Based on the ‘Ordinance concerning the Assessment of the Sustainability of Agriculture’, the Federal Office for Agriculture (FOAG) carries out an agri-environmental monitoring (AEM) exercise. Sixteen agri-environmental indicators (AEIs) in the dimensions of nitrogen, phosphorus, soil, climate, energy, water and biodiversity form the basis for the AEM process.

The AEI Competence Centre at Agroscope is responsible for the methodology development, data preparation, calculation and evaluation of the AEIs. The necessary data are gathered voluntarily by farmers. The farm network currently encompasses around 300 farms. The aim of the AEM exercise is to be able to assess the services rendered by the agricultural sector from the point of view of sustainability, and to be able to identify problem areas at an early stage.