For many years, a limited number of key economic measures has been used to judge how the economy is performing for example, output, the level of employment, the rate of inflation, the balance of payments, public. Sustainability embraces socioeconomic and bioecological dimensions or attributes. Measuring farm sustainability using data envelope analysis. Pdf operational indicators for measuring agricultural. The swp offers educational workshops, webinars, case studies, and online tools to assist growers and vintners in documenting, measuring and improving their sustainable practices.
In recent decades, the concept of sustainability has become increasingly prominent in agricultural policy debates. Factors effecting ecological balance and sustainability of agricultural resources introduction land soil related problems soil degradation, deforestation, accelerated soil erosion, siltation of reservoirs etc. The metrics used for the measurement of sustainability involving the sustainability of environmental, social and economic domains, both individually and in various combinations are still evolving. Sustainability in agriculture is a complex concept and there is no common viewpoint among scholars about its dimensions. The capitalbased sustainability indicators as a possible.
To monitor and improve understanding of sustainable agriculture, farmers will need additional tools to illustrate the impacts of their business decisions. As a provider of agricultural solutions, basf aims to increase knowledge about sustainable agriculture and contribute to a fact. Measuring agricultural sustainability in terms of efficiency. New and beginning farmers and ranchers bfr are a fundamental part of the american and global agricultural marketplace and legacy. Field to market has produced metrics for measuring environmental outcomes at the national scale shaded cells. We develop an index of sustainable economic growth, with applications to a sample of countries in africa, and which may serve as a guide to future policy. After extensive discussions on the supposedly best definition of sustainability or sus. Metrics for agricultural sustainability national academies.
The case of wisconsin cranberry fengxia dong a, paul d. Environmental quality, for instance, is typically described in terms of air and water quality, levels of greenhouse gas emissions, and biodiversity. Measuring sustainability of agricultural emissions 34 the recently published teagasc 2017 sustainability report outlines the sustainability performance of dairy, drystock and tillage farms through data collected by the teagasc national farm survey. Operational indicators for measuring agricultural sustainability in developing countries operational indicators for measuring agricultural sustainability in developing countries zhen, lin.
Sustainable agriculture national agricultural library. This paper examines the feasibility of using energy inputoutput analysis as a measure of agricultural sustainability, and uses such analysis to. Pdf measuring agricultural sustainability at the farm. Capital based sustainability indicators as a possible way. Measuring agricultural sustainability springerlink. Based on its long experience with ecoefficiency analysis and seebalance, basf has developed agbalance, a method to measure and assess sustainability in agriculture. Despite numerous efforts over the years to measure and integrate the ecological, economic, and social aspects of sustainability, a set of universally acceptable standards for. The agricultural landscape is constituted through the. This paper assesses agricultural ecoefficiency using data envelopment analysis dea and the theil index approach.
Method for measuring sustainability in dairy farming. Today, this indicator has an internationally agreed methodology, and dozens of countries. The conceptual model is implemented using data envelopment analysis dea. Sustainability is an intuitively understandable but difficulttomeasure concept. Indicators are quantified information which help to explain how things are changing over time. After extensive discussions on the supposedly best definition of sustainability or sustainable development in the agricultural context, there are now a number of ap. An agricultural production and environmental sustainability group was convened by sara scherr and jeffrey milder of ecoagriculture partners 5, which offers an independent platform for crosssectoral dialogue and action among diverse stakeholders from farmers and community. The challenge of measuring agricultural sustainability in. Nifa promotes sustainable agriculture through national program leadership and funding for research and extension, offers competitive grants programs and a professional development program, and collaborates with other federal agencies. Measuring farm sustainability using data envelope analysis with principal components. Starting up an indicators project can be a bewildering task. In this way, it draws the best from the conceptual work of researchers and the practical work of policy makers and statisticians. Measuring sustainability of agricultural systems at the farm.
Review of existing methodologies and tools for measuring sustainability in rural areas parthena chatzinikolaou1, basil manos1 1. Despite numerous efforts over the years to measure and integrate the ecological, economic, and social aspects of sustainability, a set of universally acceptable standards for measuring sustainability does not exist. The importance of analysing environmental impacts as a fundamental aspect of measuring environmental sustainability in agriculture has been widely recognized in agroecological studies dalsgaard and oficial, 1997, girardin et al. It also includes basic information regarding agricultural sustainability in a holistic context, the presentation of different tools, key papers, case studies and the results and syntheses of panel and group discussions, as well as the planned future activities of infasa. However, measuring sustainability in all its dimensions, including for agricultural activities, is an ambitious and complex task.
Sustainability free fulltext ecoefficiency in measuring. An international forum and source of reference for those working in agricultural management and. For farms, the contribution to sustainable agriculture often involves. The 84th annual conference of the agricultural economics society. The agricultural sector needs to employ a wide range of evolving technologies and farm practices across many different farming systems and structures to meet a variety of. Measuring and modelling farm level sustainability majewski, e. An introduction to the importance of sustainable agricultural management and why measurement is important. The 2014 farm bill gave usda new tools and flexibility in several key. Site includes the legal definition of sustainable agriculture and a list of common farm and ranch practices.
