Non-productive agricultural land Intensity of land use

The proportion of non-productive agricultural land, including fallows on arable and grassland, flower strips, etc., is generally low across Germany. Among all federal states examined, this proportion typically remains below 15% of the utilised agricultural area, with shares exceeding 15% occurring on a small scale.

The share of non-productive agricultural land is particularly low in regions characterised by intensive grassland use, across large parts of north-western Germany and in a strip spanning eastern Baden-Württemberg and western Bavaria. In these regions, productive agricultural land dominates the wider landscape, leaving little room for refuge areas.

The proportion of productive and non-productive agricultural land is subject to both annual and periodic fluctuations over time. In particular, the proportion of fallow arable land remained at a very low level until 2014 and showed a tendency to decline further. Following the introduction of the greening measures under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in 2015, the reported fallow arable land area increased and then remained stable from 2020 to 2022. Over the whole period under review, the national ratio shifted slightly towards a greater proportion of non-productive land. The relative increase during the greening period (2015-2022) had a particularly marked effect on the standard landscape, bird sanctuaries, and floodplains. It is a development that can be considered ecologically beneficial. Since 2023, arable fallow land has been eligible for nationwide subsidies under the eco-schemes of the CAP. This initiative is complementary to funding provided by federal states under agri-environmental programmes. As anticipated, the effects vary regionally, with an increase observed in Brandenburg and a decline in North Rhine-Westphalia and Baden-Württemberg. Further developments are yet to be monitored in the coming years. There remains potential for increasing the proportion of non-productive plots and strips in uniform landscapes characterised by high land use intensity.

The calculations of the indicator and trends are based on the available evaluable IACS data. 
For further information on the calculation, see the indicator sheet.