Dear Colleagues,

Approximately five million hectares (M ha) of useful agricultural surface (UAS) in Europe has different agrarian uses, forming landscapes and socioecological systems that provide ecosystem services to society, constituting the basis for human welfare. Although there exist numerous policies that regulate sustainable food production, the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) stands out as a regulatory mechanism promoting productive and multifunctional agriculture, where management models contributing to rural development and economic–productive, social and environmental dimensions of such systems are increasingly promoted. In the face of an impending future, where global and climate change pose a threat to the sustainability of farming systems, this Special Issue (SI) aims to compile research addressing any studies aiming to assess future perspectives of agriculture in Europe, including measures promoting their sustainability.

This SI is open to any contribution from any scientific discipline providing a perspective on the current state of European farming systems and assessing their sustainability in the face of future socioeconomic and environmental threats that may influence their viability, as well as proposing measures aimed at increasing the multifunctionality of these systems, in line with the aim and objectives of Land. The SI focuses on the landscape approach to agriculture, considering crops as socioecological systems requiring further study under a complex systems approach.

Studies (original and reviews) concerning circular economy analyses, multicriteria decision-making models, the influence of erosion on agricultural sustainability and studies on agricultural efficiency (mechanisation, resource optimisation and Agriculture 2.0 and 4.0) are welcome, as well as manuscripts implementing simulation models assessing future perspectives of agricultural landscapes (i.e., productive, social and environmental dimensions). In addition to the above-mentioned studies, any research capable of contributing to the SI is welcome, regardless of the methodology employed.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been previously published, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere. All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process.

This Special Issue aims to examine any key processes linked to European agricultural systems, including, but not limited to, the below list of keywords.

• assessment of agricultural systems at landscape scale;
• assessment of ecosystem services of agricultural systems;
• circular economy models in agricultural systems;
• diffuse pollution from agricultural crops;
• impacts of erosion on agricultural sustainability;
• implications of climate change for agriculture;
• influence of chemical fertilisers on soil fertility;
• optimisation of agricultural technology (Agriculture 2.0 and 4.0);
• organic agriculture and impacts on biodiversity;
• strategies towards agricultural sustainability in face of the sustainable development goals (SDGs)

Dr. Antonio Alberto Rodríguez Sousa
Prof. Dr. Pedro Aguilera
Prof. Dr. Alejandro Javier Rescia Perazzo
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Land is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• assessment of agricultural systems at landscape scale
• assessment of ecosystem services of agricultural systems
• circular economy models in agricultural systems
• diffuse pollution from agricultural crops
• impacts of erosion on agricultural sustainability
• implications of climate change for agriculture
• influence of chemical fertilisers on soil fertility
• optimisation of agricultural technology (Agriculture 2.0 and 4.0)
• organic agriculture and impacts on biodiversity
• strategies towards agricultural sustainability in face of the sustainable development goals (SDGs)

Title: Effects of Soil Pollution on Biological Indicators in a Gradient of Olive Grove Intensification in Alentejo (Portugal)
Authors: Antonio Alberto Rodríguez Sousa 1,2,*, Claudia Tribaldos-Anda 1, Sergio A. Prats 2, Clarisse Brígido 2, José Muñoz-Rojas 2 and Alejandro J. Rescia 1
Affiliation: 1) Department of Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolution, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University Complutense of Madrid. C/ José Antonio Novais 12, 28040 Madrid, Spain; 2) MED – Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development & CHANGE – Global Change and Sustainability Institute, University of Évora. Pólo da Mitra 94, 7006-554 Évora, Portugal, and Largo dos Colegiais 2, 7004-516 Évora, Portugal;
Abstract: Olive groves are Mediterranean socio-ecological systems that provide ecosystem services to society (ES). In Portugal, with more than 350,000 hectares (ha) of olive groves, there is a transition towards intensive agriculture which has negative environmental connotations, and may affect the biodiversity and ES support of these crops due to the indiscriminate use of chemical fertilisers. Through a stratified sampling design in Alentejo (Portugal) regarding olive management (i.e. traditional, integrated, organic, intensive and highly-intensive) and erosive states (i.e. null, slight, moderate and severe), a random sampling was carried out in 80 plots where edaphic (i.e. chemical inputs) and biological (i.e. herbaceous and lepidopteran richness and biodiversity) variables were quantified, to know how management models affect agricultural diversity. Results showed that intensive management evidenced higher concentrations of chemical fertilisers, decreasing biodiversity. On the other hand, organic and integrated managements, where the application of chemical inputs is prohibited or regulated, showed higher environmental quality. Studies aimed at promoting multifunctional olive groves are essential in Portugal, where the development of these crops is incipient, and agricultural management should be promoted to maximise the contribution of ES to society, also taking into account how soil management can minimise the negative externalities of agricultural intensification.