The importance of sustainability varies with the scale of the system for which it is assessed 18. The concept of sustainable development integrates economic, ecological and social aspects. Agriculture is one of the main factors with a direct impact on the natural environment soil, water and air. This paper presents a conceptual framework for quantifying sustainability on the basis of efficiency theory commonly used in economics. Natural resource degradation in agriculture has always been a prime concern in agroecological research and sustainability analysis girardin et al. The ecological sustainability of human production systems has been a major topic of discussion and study since the late 1980s. Longterm agroecosystem experiments can be defined as largescale field experiments more than 20 years old that study crop production, nutrient cycling, and environmental impacts of agriculture. Sustainability is measured for a sample of dutch sugar beet growers. Sustainable agriculture in the future will provide economic and social opportunities for the benefit of present and future generations, while maintaining and enhancing the quality of the environment and the natural resource base that supports production, and provides a basis for all terrestrial life on the planet. A framework for empirical assessment of agricultural sustainability. Although progress is being made in the development and critical analysis of sustainability. Frater international journal of agricultural management, volume 2 issue 4 issn 20473710. Sustainability measurement is the quantitative basis for the informed management of sustainability. A brief introduction greg thoma the sustainability consortium, university of arkansas national academies workshop measuring food insecurity and assessing the sustainability of global food systems february 16.
The capitalbased sustainability indicators as a possible way. They provide a resource for evaluating biological, biogeochemical, and environmental dimensions of agricultural sustainability. Sustainability free fulltext measuring ecoefficiency of. This would suggest that it is futile to search for an indicator that can be applied at the global level to enable measurement and monitoring of agricultural sustainability in different countries. Ecoefficiency is a tool for sustainability analysis that indicates how to carry out economic activities effectively.
Measuring agricultural sustainability in agroforestry. Using basic data of 31 provinces in china during 200320, we analyzed the agricultural ecoefficiency development level and spatial pattern in china. Resource conservation is handled separately from far. Measuring sustainability of agricultural systems at the. In the realm of agriculture, scholars have had difficulty identifying a whole ecosystem measure of sustainability. At the national or subnational level, add up the agricultural areas of the farms by sustainability status.
United states department of agriculture measuring success. Sustainability free fulltext measuring ecoefficiency. Capital based sustainability indicators as a possible way for measuring agricultural sustainability. A pragmatic approach, international journal of agricultural management, institute of agricultural management, vol. Department of agricultural economics, aristotle university of thessaloniki, 54124 thessaloniki, greece, email.
Classification of the farm and agricultural area it manages as sustainable green, acceptable yellow and unsustainable red for each subindicator using the respective sustainability criteria. Measuring the extent of environmental degradation in agriculture is therefore essential for countries dependent on agriculture e. Measuring environmental sustainability in agriculture. Pdf measuring agricultural sustainability researchgate. Therewith agbalance allows the comparison of different farming systems, agricultural enterprises, processes and products, by identifying weaknesses.
A number of indicatorbased approaches have been used in assessing agroecological sustainability. The adoption of technologies for sustainable farming systems is a challenging and dynamic issue for farmers, extension services, agribusiness and policymakers. Measuring agricultural sustainability at the farmlevel. The paper explores some of the issues around this approach such as the definition of capitals. Since quantitative measurements of sustainability are prerequisites of the design, implementation and control of more sustainable agricultural. Understanding of field to market approach to sustainability awareness of fieldprint calculator does this have value to you. Mitchell a, jed colquhoun b a department of agricultural and applied economics, university of wisconsinmadison, 427 lorch street, madison, wi 53706, usa b department of horticulture, university of wisconsinmadison, 1575 linden drive, madison, wi.
Pdf measuring agricultural sustainability in terms of. The sustainability continuum the concept of sustainability has considerable popular appeal, but it is a phrase without meaning unless indicators and monitoring systems are available to track the performance of agricultural production systems towards this ideal. The sustainability consortium, university of arkansas. Sustainability indicators are derived from existing data sources that most closely approximate the qualities people are interested in measuring. Pdf measuring agricultural sustainability at the farmlevel. Measuring agricultural sustainability in agroforestry systems. After extensive discussions on the supposedly best definition of sustainability or sustainable development in the agricultural context, there are now a. It includes a measurement framework and suggests sets of indicators, including a small set that can be used for international comparison.
In this way new scientific understandings and policies can be included in the method. This paper takes the capital based approach to sustainability and applies this to examine the sustainability of different farming methods. One issue is the frequency and scale of data collection. The current publication presents recommendations to assist countries in measuring sustainable development. It should be noted that the idea of agricultural sustainability was first published in the 1798. Monitoring the performance of agriculture and food systems. Nonetheless various parameters for measuring agricultural sustainability have. An agricultural system is said to be sustainable at the farm level if it satisfies the farm managers needs while conserving the natural resource.
Nonetheless various parameters for measuring agricultural sustainability have been proposed. To achieve this, 69 indicators, each linked to one of the three pillars of sustainability economy, environment and society are calculated through an assessment of almost 200 evaluation factors. With increasing political pressure to produce more food whilst being environmentally and socially considerate, alongside the need to cope with climatic extremes and financial instability, farming needs to become more sustainable. Although precise measurement of sustainable agriculture is not possible, when specific parameters or criteria are selected, it is possible to say whether certain. Pdf sustainability in agriculture is a complex concept and there is no common viewpoint among scholars about its dimensions. Sustainable development in agriculture can only be achieved if appropriate methods for measuring these different components are available. Mitchell a, jed colquhoun b a department of agricultural and applied economics, university of wisconsinmadison, 427 lorch street, madison, wi 53706, usa. Nonetheless various parameters for measuring agricultural sustainability. A method for measuring sustainability in dairy farming will have to be revised over time. The capital based approach argues that for future generations to be as well off as the present than the capital base should at least be maintained. The challenge of measuring agricultural sustainability in all.
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