Against the background of increased attention to the sustainability of the agriculture sector, the OECD has developed indicators of the environmental performance of agriculture. The OECD Agri-Environmental Indicators (AEI) provide internationally comparable data that offer a comprehensive, long-term perspective of the changes in resource use and environmental outcomes related to agriculture. The database covers key dimensions of agri-environmental sustainability, including land, water and other input uses, greenhouse gas (GHG) and ammonia emissions, nutrient balances, farmland bird biodiversity in OECD and additional countries.
The OECD agri-environmental indicators provide a reliable and robust source of data to assess environmental performance and inform policy action. They can help review trends, highlight areas of progress, and identify persistent challenges, thereby signalling policymakers where efforts may be needed to improve the environmental performance of their agriculture. By providing comprehensive and comparable data, the AEIs can also help benchmark agriculture’s environmental performance across countries.
Covering the OECD as a whole over the period 1990-2021, the data analysed in this report show that, while most OECD countries increased their agricultural production, the environmental performance of the agriculture sector registered mixed results. Agricultural land shift coupled with increased water and other input uses suggest an overall slight intensification of agricultural production in cropland. While many countries have made progress in improving nutrient management and reducing GHG emission intensities, the overall level of GHG emissions from agriculture in OECD countries continue to remain high and significant challenges persist. Biodiversity loss, as observed in selected countries through the Farmland Bird Index is also a continuing concern, particularly in areas with high-intensity farming. By providing a data-driven overview of these trends, this report contributes to discussions on how to align agricultural policies with environmental sustainability objectives.