the government also plays an active role in risk management in agriculture but the scope of its involvement is strictly limited its actions and the underlying financial transfers are concentrated on building and maintaining a system of prevention of pest and disease incursions although this system serves the farming sector the rationale for this policy is much broader as its objective is to preserve the country s natural resources and human health governments at the local level are responsible for preventive and control measures related to natural disasters but postcatastrophic assistance is largely financed by the central government these activities are also not specific to agriculture but are part of a broader territorial policy of assistance to local communities finally the government contributes to knowledge and information systems to support private risk management efforts