Evaluation of agri-environmental policies: selected methodological issues and case studies

Governments are increasingly aware of the importance of monitoring and evaluating their policies - including agri-environmental policies - and are devoting efforts to strengthening their monitoring and evaluation systems and capacities. They aim to improve their performance by establishing evidence-based policy-making, evidence-based management and evidence-based accountability, which will help to improve the design and implementation of policies. Have agri-environmental and agricultural policies, including cross-compliance and environmental regulations, succeeded in meeting environmental objectives for agriculture in OECD countries (and selected non-OECD countries)? What is the role for governments to encourage farmers to deliver environmental public goods? The report includes a selection papers presented at the OECD Workshop on Evaluation of Agri-environmental Policies, held 20-22 June 2011 in Braunschweig, Germany.

"The thirteen chapters in this volume are a selection of the contributions presented at the OECD Workshop on "Evaluation of Agri-environmental Policies" hosted by the Johann Heinrich von Thünen Institute, Braunschweig, Germany on 20-22 June 2011"--Introduction.

Foreword -- Abbreviations -- Introduction -- Design and implementation of agri-environmental policies: Are guidelines feasible? -- Evaluating policies for delivering agri-environmental public goods -- Evidence-based agri-environmental policies: The Swedish experience -- Additionality in US agri-environmental programmes for working land: A preliminary look at new data -- Follow-up study of the impacts of agri-environmental measures in Finland -- Evaluation of agri-environmental measures in Flanders, Belgium -- Evaluation of cross compliance in England -- A policy evaluation of Environmentally Friendly Direct Payment Programme in Korea -- Evaluating agri-environmental schemes using a spatially explicit agent-based -- Econometric methods for estimating the additional effects of agri-environmental schemes on farmers' practices -- Application of the Agri-Environmental Footprint Index to assess agri-environmental policies in Greece -- Cost effectiveness of CAP greening measures: An ex ante evaluation in Italy -- Socio-political conditions for successful water quality trading in the South Nation River Watershed, Canada.