Introduction Directory UMM :Data Elmu:jurnal:A:Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment:Vol77.Issue1-2.Jan2000:

Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 77 2000 143–156 A checklist approach to evaluate the contribution of organic farms to landscape quality Juliëtte Kuiper ∗ Generaal Foulkesweg 89, 6703 DA Wageningen, The Netherlands Accepted 19 July 1999 Abstract Criteria need to be developed to evaluate the cultural environment of European rural landscapes. The goal is to evaluate and encourage the contribution of organic farming to sustainable landscape quality. Two sets of criteria were used to evaluate the quality of the cultural environment, non-expert and expert values. The non-expert values consisted of criteria for the appreciation of the present local landscape by users and inhabitants. These criteria were derived from psychological principles Coeterier, 1996. The expert values for landscape assessment were derived from physiognomy, geography and landscape architecture. These criteria require specialized knowledge essential in understanding the cultural history of at least the regional landscape and in landscape planning. The criteria were derived from a reflection of landscape plans at different scale levels Kuiper, 1998. This reflection resulted in planning objectives based on the following three criteria: diversity; coherence; and continuity. Diversity refers to the diversity of landscape components as an expression of the relationships between land use and abiotic features; coherence refers to coherence among landscape components as an expression of the relationships between sites hydrology, ecology and infrastructure; continuity refers to temporal relationships of land use and spatial arrangement from the past to the future. These three criteria are interrelated and inseparable. The need for ecological quality as well as aesthetic quality within the rural landscape is seen as a step forward in cultural development. To make EU regulations based on planning objectives seems premature at present. A checklist was established based on the criteria mentioned and was formulated in such a way as to compare an organic farm with a conventional farm in the same landscape unit. The checklist was implemented on organic and adjacent conventional farms in nine regions of Europe. In this article a large farm was considered in the Dehesa landscape in Andalusia and small farms were considered in the fringe of Lisboa, in the Netherlands and on Crete. The two sets of criteria proved able to include all the arguments named during the evaluation of the contribution of organic farms to landscape quality. ©2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. Keywords: Organic farms; Landscape quality; Diversity and coherence ∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +31-0-317-423089 E-mail address: juliette.kworldonline.nl J. Kuiper

1. Introduction

The purpose of this research was to formulate criteria to evaluate and stimulate the contribution of organic farms to sustainable landscape quality. 0167-880900 – see front matter ©2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. PII: S 0 1 6 7 - 8 8 0 9 9 9 0 0 0 9 9 - 7 144 J. Kuiper Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 77 2000 143–156 Table 1 Criteria for the quality of the cultural environment 5 Psychology 6 Physiognomy Appreciation of the landscape Landscape assessment 5.1 Compliance to the natural environment 6.1 Diversity of landscape components a , reflecting relationships between land use and abiotic features, like: 5.2 Good use of the landscape’s potential utility diversity of landscape types per country 5.3 Presence of ‘naturalness’ diversity of landscape units per landscape type 5.4 A rich and fair provision of sensory qualities: diversity of elements per landscape unit colors, smells, sounds diversity of species per bio-tope 5.5 Experiences of unity such as: 6.2 Coherence among landscape components reflecting their order in the: completeness hydrological system source, brook, river wholeness infrastructure local road, main road, highway spaciousness farming system ecological network 5.6 Experienced historicity 6.3 Continuity of land use and spatial arrangement, as expression of time like: presence of elements of cultural history duration and continuity of land use and spatial order 5.7 Presence of cyclical developments like: presumed future sustainability the seasons growth cycles 5.8 Careful management of the landscape: the level of maintenance a Description of landscape components: a landscape element consists of homogenous soil features, land use and spatial appearance hedge, watercourse, road; a landscape pattern refers to the pattern of one type of elements road-, planting-, ditch pattern; a landscape unit consist of similar hydrological and soil features, similar land use and a similar spatial arrangement of landscape elements and patterns; a landscape type consists of corresponding geomorphological origin and consists of several landscape units. An international group of researchers, of differ- ent disciplines, named Concerted Action exchanged methods and criteria concerning landscape quality in workshops and checked the criteria by visiting farms in nine European Countries. During the visits two kinds of criteria appeared, some more subjective and some more objective. There- fore, two sets of validation were proposed, non-expert and expert criteria. The group saw small farms 4 ha, large farms 270 ha, organic mixed farms and rather specialized farms, farms in rural areas and those on the fringe of expanding cities. The visits to the farms took 2–3 h and were accompanied by the farmer and local experts.

2. Method