Abstract
Multifunctional agriculture (MFA) has attracted increased attention from academics and policymakers in recent years. Academic researchers have utilised various approaches to assess and measure the multifunctionality of agriculture and rural landscapes. This paper outlines the nature of MFA and key supporting policies, before reviewing the applied research approaches, drawing primarily from the European Union and China where specific policies on MFA have been implemented to support rural development and promote sustainable rural communities. Four distinct types of valuation of modern MFA are recognised: economic, biophysical, socio-cultural, and holistic. Following a search of both the recent and older MFA literature, evaluations of the strengths and weaknesses of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods applications are provided using examples from a range of recent studies. The review illustrates the diversity of approaches to measure MFA. While noting that many studies operate at a landscape scale, the challenge remains that the lack of commonality in the research approaches applied means it is difficult to provide effective comparisons between studies or to compare findings. A future research agenda will need to emphasise the need for more consideration of the roles of MFA research to support decision-makers, especially policy makers, but also farmers who largely make decisions for individual farms but, if considered collectively, can transform production systems at a landscape scale.
Highlights
Multifunctional Agriculture (MFA)The explicit recognition that agriculture plays various roles in addition to the production of food and fibre, and so contributes to the development of multifunctional landscapes, first appeared in the academic literature in the 1970s [1,2,3]
There have been a growing number of theoretical (e.g., [8,9,10]) and case study examinations (e.g., [11,12,13,14]) on the nature of multifunctional agriculture (MFA) and its contributions to economy, society, agricultural landscapes and the environment, and of direct relevance to this paper, on how it can be assessed and measured. In this state-of-the-art review, we briefly summarise some of the key ideas and policies pertaining to MFA and present a structured critical review of the various approaches employed in formally measuring MFA, endeavouring to develop understanding of its contribution to the multiple roles played by agriculture in rural areas
A more nuanced evaluation of the agricultural landscape was presented by Ragkos and Theodoridis [77], employing a choice experiment approach to probe non-traded functions provided by Cypriot agriculture
Summary
In the late 1980s, the Commission of the European Communities [15], in its publication the future of rural society, emphasised that agriculture can generate a range of contributions to the character of rural areas, including economic development, environmental management and the viability of rural communities. This notion portrays a versatile agricultural system that responds to different social, ecological and economic drivers—a concept that was given greater focus in a second interpretation made in the Declaration of the Agricultural Ministers Committee of the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) [18], which defined MFA as: “Beyond its primary function of producing food and fibre, agricultural activity can shape the landscape, provide environmental benefits such as land conservation, the sustainable management of renewable natural resources and the preservation of biodiversity, and contribute to the socio-economic viability of many rural areas.” This definition recognised that MFA generates both private and public goods, stressing that some functions of agriculture represent joint forms of production and require government intervention to protect or enhance those activities [19]. In many cases, the production of multiple outputs from agricultural systems, which constitutes multi-functionality, often involves a reconnection of agriculture’s often-dominant economic function to its ecological and social roots
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