The assessment criteria presented here are intended to aid the interpretation of data on the extent and characteristics of the agricultural landscape, the chemical and physical properties of farmland, and the levels of hazardous substances in crops.
The Swedish agricultural landscape is a natural resource of great value. Its productivity has increased dramatically in recent years due to technological advances and intensive farming. Land farmed by traditional methods can provide habitats for a rich diversity of plant and animal species, most of which depend on the continuation of traditional farming practices.
The most serious threats to the biodiversity of the agricultural landscape are the abandonment of marginal arable land, and encroachment of woody vegetation on less-used land in areas still under farming. Encroachment is also encouraged by deposition of airborne nitrogenous pollutants.
Impacts of farming
The long-term threats to the quality and productivity of farmland are related to farming itself, which can have both positive and negative effects on chemical and physical soil characteristics and on crop quality. An oversupply of nutrients also adds to the risk of nutrient leaching into nearby waters.
The assessment criteria for the agricultural landscape are intended to facilitate the interpretation of data relating to these threats and their consequences.
Individual assessment criteria have been established for:
- distribution and characteristics of agricultural landscapes
- quality of the agricultural landscape
- cropland quality
- crop quality
More information about the assessment criteria for the agricultural landscape, including sampling and data collection routines, can be found in Swedish EPA Report 4916, Bedömningsgrunder för odlingslandskapet. (The report, whose title in English would be “Environmental Quality Criteria for the Agricultural Landscape”, is written in Swedish. It can be borrowed from the Swedish EPA library.)
Environmental Quality Criteria for Agricultural Landscapes, summary in English