Eco-schemes remain, in 2026, a central instrument of the Common Agricultural Policy, but their economic impact varies significantly between farms. From a legislative perspective, the framework is established by Regulation (EU) 2021/2115, and implementation depends on the national Strategic Plan and APIA guidelines. From an economic perspective, eco-schemes are not free income, but an exchange between financial support and adaptation costs.

Aggregated data at European Union level show that a relevant share of farmers access eco-schemes without fully integrating the requirements into their production technology. In these situations, indirect costs—yield losses, reorganization of operations, additional input or time consumption—can significantly reduce the net benefit of the payment. For medium-sized farms, the difference between a well-integrated eco-scheme and one applied formally can amount to several percentage points of the annual margin.

From a technical perspective, eco-schemes favor farms with a clear crop rotation structure, rigorous record-keeping of operations, and planning capacity. Practices such as crop diversification or maintaining areas with an ecological role become economically advantageous only when aligned with pedoclimatic potential and market outlets.

(Photo: Freepik)