farm sustainability assessment

the status of nitrogen in soils, or several surveys can be performed to record information on economic return. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2017.12.053, Latruffe L, Diazabakana A, Bockstaller C, Desjeux Y, Finn J, Kelly E, Ryan M, Uthes S (2016) Measurement of sustainability in agriculture: a review of indicators. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2019.10.005, Smith A, Snapp S, Chikowo R, Thorne P, Bekunda M, Glover J (2017) Measuring sustainable intensification in smallholder agroecosystems: a review. In some methods, such as SAFA, sustainability is split into four levels (e.g. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-014-0241-0, Veisi H, Rezaei ME, Khoshbakht K, Kambuozia J, Liaghati H (2015) An assessment of the impact of watershed programmes on agricultural sustainability in Hamedan province, Iran. Single environmental impact in AgBalance covers 15 recommended Product Environmental Footprint (PEF)12 impact categories plus a biodiversity assessment. FSA is about creating a common, harmonized language and encouraging the voluntary sharing of information about sustainable practices up and down the supply chain, to promote enhanced collaboration and improved practices between all parties. 2020). Chopin, P., Mubaya, C.P., Descheemaeker, K. et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-006-9029-7, Chiwaka E, Yates R (2005) Participatory vulnerability analysis: a step-by-step guide for field staff. To analyse the dataset, we used three types of statistical approaches. 2018), with discussion on choice and structure of indicators (Troiano et al. Int J Agric Sustain 13:308325. School of Agriculture, Forest and Food Science, HAFL. Effective governance is considered the basis for agricultural sustainability (Vanloon et al. (2012) classified these methods as calculators, protocols, guidelines and models. For each paper, we listed the dimensions targeted as economic, social, environmental, agricultural productivity and institutional. Our international presence in more than 130 countries enables us to offer certification outside the European Union namely in 'Third countries' according to the Ecocert Organic Standard (EOS) equivalent to the European Regulation. Although aggregation of indicators is used extensively, there is a spirited debate over the conceptual and methodological parameters employed (Cherchye et al. Science 362:908+. Adopting more complex sustainability framings to address the entire complexity of farming systems, 7. J Am Stat Assoc 58:236244. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2018.08.006, Ness B, Urbel-Piirsalu E, Anderberg S, Olsson L (2007) Categorising tools for sustainability assessment. Most indicators are pressure- or practice-oriented (31%), supposedly correlated to the final impact or state of the system (50%), and may not provide sufficient information on whether the assessed farming system has a positive impact. All rights reserved. As one of the pioneers in sustainable agriculture certification, SCS has the depth of experience and professional qualifications youre looking for. The livelihood view comprised 5% of the studies reviewed. Social Hotspot Assessment: qualitative assessment, which aims to understand how central social hotspots (i.e., issues) tied to the farms practices and related actors within the cultivation system boundary affect the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). (2015) or joint analysis (Coteur et al. 2012). Contact and International Fund for Agricultural Development, Rome, Jacobi J, Mukhovi S, Llanque A, Augstburger H, Kser F, Pozo C, Ngutu Peter M, Delgado JMF, Kiteme BP, Rist S, Ifejika Speranza C (2018) Operationalizing food system resilience: an indicator-based assessment in agroindustrial, smallholder farming, and agroecological contexts in Bolivia and Kenya. The number of themes under each dimension was 8.1 3.7 for environmental, 3.6 1.8 for social, 2.7 1.5 for economic, 3.7 2.0 for governance and 4.5 3.2 for agronomic dimensions (Fig. Our trials demonstrated that inclusion of Revystar XE (Xemium + Revysol) in a fungicide program can lead to such improvements, thus offering farmers higher flexibility in nitrogen management as its use raises yields for a given amount of applied nitrogen. We use cookies to help provide and enhance our service and tailor content and ads. The scientific debate about sustainability in the agricultural sector is growing worldwide, especially thanks to the increasing awareness of customers towards the impact of their consumption behaviors. Conceptualization: PC, CM, KD; data collection: PC, CM; methodology: PC; formal analysis: PC and CM; writingoriginal draft PC; writingreview and editing PC, CM, KD, I, GB; funding acquisition: PC and GB. 2015). What are the key guarantees of FSA? Other perspectives on sustainability have been adopted to a minor extent. 5). FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP and WHO (2020) The state of food security and nutrition in the world 2020. Trials were evaluated using the climate change impact category (PEF 3.0) of AgBalance. In this paper, we use the word tool in a broad sense to include the diversity of approaches used in the literature (referred to as approach, method, tool or framework) to assess farm sustainability. It is at the center of a farmer's daily work and drives improvement efforts on the farm. Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. 