Evaluating agricultural multifunctionality 1 evaluating agricultural multifunctionality: Case studies within agricultural conservation agreement

The purpose of this exploratory study is to develop a framework for evaluating multifunctional agriculture by using three case study farms that are actively managed to balance food production with the protection, restoration, and conservation of natural ecosystems. Qualitative and quantitative data is collected and analyzed to evaluate the ecological, production, economic, cultural, and social functions of on-farm landscape features identified by individual farmers. The overall functionality of the farms adds information to the understanding of how farmers participating in agricultural conservation agreements value the ecosystems which support agricultural landscapes. The findings of the study illustrate that the farmers do place multiple values on landscape units and that these same values present an opportunity evaluate the capacity of the agricultural landscape to provide ecologically, economically, and socially beneficial commodity and non-commodity outputs.