Land and Forest Iceland
A hypothetical map viewer for the classification of agricultural land open for review
20th June 2025
A preliminary classification of agricultural land suitable for food production is now available for review. A special, hypothetical map viewer, recently presented at a meeting of the Icelandic Association of Local Authorities, has been opened for the purpose. Comments on the hypothetical map viewer info may be submitted until June 30th.
The Icelandic parliament, Althingi, enacted a land-use planning policy for 2024-2038 in Spring 2024, incorporating a concurrent five-year action plan extending to 2028. This policy designates agricultural land suitable for food production and assigns project oversight to Land and Forest Iceland, with implementation entrusted to the engineering firm Efla.
The preliminary land classification is ready for review and further development. A land information database categorises land into four primary classifications, with a fifth encompassing unsuitable or ineligible land. This database features a proposed web interface for stakeholder review and comment.
The preliminary map viewer will be accessible until June 30th to facilitate data collection for refining the agricultural land classification and enhancing the primary dataset. Subsequently, Land and Forest Iceland will assume responsibility for the land information database, providing future access via interactive map viewers that will be updated concurrently with project development and data acquisition. Each municipality will independently continue data processing and classification integration into their respective planning processes, thereby strengthening their agricultural land policy foundation.
At a presentation meeting held by the Icelandic Association of Local Authorities on behalf of Land and Forest on 11 June, the mapping of agricultural land was presented to representatives of local authorities. The meeting took place on Teams and a recording has now been made available online.
