Agri-Environmental Indicators Report

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) began work to develop environmental indicators in 1993, and published the results in February 2000 in the report, Environmental Sustainability of Canadian Agriculture: Report of the Agri-Environmental Indicator Project. Agri-environmental indicators (AEIs) are measures of key environmental conditions, risks, and changes resulting from agriculture. They are national in scope but sensitive to regional variations in the agricultural landscape and to the farming practices implemented.

The overall purpose of AEIs is to better inform the policy discourse surrounding agri-environmental issues in Canada. AAFC worked closely with an external Advisory Committee to develop and report the indicators, of which fourteen were developed within six categories: environmental farm management, soil quality, water quality, greenhouse gas emissions, agro-ecosystem biodiversity, and production intensity. The indicators are expected to benefit both Canada's agricultural industry and the environment by:

• informing agricultural and other decision makers about environmental performance in agriculture;
• demonstrating the agriculture sector's progress in adopting stewardship principles and in using environmentally sound practices;
• supporting the development of strategies and actions targeted at areas and resources that remain at environmental risk; and
• facilitating the environmental analysis of policies and programs in agriculture and providing a means of monitoring their performance. For more information on agri-environmental indicators and to download individual chapters from the report please click here.