The monitoring program described in the document is one component of the Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP). For EMAP, agroecosystems are defined as land used for crops, pasture and livestock; the adjacent uncultivated land that supports other vegetation (hedgerows, woodlots, etc) and wildlife; and the associated atmosphere, underlying soils, groundwater, and drainage networks (first and second order streams, ponds, and irrigation drainage networks). A program to monitor and evaluate the long-term status and trends of the nation's agricultural resources from an ecological perspective through an integrated, interagency program will be developed and implemented. When fully implemented, the program will: (1) estimate the current status, extent, changes and trends in indicators of agroecosystem condition on a regional basis with ones known confidence; (2) monitor indicators of pollutant exposure and habitat quality and seek associations between anthropogenic stresses and agroecosystem condition; and (3) provide periodic statistical summaries and interpretive reports on agroecosystem condition to the public, the scientific community, and to policy-makers.

Caption title. At head of title: Project Summary. "Office of Research and Development." "EPA/600-S4-91-013." "September 1992." "S/N 055-000-00417-0." Ann Pitchford, Project Officer.