Together with food, materials and energy, agriculture and forestry contribute to the production of a wide range of public goods. Examples are landscape, biodiversity, water quality and availability, soil fertility, climate stability, flood and fire protection, food security, animal welfare and rural vitality, as well as the management of the majority of land areas in the EU.
Some of these goods are of primary importance for the environment and society welfare. However, as there is no market for such goods, they are often provided in quantity lower than socially optimal.
The objective of the PROVIDE project is to develop a conceptual basis, evidence, tools and improved incentive and policy options to support the “smart” provision of public goods by the EU agriculture and forestry ecosystems. PROVIDE will consider a wide range of public goods and legislations, and will address the issue in a multi-scale framework, working both at the EU level and at case study level in thirteen Countries of the EU.