Multifunctional Concepts, Societal Demand and Impact Assessment -- The Operational Framework of the MEA-Scope Project -- Agricultural Activities, Rural Areas and Natural Environment: Drawing Up the Frontiers of the Multifunctionality Concept -- Multifunctionality Concepts: A Critical Assessment of the Framework Approaches -- Societal Demand for Commodity and Non-commodity Outputs – A Regional Perspective -- TOP-MARD Problematique, Structure and Progress – The Case of Norway -- Modelling of Policy Induced Structural Change and Adaptation of Agricultural Practices -- The MEA-Scope Modelling Approach -- A Scenario-Wise Analysis of Economic and Environmental Impacts in the MEA-Scope Case Study Regions -- Recreating Context in Spatial Modelling of Agricultural Landscapes -- Spatial Characteristics of Land Use Patterns in Mugello (Central Italy) and Policy Impacts on Their Environmental Outputs -- Linking Scales, Policy Issues and Impacts -- Scaling from Farm to Landscape -- Analysing Exemplary Policy Issues Using the MEA-Scope Framework -- Implementing the Indicators of the MEA-Scope Multifunctionality Impact Assessment Approach: A Gap Between Supply and Demand of NCOs? -- Regional and Local Case Study Stories of a Europe in Change -- Environmental Impacts of Pillar I and II with Specific Respect to Designated Areas – Results from the MEA-Scope Case Study in Germany -- Validation of an Agent-Based, Spatio-Temporal Model for Farming in the River Gudenå Landscape. Results from the MEA-Scope Case Study in Denmark -- Impacts of Three Direct Payment Options on Farm Structure, Economic Performance and Production Pattern: Results from the MEA-Scope Case Study in Italy -- Possibilities for the Development of Mixed Crop-Beef Farming in the Ko?cian Region Based on Natural Fodder Resources. Results from the MEA-Scope Case Study in Poland -- Multifunctional Farming and Survival Strategies in the Borsodi Floodplain.

The reform of the European agricultural policy aims at stimulating the development of European towards more sustainability and more competitiveness in global markets, by ensuring environmental soundness, supporting rural viability and better meeting consumers demands. Parallel to this farming in the ever growing EU is undergoing major changes. The conditions for production are occurring faster than ever, including developments such as climate change, new markets (bioenenergy), structural changes and ageing rural societies. Agriculture in an ever changing Europe has to develop multifunctional regional strategies. About 40 scientists from 11 European research institutions compiled this joint publication to provide an overview of concepts and approaches for multi functionality impact assessment, which includes surveys on societal demands in different parts of Europe. A central part presents research results on the impact of current agricultural policies and future scenarios, assessed by micro-economic and environmental modeling procedures (agent based, linear programming, trade-offs). They provide information on the issues of how and why farmers in varying structural and geophysical frameworks respond to the new CAP (Common Agricultural Policies) reform. One large chapter specifies the developments in 7 case study regions in Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland and Slovakia.