Agricultural Landscape as a Public Environmental Good and its Protection in the New Common Agricultural Policy

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to identify, review and assess the nature of public goods, the services they provide and functions they fulfil, as well as the instruments and support measures aimed at agriculture and farmers. These include instruments that directly or indirectly implement or strengthen landscape protection, especially in agricultural production areas. Design/methodology/approach: The analyses and assessments were based on the cause-and-effect analysis method and methodological elements belonging to institutional analysis. The research problem that serves as the starting point for the study is formulated as follows: assessing the spectrum of public goods generated by agriculture with reference to landscape protection and indicating the major threats regarding changes in the cultural landscape of rural areas, presented in relation to the instruments of the Common Agricultural Policy, which are designed to shape and protect the cultural landscape. Findings: The study reveals that spectrum of public goods generated by agriculture with reference to landscape protection is wide and covers both environmental and social goods. They are provided to the rural areas, but also to society as a whole, and require public support. Moreover, the results indicate the main threats regarding changes in the cultural landscape, as well as a types of pressure on the environment. Practical Implications: The findings highlight the need for a more in-depth and critical examination of instruments proposed in the Strategic Programme for the Common Agricultural Policy for 2023-2027, which are responsible for the landscape protection by agriculture and individual farmers as well as present some offer of environmental services, tasks and benefits which farmers perform voluntarily and free of charge by participating in the CAP, and those which they can and should perform to receive additional budget transfers. Originality/Value: The research findings highlight the significant contribution of public environmental goods to cultural landscape.