming that win-win situations are possible. The different conceptual frameworks that UNEP has applied and developed in its GEF-funded land degradation projects highlight different aspects of the relationship between agriculture and environment. The paper draws on 10 years of UNEP/GEF experience in working at the environment-agriculture nexus starting with the People, Land Management and Environmental Change Project (PLEC). PLEC illustrates the potential for synergies between environmental and developmental objectives by developing sustainable and participatory approaches to biodiversity management and conservation based on farmers' technologies and knowledge within agricultural systems. The Land Use Change, Impacts and Dynamics Project (LUCID) developed a model on how to use land use change analysis in combination with social and economic variables as a tool to assess biodiversity loss and land degradation across landscapes. The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) assessment framework offers a mechanism for decision-makers to: (1) identify options that can better achieve core human development and sustainability goals; and (2) better understand the trade-offs involved in decisions concerning the environment. The Land Degradation Assessment in Drylands (LADA) uses the Driving Forces-Pressures-State-Impact-Responses (DPSIR) framework in analysing the environment-agriculture nexus in drylands. This overview shows how the relationship between agriculture and environment can be analysed using different models and approaches depending of scale and level of analysis. The PLEC model is useful at the local level in reconciling environmental and livelihood goals. Land use change analysis is a useful tool at the landscape level in analysing drivers of land degradation and biodiversity loss. The ecosystem services approach by the MA provides a tool for decision-makers at national level to make informed decisions about trade-offs between agriculture/human well-being and the environment. Finally, LADA will use the DPSIR framework for integration of information collected at different scales, from the local to the global.