Environmentally friendly policy schemes as models for the introduction and use of agri-environmental indicators in Greece

Article abstract:

A considerable number of indicators are already in use for the assessment of the agricultural sector's environmental performance as well as for the evaluation of agri-environmental policies. Given the existing difficulties in testing such indicators, the authors have used for this purpose - with fairly good results - the documentation (at the farm level) of two environmentally friendly policy schemes, on organic agriculture and on integrated management, for assessment of the set of agri-environmental indicators, described in two relevant communications from the Commission. Indicators describing pressures and state of the environment susceptible to estimation differ significantly from one scheme to another. However, available documentation, if complemented, makes plausible an environmental diagnosis of farms as well as monitoring and evaluation of environmental performance of these schemes.