The close relationship between biophysical degradation, ecosystem services and family farms decline in Spanish agriculture (1992–2017)

•Agrarian Metabolism approach is applied to evaluate agroecosystems’ capacity to provide agroecosystem services.•The destruction of internal biomass loops has raised external inputs of Spanish agriculture from 1992 to 2017.•Higher intermediate consumption has reduced farmers' incomes and altered the profile of agricultural holdings.•Lower income prompted livestock and irrigated crops intensification and pastures and rainfed land abandonment.•The reduction of reproductive family work resulted in a decline of agroecosystem services provision.