1 Introduction `Multifunctionality' is a term that has entered into public and academic discourse in recent years. While it can refer to any kind of production process, it has been attached most frequently in recent policy debates to the operations of farming (OECD, 2001, page 8), although earlier uses of the term have been recorded, particularly in relation to forestry (Wilson, 2007). Agriculture has been seen as ``inherently multifunctional ... . It has many functions or purposes, thereby potentially producing a wide range of outputs or services'' (Dobbs and Pretty, 2004, page 222). In practice, though, multi- functionality is frequently identified not with agriculture in general but with specific kinds of agriculture or agricultural landscape. For example, multifunctionality is often associated with low-intensity, marginal farming and culturally valued geographic regions. In 1998 the OECD defined multifunctionality in these terms: `` Beyond its primary function of supplying food and fibre, agricultural activity can also shape the landscape, provide environmental benefits such as land conservation, the sustainable management of renewable natural resources and the preservation of bio-diversity, and contribute to the socio-economic viability of many rural areas. In many OECD countries, because of this multifunctional character, agriculture plays a particularly important role in the economic life of rural areas.'' (OECD, 1998, paragraph 10; our emphasis). In countries where these functions of agriculture are valued intrinsically, governments have asserted their right to protect the nonproduction qualities of farmed landscapes, which are coproduced by agriculture along with food and fibre. Although it is widely accepted that agricultural production has side effects (or `joint products'), some bad (`negative externalities') and some good (`positive externalities'), the discourse of multifunctionality tends to emphasise the public good (beneficial) aspects of farming in general, or of some approaches to farming and farm management. This interpretation of multifunctionality has become intimately connected with support `Multifunctionality': trade protectionism or a new way forward? Jacqui Dibden School of Geography and Environmental Science, Monash University, Victoria, Australia; e-mail: Jacqui.Dibden@arts.monash.edu.au Chris Cocklin Faculty of Science, Engineering and IT, James Cook University, Townsville, Australia; e-mail: chris.cocklin@jcu.edu.au Received 25 May 2007; in revised form 12 July 2007; published online 4 November 2008 Environment and Planning A 2009, volume 41, pages 163 ^ 182 Abstract. The concept of `multifunctionality' has developed partly in response to the threat which trade liberalisation presents to European agriculture. In this paper we outline different approaches to multifunctionality and consider whether, and to what extent, the concept may be applied more widely outside its home of origin in Western Europe, and specifically whether it is relevant to liberalised agricultural economies, such as Australia. The focus is on government agricultural and rural policies which contribute to the maintenance or enhancement of the multifunctional characteristics of agri- culture and other land uses. We suggest that, despite differences in views of the importance of farming and rural areas, a convergence is appearing between Australia and European countries in the develop- ment of policies aimed at the promotion of multiple outcomes from agriculture. doi:10.1068/a40127