Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations- FAO
Payments for Environmental Services (PES) from Agricultural Landscapes
see also
Payment for Environmental Services in Agricultural Landscapes
The role of farmers (1)
If properly managed, agriculture provides ecosystem services beyond the production of food, fibre, timber or fish. Farmers are the most important land managers worldwide. Agricultural lands include many important ecosystems (forests, cultivated lands, wetlands, etc) and can offer many ecosystem services. click here for more
In climate change mitigationThe role of agriculture in mitigating climate change consists of reducing its own emissions and enhancing the absorption or "sinks" of greenhouse gases. click here for more
In watershed protection servicesAgriculture accounts for more than half of all water use in the world and can contribute to pollution of water resources, thus influences both the quantity and quality of water available for other human uses. Changing agricultural practices could contribute to water quantity available by improving the productivity of the water it uses and by promoting the recharge of groundwater aquifers. click here for more
In biodiversity conservationBiodiversity is an environmental good and its conservation has assumed great importance in the effort to improve environmental management and ecosystem health. Agricultural producers can contribute to biodiversity conservation. click here for more
Preserving agriculture landscapeLandscape aesthetics is another environmental service for which markets are developing. Land, forest and costal management by farmers has shaped landscapes around the world for millennia and tourists are today paying for visiting beautiful cultural landscapes. click here for more
(1) for more on the various roles of agriculture on the environment, poverty, food security and culture, and case studies from including Chile and Dominican Republic, Ghana, Morocco, China and Indonesia, visit the webpage of the Roles of Agriculture Project
