Agriculture & Land Management

Our Work

We are one of Europe's leading centres of excellence in the greening of the EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). Through our work on agriculture we inform and influence the development of policies with implications for the sustainable use of land, focusing on ways in which farming and forestry can help to protect Europe's biodiversity and natural resources as well as contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts. Encouraging the integration of environmental concerns within agricultural policy has been a core focus of IEEP's work on agriculture since the 1980s.

Over many thousands of years farming practices have transformed the character of the countryside, with resulting impacts, both positive and negative, on the environment. Agricultural activity currently accounts for about 41% of land use in the 27 EU Member States, with forestry accounting for another 37%. As such, agricultural policy is a major driver of land use and management decisions and plays an important role in determining the environmental condition of the farmed landscape.

Through our work we inform and influence the development of policies with implications for the sustainable use of land, focusing on ways in which farming and forestry can help to protect Europe’s biodiversity and natural resources as well as contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts. Encouraging the integration of environmental concerns within agricultural policy has been a core focus of IEEP’s work on agriculture since the 1980s.

We have been instrumental in supporting the development of rural development policy as a core element of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), making the case for: a strategic approach to determining the focus of support for the environment in rural areas; the availability of environmentally focused measures such as the agri-environment measure; appropriate design, targeting and implementation of measures; adequate funding; and the introduction of a suitable framework for monitoring and evaluation.

We also focus on how direct income support payments to farmers under Pillar 1 of the CAP can be made more environmentally sustainable, through the use of policy measures such as cross compliance.

IEEP’s work on Agriculture & Land Management concentrates on three core activities:

  • Policy research, evaluation and analysis
  • Policy advice
  • Capacity building and training

Through our CAP2020 web-site we promote informed and independent analysis and commentary on the CAP and aim to engender an active debate and exchange of information on CAP reform.

More about our work in this area...

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