2014). A previous version of the tool for holistic sustainability assessment at farm level was presented by Hni et al. Prado et al., 2011). A Tool for the Sustainability Assessment of Farms: Selection - MDPI Gender equity at farm level is currently assessed by looking at womens workload and womens governance aspects in terms of decisions, which are clear impact indicators. Apart from the potential savings in time and resources, does FSA deliver any other benefits? This group represents tools that use long-term monitoring of farm flows to assess the sustainability of the system, often using complex procedures. Ecol Indic 95:219232. For more information on cookies and how you can disable them please view our cookie policy. Sustainability has become a high priority, both in scientific research and in policy agendas [].Despite the existence of many studies examining particular dimensions, the need for an integrated assessment of sustainability at the farm level has been widely recognized in scholarly research [2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9]. Sustain. Labour represents a good proxy of economic and social issues. It can also be used as a self-assessment and way to communicate your expectations to the supply chain, if no standard exists. 2012), or practice-based indicators, such as use of mulching (Moore et al. Keep up to date with the work of SAI Platform via our newsletter or social media. Renew Agricult Food Syst 31:148165. 2011), Life Cycle Costing (Dwaikat and Ali 2018) or other similar methods were not used in any of the papers reviewed in the present analysis. Nitrogen emissions from fertilizers are the main contributor to the carbon footprint of wheat production. FARM Safety Self-Assessment 1 Note: Chapter 1 is an introduction, so it does not have associated self-assessment questions. Social sustainability in agriculture - A system-based framework In order to use the comment function, you must register with the third-party provider "Disqus". This type of tool encompasses the largest group of approaches (group 3 Survey- and indicator-based assessment) and lack of stakeholder involvement can lower the relevance of results and uptake by end users (Binder et al. How does it work in practice? 2016). Such themes are of particular relevance when assessing the ability of a farming system to cope with climate and market disturbances (Tittonell 2014). 2012). Other typologies of sustainability assessment tools emphasise the importance of aggregation as a discriminating criterion (Gasparatos and Scolobig 2012). BASF developed AgBalance in 2009-2010 to assess sustainability in the farming sector, applying principles of the LCA framework defined by the ISO 14040/14044 standards. Promoting sustainable berry production in the agricultural area surrounding the Doana Wetlands of Spain, an area of amazing biodiversity at risk of drying up. CAS There are still several limitations of social indicators in LCA, such as the absence of clear definitions and a comprehensive evaluation of sustainability within Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment frameworks (Subramanian et al. Expertise is direct assessment of farm sustainability by a stakeholder, e.g. FSA is already being used by over 30 of the worlds leading food and drink value chain companies. We discarded papers that treated only one sustainability dimension, such as agricultural practice studies, e.g. Industry collaboration for the continuous improvement of sustainability in the dairy sector. Ecol Indic 20:108120. We listed all indicators used for describing the impact of farming activities. The method allows for holistic recommendation in terms of impact on the environment, revealing the dominating impact categories for the analyzed agricultural practices. 2023. This group gathers studies where stakeholders have been consulted on selection of indicators and on the definition of the problem of sustainability. The livelihood-oriented view provides more insights into the household characteristics that can support the sustainability of the farming system. Elsevier B.V. or its licensors or contributors. Who is behind FSA?SAI Platform developed FSA in response to a need for a single set of requirements on which the industry is aligned, and to translate the Platforms Principles & Practices into a practical implementation tool. FSA is not intended to replace existing, accepted, benchmarked standards. 2013; Gerten et al. https://doi.org/10.3763/ijas.2007.0322, Reed MS (2008) Stakeholder participation for environmental management: a literature review. Additionally, SCS is accredited to conduct certifications under a wide range of programs benchmarked by the SAI Platform to the FSA tool. Int J Life Cycle Assess 16:682690, Berbe AK, Feledyn-Szewczyk B, Thalmann C, Wyss R, Grenz J, Kopiski J, Stalenga J, Radzikowski P (2018) Assessing the sustainability performance of organic and low-input conventional farms from eastern Poland with the RISE indicator system. GLOBALG.A.P. Farm Sustainability Assessment Add-on Why should I consider using it?Instead of having to assess and verify multiple farm sustainability practices, or benchmark existing schemes, you now for the first time ever have one tool that can do this, saving time and resources. Ecol Soc 19:42, Schader C, Baumgart L, Landert J, Muller A, Ssebunya B, Blockeel J, Weisshaidinger R, Petrasek R, Mszros D, Padel S, Gerrard C, Smith L, Lindenthal T, Niggli U, Stolze M (2016) Using the Sustainability Monitoring and Assessment Routine (SMART) for the systematic analysis of trade-offs and synergies between sustainability dimensions and themes at farm level. Ecol Econ 69:10621075. used in farm operations, based on environmental fate, exposure, and