RURAL FUTURES: ALTERNATIVE ECONOMIES

Dr Jane Adams

Current sustainable production model

ECONOMIC

SOCIAL AND ETHICAL ENVIRONMENTAL

Strong Sustainability for New Zealand: Principles and Scenarios.2009 Sustainable Aotearoa New Zealand Incorporated (SANZ)/ Nakedize Ltd

Future human impacts

Future sustainable production model

BIOSPHERE

SOCIOSPHERE

ECONOSPHERE

Strong Sustainability for New Zealand: Principles and Scenarios.2009 Sustainable Aotearoa New Zealand Incorporated (SANZ)/ Nakedize Ltd

Pathway to sustainability

Pathway to sustainability: ZESPRI journey“ensuring a better quality of life for everyone, now and for generations to come.”

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Issues to consider: • Consumer pressure for a sustainable

economy and means of production.• Growing concerns about climate change.• Green products and the rise of a “green

market”.• Actions toward sustainability.

Source: S McLaren et al., 2008

Carbon Footprint for ZESPRI GREEN™ KIWIGREEN fruit shipped to the UK in 2007

Scenario: Future, sustainablerural economies

• More people employed in rural based economies

• More local production and processing of food, fibre, energy, biomaterials, pharmaceuticals,

• Local water conservation and energy supply- hydro, solar, wind, biofuels.

• Resource conservation- nutrients, key elements, oil and other fossil resources.

Trade: important but less volume, higher value

Ecosystem approach to development of rural economies

Improved total productivity of

managed lands.

Improved resilience against environmental, social and economic

changes

High biodiversity and community interactions

Efficient resource use

Efficient nutrient use and recycling

Zero waste

Future sustainable rural economies will provide services in a way that will

• Limit emissions into the atmosphere, discharges into waterways and the ocean, and chemicals into soil, to within the assimilative capacities of the relevant ecosystems.

• Substitute renewable resources for non-renewable resources wherever feasible and conserve non-renewable material resources within closed cycles.

Higher productivity- increase biodiversity

Shelter belts and plantations

Bush reserves, gullies, riparian strips

Ecotourism

Nutrient recycling and zero waste

Zero waste- Bioplastics- reusable or biodegradable

Regional and local provision of energy and water

Businesses to support management of rural production

Questions for science

• How do we assess modern and new technologies against requirements of sustainable ecosystems- no change in stability, resiliance, diversity– Genetic technologies especially transgenics– Nanotechnologies– Biopharming technologies

• How do we manage diverse activities and actors to ensure ecosystem functions optimally?

Questions for policy makers

• What social and legal structures are required to manage multiple resource users of private land.

• How do we account for environmental goods and services provided by activity of multi land owners- and by ecosystem services held in commons?

Conclusion• Rural communities will be revitalised through

provision of many new goods and services• Food, fibers, biological products and renewable

energy will increase in value.• Trading will be important, but volumes lower,

value higher. Greater local self sufficiency.• Many new rural businesses. Clustered to optimise

resource use and efficiency• Total productivity from managed ecosystems

increased through higher biodiversity .

Thank You Any Questions?