Social and Economic Benefits of Agro-ecosystem Services Provision in Lithuania

Abstract

Agriculture is an exclusive economic sector related to the use of renewable natural resources in large territory, there is no doubt that it has a significant impact on the formation of semi-cultural ecosystems and on the provision of many ecosystem services in rural areas – healthy food, quality of surface water, air and soil, rich landscape, biodiversity. Agro-ecosystems are human-controlled ecosystems, in which the processes of the natural environment are transformed by agricultural activities. Agriculture is an integral part of the agro-ecosystem, therefore it is particularly important to analyse the processes in agroecosystems, the functions of agro-ecosystems, to reveal the concept of agro-ecosystem services, their social and economic benefits and conditions for their provision. The purpose of the study is to analyse the concept, functions and processes of agroecosystems and to reveal expression forms of social and economic benefits of agroecosystem services. For achieving the research purpose the review of economic studies on ecosystem service approaches, agroecosystems and their benefits was substantiated, the focus on provision of social and economic benefits in agroecosystems was made. The research has revealed the link between the processes in agro-ecosystems and social welfare, allowed to classify agro-ecosystem services according to their public benefit. Analysis of the agro-ecosystem services concept has shown that ecosystem functions or processes become services only when they are beneficial to the inhabitants. Agro-ecosystem functions reflect their potential for the provision services of the public interest.