effects. https://organic-farmknowledge.org/tool/44348, Dear user of organic-farmknowledge.org ## Please fill in as much as possible of the information below. Measured in mol N equivalent, Human toxicity (cancer and non-cancer effects): potential impact on both cancer and non-cancer disease prevalence of, e.g., agrochemicals, fertilizers, diesel, plastics etc. CAS Hansen (1996) defines sustainability as the ability to satisfy goals, a definition that is used by several indicator frameworks for sustainability assessment (e.g. ActionAid International, London, Chopin P, Blazy J-M, Guind L, Tournebize R, Dor T (2017) A novel approach for assessing the contribution of agricultural systems to the sustainable development of regions with multi-scale indicators: application to Guadeloupe. FSA helps both companies and farmers to save time and resources. : # Link to tool or to a website with information about the tool: # Tool producer/owner: (name and link/ address/ email) ##, https://organic-farmknowledge.org/tool/39608, https://organic-farmknowledge.org/tool/39114. On the other hand, full sustainability assessments that make use of detailed farm data and/or expert information help in comparing farms in a benchmarking approach and can stimulate social learning. (2017), who compared the overlap among four sustainability assessment tools (SAFA, PG, IDEA and RISE). Steinbecker Verlag Ulrich Rose, Greifswald ISBN 3931483320. But what real benefit does FSA deliver to companies?In short, FSA helps you save time and resources by avoiding multiple assessments of farmers sustainability practices. Ecol Soc 19:47. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-06789-190347, Troiano S, Novelli V, Geatti P, Marangon F, Ceccon L (2019) Assessment of the sustainability of wild rocket (Diplotaxis tenuifolia) production: application of a multi-criteria method to different farming systems in the province of Udine. In: Ott K, Thapa P (eds) Greifswalds Environmental Ethics. Farm-level sustainability assessment methods also come in a variety of formats. We recommend that practitioners account for institutional/governance sustainability when approaching farm sustainability and seek to capture both the sustainability of the farm itself and its contribution to sustainable development of the socioecological system and the larger society for various functions. agrobiodiversity conservation) and highlight strengths (e.g. 2011). Agric Ecosyst Environ 87:119120. Agron Sustain Dev 39:36, Marchand F, Debruyne L, Triste L et al (2014) Key characteristics for tool choice in indicator-based sustainability assessment at farm level. The difficulty in describing the involvement of stakeholders in all phases of tool development and application prevented us from capturing the involvement in each phase of the tool development and use. Some recently established system-oriented approaches, here called systemic view, use system themes of autonomy, adaptability, productivity, equity or stability that cannot be considered social, environmental or economic (Fig. Environ Sci Pol 103:4149. FSA is designed to improve social, environmental, economic and general farm management practices. cookies. The rationale for sustainability assessment is that end users want to know the final impacts of farming systems on society and the planet. Silver: Sustainable farming practices recognized by leading companies. The remaining 16 themes were not often employed in the papers reviewed and included family characteristics (e.g. 2019). Here customers of our contracted clients, can find the CUC certified product they are looking for, or can check the certification-status of CUC clients. farmers (Goldberger 2011), are used together with simple indicators collected via farm surveys and personal views on the level of performance of their farm. It also has been translated in 18 languages. At the third level of complexity, suggesting farm functioning change, SAFA has built on existing corporate social responsibility to establish the governance dimension, which captures various properties of farming systems, namely corporate ethics, accountability, participation, rule of law or holistic management. For group 2 Ex-ante assessment of sustainability with bio-economic models, there is the same need for model development, validation and data collection. This may facilitate the analysis of trade-offs between the three dimensions of sustainability within entire value chains. Overall, a large diversity of indicators was used for the three themes Biodiversity, Equity and Viability, but covering mainly pressure and state of the system in the DPSIR framework (Fig. 2019a). The agronomy dimension was employed 12 times, with five themes addressed (Fig. Introduction. Federal and state safety regulations can be found in the FARM . Level 2 uses tools from our group 5, where multiple stakeholders are involved and farmers have more insights into their farming practices. