Operational indicators for measuring agricultural sustainability in developing countries

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Environmental Science
• Development Studies

Background:

• Scholarly work over 15 years has advanced sustainability indicator development and analysis.
• Existing or proposed indicators often lack sensitivity and utility for developing countries.
• Effective indicator selection requires criteria like data availability, sensitivity, and predictive power.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review proposed and applied sustainability indicators from the last 15 years.
• To identify limitations of current indicators in developing country contexts.
• To propose a set of operational indicators for agricultural sustainability in developing nations.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of theoretical and practical sustainability indicators.
• Analysis of indicator selection criteria including data availability, sensitivity, and predictivity.
• Development of a framework for operational indicators based on established criteria.

Main Results:

• Identified limitations in the sensitivity and applicability of existing indicators for developing countries.
• Proposed a comprehensive set of ecological, economic, and social indicators for agricultural sustainability.
• Ecological indicators include fertilizer/pesticide use, water efficiency, and soil/water quality.
• Economic indicators cover crop productivity, farm income, and food production per capita.
• Social indicators focus on food security, income equality, resource access, and farmer awareness.

Conclusions:

• Prioritizing indicator selection based on spatial and temporal characteristics is essential.
• The proposed operational indicators offer a more sensitive and useful approach for developing countries.
• Implementing these indicators can enhance the measurement and management of agricultural sustainability.