Description:    Landscape dynamics increasingly challenge agronomists to explain how and why agricultural landscapes are designed and managed by farmers. Nevertheless, agronomy is rarely included in the wide range of disciplines involved in landscape research. In this paper, we describe how landscape agronomy can help explain the relationship between farming systems and agricultural landscape dynamics. For this, we propose a conceptual model of agricultural landscape dynamics that illustrates the specific contribution of agronomy to landscape research. This model describes the relationship between three elements: farming practices, landscape patterns and natural resources. It can stimulate agronomists to deal with research issues in agricultural landscape dynamics and enhance the interdisciplinary integration of farming systems in wider landscape research. On these premises, we discuss the main research issues that will benefit from an active involvement of agronomy, to understand, but also to assess landscape dynamics and to design relevant decision support systems. Content Type Journal Article Category Perspective Pages 1-10 DOI 10.1007/s10980-012-9802-8 Authors Marc Benoît, INRA, UR 055 SAD ASTER, F-88500 Mirecourt, France Davide Rizzo, INRA, UR 055 SAD ASTER, F-88500 Mirecourt, France Elisa Marraccini, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Istituto di scienze della vita, Land Lab, Piazza Martiri della Libertà, 33, 56127 Pisa, Italy Anna Camilla Moonen, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Istituto di scienze della vita, Land Lab, Piazza Martiri della Libertà, 33, 56127 Pisa, Italy Mariassunta Galli, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Istituto di scienze della vita, Land Lab, Piazza Martiri della Libertà, 33, 56127 Pisa, Italy Sylvie Lardon, INRA & AgroParisTech, UMR1273, UMR AgroParisTech/Inra/Irstea/VetAgroSup: Mutations des Activités, des Espaces et des Formes d’Organisation dans les Territoires Ruraux, Sciences Pour l’Action et le Développement, Centre de Clermont-Ferrand-Theix, 24 avenue des Landais, 63172 Aubière Cedex, France Hélène Rapey, Irstea, UMR1273, UMR AgroParisTech/Inra/Irstea/VetAgroSup Mutations des Activités, des Espaces et des Formes d’Organisation dans les Territoires Ruraux, 24 avenue des Landais, 63172 Aubière Cedex, France Claudine Thenail, INRA, SAD-Paysage, 65, rue de Saint-Brieuc, CS 84215, 35042 Rennes Cedex, France Enrico Bonari, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Istituto di scienze della vita, Land Lab, Piazza Martiri della Libertà, 33, 56127 Pisa, Italy Journal Landscape Ecology Online ISSN 1572-9761 Print ISSN 0921-2973