Agriculture & Land Management

The term High Nature Value (HNV) farming was first coined in the early 1990s, in recognition of the fact that certain types of farming – typically low intensity, low input farming systems, often with high structural diversity – are extremely valuable for biodiversity. The characteristics of these farming systems in nine European countries were first described in ‘The Nature of Farming’, published by IEEP, WWF and JNCC, emphasising the positive relationship between certain forms of agricultural management and the conservation of valuable habitats and wildlife species across large areas of the countryside.

IEEP took forward this work in 2003 with a European Environment Agency commissioned study ‘Developing a HNV Farming Area Indicator’. The study aimed to develop a definition of HNV farmland, and indicators to draw up a map of the provisional distribution of HNV farmland across the EU.

Over time, the methods for identifying HNV farmland have been refined, and the data improved. In the 27 EU Member States, it is thought that there are approximately 74 million hectares of HNV farmland, accounting for approximately 30% of the total Utilised Agricultural Area in the EU. HNV farmland is not evenly distributed across the EU - extensive swathes are found in the central and eastern Member States and in the Mediterranean basin. Even in those Member States where agriculture has been intensified, areas of HNV farmland remain, particularly in the uplands.

The maintenance of HNV farmland is a clear policy priority for the EU, critical to meeting its commitments on biodiversity and representing a pressing rural development challenge. In 2007, IEEP was involved in a study for DG Agriculture to develop the HNV Common Monitoring and Evaluation Framework (CMEF) impact indicator, one of seven impact indicators used to assess the economic, social and environmental impacts of the 2007-13 Rural Development Programmes.

The development of the HNV CMEF indicator prompted activity in all 27 Member States to identify the HNV farmland resource, to assess its condition, and to create accurate baseline figures against which to assess the impacts of the current rural development programmes post 2013. IEEP was involved in the production of a Guidance Document for Member States on the application of the HNV indicator in 2008, updating the draft Guidance Document commissioned by DG Agriculture in 2007.

IEEP’s work on HNV farming continues in the Baltic region funded under the Dutch BBI Matra and Social Matra programmes. In 2008, we completed a three year study in Turkey to develop an agri-environment scheme to support HNV farming. Similar work is ongoing in Serbia and Macedonia with local NGOs to identify the challenges faced by small scale farmers, to produce maps of the distribution of HNV farmland, and to identify relevant rural development measures to support these valuable farming systems. Given the vulnerability of these systems and the large threats they face, it is crucial to mobilise NGOs and government officials in these accession countries to protect this important resource. See other capacity building work.