For both research and practice, it is paramount to understand what, where and when agri-environmental policies have been put in place. Here we present a database of 6,124 agri-environmental policies implemented between 1960 and 2022 in about 200 countries. The database comprises a wide range of policy types (including regulations and payment schemes) and goals (such as biodiversity conservation, safer pesticide use and reducing nutrient pollution). We illustrate the application of the database by exploring the association between economic development and agri-environmental policies and between the soil-related, agri-environmental policies of countries and their border discontinuities in cropland erosion. A strong, positive link between economic development and implemented agri-environmental policies is revealed, and it is found that 43% of all global border discontinuities in soil erosion between countries can be explained by differences in their policies.

对于研究和实践来说，了解农业环境政策的内容、地点和时间至关重要。在此，我们展示了约 200 个国家在 1960 年至 2022 年间实施的 6,124 项农业环境政策的数据库。该数据库包含广泛的政策类型（包括法规和支付计划）和目标（例如生物多样性保护、更安全的农药使用和减少营养物污染）。我们通过探索经济发展与农业环境政策之间以及各国与土壤相关的农业环境政策与其农田侵蚀边界不连续性之间的关联来说明该数据库的应用。研究揭示了经济发展与实施的农业环境政策之间存在强有力的正相关关系，并且发现全球各国之间 43% 的边界土壤侵蚀不连续性可以通过其政策差异来解释。