Nature and landscape production potentials of organic types of agriculture: a check of evaluation criteria and parameters in two Tuscan farm-landscapes

Criteria and parameters for the evaluation of sound rural landscapes presented in the list worked out in the EU-concerted action ‘The nature and landscape production potentials of sustainable/organic types of agriculture’ (third version, November 1995) are checked in two Tuscan organic farms. The first farm is located in the landscape system of the Coastal Plains in the Province of Grosseto, southern Tuscany. The second one is located in the landscape system of the Pliocene Hills in the Province of Florence, central Tuscany. Referring to the ‘Checklist for sustainable landscape management’ as presented by Stobbelaar and Van Mansvelt (1994), some comments are given on the criteria and parameters proposed and on the method used for computing values in the evaluation (see Tellarini and Caporali, 2000). The evaluation that results confirms that organic farms in both areas add a considerable number of values to the surrounding landscape, ranging from a clean environment, a diverse agro-ecosystem, multiple social and economic functions and a coherently diversified landscape. ©2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.