ODA seeks landowners for water quality committees – Capital Press

Report on Oregon’s Agricultural Water Quality Initiative and its Contribution to Sustainable Development Goals

The Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) has initiated a recruitment drive for agricultural landowners to serve on 38 Local Advisory Committees (LACs). This program is a critical component of the state’s strategy to protect water resources and directly supports the achievement of several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

The primary objective of the initiative is to safeguard water quality, a core target of SDG 6. The committees are instrumental in:

• Developing and implementing local agricultural water quality management area plans.
• Protecting rivers and streams from agricultural pollutants such as bacteria, sediment, and pesticides.
• Ensuring the availability and sustainable management of water for both agricultural and community use.

SDG 15: Life on Land

By improving water quality, the program contributes to the health of freshwater ecosystems, a key aspect of SDG 15. This is achieved by:

• Promoting on-farm methods and strategies that reduce runoff and pollution.
• Preserving biodiversity in and around agricultural landscapes.
• Balancing agricultural productivity with the sustainable management of natural resources.

SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

The program exemplifies a multi-stakeholder partnership essential for achieving the SDGs. It establishes a collaborative framework between:

• Government bodies, represented by the Oregon Department of Agriculture.
• Local stakeholders, specifically the agricultural landowners and ranchers who provide practical, on-the-ground knowledge.
• The broader community, including urban neighbors who benefit from improved watershed health.

Stakeholder Engagement and Collaborative Governance

The Value of Landowner Input

Landowner participation is positioned as essential for creating effective and practical environmental policy. Members contribute by:

1. Providing “boots-on-the-ground” details to ensure that scientific policy is balanced with the practical realities observed by agricultural producers.
2. Participating directly in the formulation of rules and regulations, preventing top-down mandates that may not account for local conditions.
3. Sharing knowledge on sustainable farming strategies that enhance regional water quality and support SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production).
4. Advocating for the agricultural community’s role as stewards of the land and water.

Outcomes of Participation

The involvement of landowners in these committees is reported to yield significant benefits, including:

• The creation of more effective and equitable water quality outcomes through diverse and informed input.
• An opportunity for producers to have a voice in decisions impacting their operations and environment.
• A mechanism for compromise and collaboration between regulators and the agricultural sector.

Program Framework and Call for Participation

Committee Member Responsibilities

Members are expected to engage actively in the policy review process. Key duties include:

• Maintaining familiarity with their local agricultural water quality management area plan.
• Reviewing draft plans in advance of meetings.
• Providing structured input during guided discussions held every two years.

Engagement Opportunities

The ODA encourages landowners to participate in this initiative to advance sustainable agriculture and contribute to local and global environmental goals. Interested parties can learn more through the following channels:

• Email for Membership Inquiries: LAC@oda.oregon.gov
• Website for Management Area Information: https://oda.direct/agwqplans

Analysis of the Article in Relation to Sustainable Development Goals

SDGs Addressed or Connected to the Issues

• SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

  The article’s central theme is the protection of water quality in Oregon’s rivers and streams from agricultural pollutants. It explicitly mentions the goal is to protect water from “pollutants such as bacteria, sediment, and pesticides,” which directly aligns with ensuring the availability and sustainable management of clean water.

• SDG 2: Zero Hunger

  The initiative involves agricultural landowners, farmers, and ranchers. The article discusses learning about “methods and strategies to use on your own farm that will benefit water quality.” This connects to the goal of ending hunger by promoting sustainable agriculture and implementing resilient agricultural practices that improve water quality.

• SDG 15: Life on Land

  The efforts to protect “rivers and streams” from pollution contribute to the conservation and sustainable use of inland freshwater ecosystems. Healthy water quality is fundamental to the survival of aquatic and terrestrial life that depends on these water bodies.

• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

  The article highlights the formation of local advisory committees to ensure landowner participation in decision-making. Rancher Ron Whiting states he joined to prevent rules from being “dictated to us by upstairs people,” and Cameron Duncan emphasizes wanting “a voice in what decisions were being made.” This reflects the goal of building effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at all levels.

• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

  The program described is a partnership between a government body, the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA), and civil society, represented by local landowners and agricultural producers. This collaboration to achieve water quality goals is an example of a multi-stakeholder partnership for sustainable development.

Specific SDG Targets Identified

• Targets under SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation)

  1. Target 6.3: By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution. The article’s entire focus is on creating committees to advise on agricultural water quality programs aimed at protecting rivers from “pollutants such as bacteria, sediment, and pesticides.”
  2. Target 6.5: By 2030, implement integrated water resources management at all levels. The creation of 38 local advisory committees to manage water quality at the watershed level is a direct implementation of local and integrated water resource management.
  3. Target 6.b: Support and strengthen the participation of local communities in improving water and sanitation management. The ODA’s call for landowners to join these committees is a clear effort to strengthen local community participation in water quality management.

• Target under SDG 2 (Zero Hunger)

  1. Target 2.4: By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices… that progressively improve land and water quality. The article mentions farmers learning “methods and strategies to use on your own farm that will benefit water quality,” which directly supports the implementation of agricultural practices that improve water quality.

• Target under SDG 15 (Life on Land)

  1. Target 15.1: By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services. The program’s objective to protect “rivers and streams” is a direct action towards the conservation and sustainable management of inland freshwater ecosystems.

• Target under SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions)

  1. Target 16.7: Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels. The committees are designed to get “boots-on-the-ground” details and “good input” from local people, ensuring that landowners like Cameron Duncan have a “voice in what decisions were being made,” which exemplifies participatory decision-making.

Indicators for Measuring Progress

• Water Quality Indicators

  The article implies that progress would be measured by monitoring the pollutants it names. An indicator would be the concentration of agricultural pollutants (specifically bacteria, sediment, and pesticides) in local rivers and streams. A reduction would signify progress.

• Governance and Participation Indicators

  The article provides concrete numbers and describes the structure of participation, which can be used as indicators.

  1. Number of active local advisory committees: The article states, “Oregon has 38 such committees.” Maintaining or increasing this number is a measure of the program’s sustainability.
  2. Level of landowner participation: The ODA’s active recruitment for members implies that the number of participating landowners is a key metric for the success and inclusivity of the committees.
  3. Development and review of management plans: The article notes that members provide input on their “local agricultural water quality management area plan” every two years. The existence and regular, participatory review of these plans is a measurable indicator of institutional effectiveness.

• Sustainable Practice Indicators

  While not explicitly stated, the article’s mention of learning new “methods and strategies” suggests an indicator for success would be the rate of adoption of water-quality-friendly farming and ranching practices by landowners in the participating regions.

Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: capitalpress.com