Until now, there were no indicators for individual farms in Austria. Thanks to the collaboration with 29 farms in the Kalkalpen National Park region, these could be developed based on their operational data.
When defining ecosystem services, site-adapted management is paramount. The benchmark is the food-producing farm, which, depending on its location, has a specific output with certain environmental impacts and ecosystem services. This means it's about the agricultural ecosystem: Farms utilize the ecosystem of their location to produce cultural and supply services. In doing so, they also influence this ecosystem and can thereby improve or degrade it (soil, water, biodiversity).
For the assessment, we determine biophysical as well as social aspects that can be measured as indicators on the farm. We record
- e.g. the output of food and the input of feed for it,
- e.g. the kilometers of hiking trails, the rest benches and fountains, as well as the effort involved in maintaining them,
- e.g. the perception of extensive areas and their management.
Another example is the contribution of businesses to climate protection. Those who produce food that is in demand on the market and emit few emissions make a positive contribution.
The calculation models can thus be largely aligned with the life cycle assessment methodology. We therefore have a concept that links ecosystem services with life cycle assessment and – even more importantly – it links ecosystem services to the agricultural production system, i.e., to the economic operation.
The list of services is long, including, for example, the following:
- efficient food production
- active soil and water protection
- Maintaining the productivity of the land
- the preservation of habitats for biodiversity and
- the recreational value, tradition and cultural achievements of the businesses.
Individual farm assessments of some ecosystem services can also be carried out using INVEKOS data from the multi-application form (MFA). Examples include the productive maintenance of extensive areas, grazing, and landscape diversity. However, for a sound assessment at the farm level, we need additional data at that level.
Farm managers can use this concept to inform their decisions and thus maintain or further develop their site-appropriate management practices. The assessment helps to demonstrate the societal value of mountain agriculture. These services could be better rewarded in the future: through product marketing, subsidies, or new business models. We would be pleased to continue the systematic data collection and presentation in follow-up projects.
