The OECD database of agri-environmental indicators (AEIs) provides the latest and most comprehensive set of indicators for 38 OECD member countries, 5 non-OECD European Union member states and 11 emerging economies: Argentina, Brazil, People’s Republic of China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, the Philippines, the Russian Federation, South Africa, Ukraine and Viet Nam. The period shown spans 1985 to the most recent data available (varies by country). The database is compiled based on annual data collection by the OECD Secretariat for some countries and via collaboration with Eurostat, which collects statistics for all EU member states plus Norway and Switzerland.

The AEI database can be used as a tool to assist policy makers by describing the current state and trends of environmental conditions in agriculture that may require policy responses; highlighting where “hot spots” or new challenges are emerging; monitoring trends over time, especially to assist policy makers in meeting environmental targets, threshold levels and standards where these have been established; providing data that can be used to develop other indicators; and as a basis for policy evaluation.