Advances in Environmental Biology, 8(16) Special 2014, Pages: 53-59 AENSI Journals Advances in Environmental Biology ISSN-1995-0756 EISSN-1998-1066 Journal home page: http://www.aensiweb.com/AEB/ Corresponding Author: Seyyed Mahdi Javadzadeh, Department of Agriculture, Iranshahr Branch, Islamic Azad University, Iranshahr, Iran. E-mail: s.m.javadzadeh@gmail.com. Agri-Environmental Development in Iran Challenges and Strategies Seyyed Mahdi Javadzadeh and Ahmad Ebrahimi Department of Agriculture, Iranshahr Branch, Islamic Azad University, Iranshahr, Iran ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Article history: Received 25 June 2014 Received in revised form 8 July 2014 Accepted 14 October 2014 Available online 16 November 2014 Keywords: Agri-environmental scheme; intensification; soil erosion. Agriculture plays an important role in protecting the environment in a healthy state ,the relationship between the natural environment and farming practices are complex. Agriculture has a significant effect on the environment. Declining water quality, loss of wildlife habitat, reduced biodiversity, and emissions of greenhouse gases are some of the major concerns specifically linked to agriculture. Contamination of soil, water and air, fragmentation of habitats and loss of wildlife, loss of biodiversity, increased flooding and drought, soil erosion and increasing greenhouse gases may be inappropriate practices agriculture and land use. Well as agricultural streams and rivers affect water Quality. Intensive farming has serious consequences on the environment. Thus increasing concerns about excessive environmental impacts agriculture has led to the introduction of Agri-environmental schemes. Continued increases in agricultural production raise some environmental challenges that are continually evolving in their nature and complexity. The environmental focus has been on the conservation of natural resource base upon which agriculture depends, particularly soil, water and genetic resources for crops and livestock. The main objectives of this paper are to provide the broad agri-environmental context, examine the state of agri-environmental information, current agri-environmental statistics developments and future directions. Agri-environmental measures are among the most important instruments for the promotion of environmentally adapted agricultural land use. © 2014 AENSI Publisher All rights reserved. To Cite This Article: Seyyed Mahdi Javadzadeh and Ahmad Ebrahimi., Agri-Environmental Development in Iran Challenges and Strategies. Adv. Environ. Biol., 8(16), 53-59, 2014 INTRODUCTION The intensification of agriculture has resulted in major environmental problems in recent decades, notably declines in bird populations together with their associated food resources and this is likely to continue. Future intensification, such as the use of genetically modified crops, is likely to have further detrimental consequences for biodiversity [54]. There are also implications for wider environmental issues, such as flood risk and effects on water quality. Over the last 60 years the unprecedented increase in food production, driven by advances in technology and supported by agricultural policy, has come at considerable cost to the natural environment and farmland biodiversity. In terms of monetary value the costs are huge, with the emissions of gases, declines in population of wildlife and contamination of water by pesticides being the greatest costs. It is now recognized that agriculture and conservation are interdependent, as the conservation of many species and habitats depends on agricultural management and agriculture depends on provision of ecosystem services such as requiring insect pollinators and predators. In addition, agriculture depends on biodiversity to be used in the development or adaptation of new varieties of plants to keep pace with new plant diseases, insect pests and changing climatic conditions. It is also acknowledged that the pressures exerted by modern farming on the natural environment and wildlife are likely to continue so long as the human population continues to increase. However, in most developed countries the majority of land within agricultural landscapes is privately owned and managed for private gain. Therefore, the sustainability of these systems and the long-term provision of ecological goods and services will need to be within a system of agricultural management not to the exclusion of agriculture. In many parts of the world traditional low-input low-output farming systems remain. In order to understand the effects of intensive farming practices on the environment, we need to comprehend the changes and advances that have taken place in agricultural practices, which have transformed many of the traditional farming systems