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2019.03.046, Chopin P, Guind L, Causeret F, Bergkvist G, Blazy JM (2019b) Integrating stakeholder preferences into assessment of scenarios for electricity production from locally produced biomass on a small island. helps improve their practices and increases opportunities to do business with companies interested in sourcing sustainably. Box 7043, SE-750 07, Uppsala, Sweden, Pierre Chopin,Ingrid born&Gran Bergkvist, ASTRO Agrosystmes Tropicaux, INRAE, 97170, Petit-Bourg, Guadeloupe, France, Chinhoyi University of Technology, Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe, Plant Production Systems Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, Netherlands, World Agroforestry (ICRAF), UN Avenue, Gigiri, P.O 30677-00100 Nairobi, Nairobi, 30677-00100, Kenya, You can also search for this author in 2018), and aggregation of indicators and valuation systems (Gasparatos and Scolobig 2012; Sltmo et al. 2014) with different visions of sustainability (Arulnathan et al. Agritourism also has the potential to help revitalize rural economies, educate the public about agriculture, and . Control Union is a global service provider for the agricultural industry and officially approved by SAI Platform to perform Farmer Sustainability Assessments (FSA). (2016), which encompasses three levels of function. Bern University of Applied Science, Bern, Hansen JW (1996) Is agricultural sustainability a useful concept? Int J Sust Dev World 12:8197, Malanski PD, Schiavi S, Dedieu B (2019) Characteristics of work in agriculture scientific communities. J Rural Stud 27:288296. While FSA does not measure impacts such as reduced greenhouse gas emissions or water savings, it does focus on practices that should lead to those impacts (and that can be measured). Stud Agricult Econ 118:123130, Linden A v d, de Olde EM, Mostert PF, de Boer IJM (2020) A review of European models to assess the sustainability performance of livestock production systems. This framework is mostly applied in developing countries, but it could also be used in developed countries, where household characteristics such as other sources of income represent a coping strategy to face extreme events in terms of financial capital, and thus affect the sustainability of the farming system. Farm sustainability assessment: some procedural issues based on a set of indicators. The description of these dimensions frames the sustainability problem to address. It is therefore seen as both credible and complementary as a new tool for assessing sustainable agricultural practices. (e.g. Sustain Sci Pract Polic 1:513. Measured in person-year equivalent. 2016). 100% coverage of essentials, 100% of basic, and 75% of advanced. Description A farm sustainability assessment can illuminate challenges (e.g. (1997). Learn more. The information contained within this platform only reflects the authors view. Assess, improve, and validate on-farm sustainability in your supply chain. Besides species-rich field borders, provision of beneficial habitats (e.g. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0014479700100146, Gasparatos A, Scolobig A (2012) Choosing the most appropriate sustainability assessment tool. Sustainability Assessments - BASF It differs from group 3 Survey- and indicator-based assessment tools by being more participatory in the choice and assessment of externalities of farming systems, but also in that the type of tool used with AHP allows the ranking of practices beneficial for the sustainability of farms. Promote your food company or farms sustainability progress through verification under the Farm Sustainability Assessment (FSA) program. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eiar.2017.12.003, Coteur I, Wustenberghs H, Debruyne L, Lauwers L, Marchand F (2020) How do current sustainability assessment tools support farmers strategic decision making? This group represents tools that assess ex-ante the impact of various changes in agricultural policies on farm sustainability using bioeconomic models. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.04.091, Musumba M, Grabowski P, Palm C, Snapp S (2017) Guide for the sustainable intensification assessment framework. When it comes to resilience, as external drivers such as climate change or market volatility become stronger, adding related themes will become more important to capture the resilience of a system, its viability and its robustness. Farm Sustainability Assessment, a tool from the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative to engage, assess and improve the sustainability practices at farm level. Increase productivity, employment and value addition in food systems. Assess, improve, and validate on-farm sustainability in your supply chain. It demonstrates sustainability in farming and is based on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP). The Kingfisher mark and "Setting the Standard for Sustainability" are registered trademarks of Economic sustainability is estimated from the production of goods and services, often represented by farm income. BASF has developed a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) model called AgBalanceto support farmers and value chain players in measuring, demonstrating, and improving their sustainability performance in farm operations across all three sustainability pillars: environmental, social, and economic. The Farm Sustainability Assessment (FSA) provides companies a standardized approach to achieve their sustainable farming targets. These assessment types require different types of tool, ranging from comprehensive to rapid tools (Marchand et al. https://doi.org/10.1080/01621459.1963.10500845, Wu J, Wu T (2012) Sustainability indicators and indices: an overview. http://www.fao.org/docrep/015/ba0113e/ba0113e00.pdf. PCFs create transparency about greenhouse gas emissions associated with our products. About the FSA SAI Platforms Farm Sustainability Assessment (FSA) can be used in many ways in supply chains (for SAI Platforms industry solutions https://doi.org/10.1080/14735903.2011.582355, de Olde EM, Oudshoorn FW, Srensen CAG, Bokkers EAM, de Boer IJM (2016) Assessing sustainability at farm-level: lessons learned from a comparison of tools in practice.

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