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The development and use of farm‐level indicators in England
Author(s) -
Tzilivakis John,
Lewis Kathy A.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
sustainable development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.115
H-Index - 64
eISSN - 1099-1719
pISSN - 0968-0802
DOI - 10.1002/sd.233
Subject(s) - sustainability , underpinning , performance indicator , agriculture , environmental resource management , order (exchange) , business , set (abstract data type) , diversity (politics) , key (lock) , environmental planning , environmental economics , process management , computer science , geography , economics , marketing , political science , engineering , ecology , civil engineering , archaeology , finance , biology , programming language , computer security , law
In recent years the concept of ‘sustainability indicators’ has become important within agricultural policy development. However, as policy tools, many indicators are highly technical in nature and often appear relevant only at national level. Consequently, the key messages underpinning the indicators can easily become lost at farm level. In order to drive progress towards sustainability it is important to define indicators at a level that is meaningful to the target audience and that encapsulates the spatial and temporal diversity of the farm environment. In support of policy objectives the pilot national set of indicators of agricultural sustainability has been re‐cast into indicators that can be collected, interpreted and compared at a farm level. A software package that prioritizes the indicators according to farm type and that links trends with farm management decisions and practices, identifying steps for improvements, is used as the main means of knowledge transfer. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.