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NATURRÅDET / TEMARAPPORT / NATUR OG LANDBRUG
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| FIGURE 3 | Agriculture
No longer the backbone of the rural economy, but essential for environmental quality, nature and
amenity. Data source: OECD Territorial Development Service (TDS).
100%
75%
50%
25%
0%
Agricultural share (%) of total employment and land use
Agricultural employment
OECD member countries
l a ges farmers have become a minority. In the
European Union (EU) less than 10% of the working
population are employed in the agricultural
sector, producing less than 5% of the gross
domestic product (GDP). In the OECD area, there
are only a few regions left where the share of fa rming
in total regional employment exc eeds 25%
(EU Commission 1997). Thus, even in predominantly
rural regions the vast majo r i ty of the population
relies today on other, non-agricultural activities.
This has undoubtedly implications also fo r
the public perception of rural development priorities
and landscape amenities (Figure 3).
Agricultural land use
While agricultural contribution to the rural economy
is declining in most OECD countries, agriculture
- together with forestry - is still using
more than 75% of the total land area. This re-
Agricultural land use
v ea l s the important role of agriculture in shaping
the rural environment, managing the countryside
and protecting its natural resources. This
task is becoming even more relevant today than
in former times, since general economic grow t h
and structural changes have led to a disproportionate
increase in pollution and environmental
degradation on one hand, and to a grow i n g
demand for various kinds of rural amenities on the
other. In many areas, however, present agricultural
patterns and practices cannot be considered
e nvironmentally sound. While agriculture has
b een extremely successful in fulfilling its primary
task, production of feed and food, other
social and environmental functions have often
b een ignored. Success has had a high cost, and in
particular the environmental losses caused by
recent agricultural structural changes and unsustainable
farming practices are significant.