A Composite Indicator to Measure Agricultural Sustainability

2011 ◽

pp. 219-245 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

José A. Gómez-Limón ◽

Laura Riesgo

Keyword(s):

Agricultural Sector ◽

Policy Design ◽

Composite Indicator ◽

Alternative Methods ◽

Agricultural Sustainability ◽

Irrigated Agriculture ◽

Global Sustainability ◽

Duero Basin ◽

Policy Scenarios

This paper deals with a comparative analysis of alternative methods of constructing composite indicators to measure the global sustainability of the agricultural sector. The comparison is implemented empirically on the irrigated agriculture of the Duero basin in Spain as a case study. For this purpose, the study employs a dataset of indicators previously calculated for different farm types and policy scenarios. The results enable us to establish a hierarchy of policy scenarios on the basis of the level of sustainability achieved. By analysing the heterogeneity of different farms types in each scenario, it is also possible to determine the main features of the most sustainable farms in each case. All this information is useful for the support of agricultural policy design and its implementation, as we attempt to improve the sustainability of this sector.

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Alternative approaches to the construction of a composite indicator of agricultural sustainability: An application to irrigated agriculture in the Duero basin in Spain

Journal of Environmental Management ◽

10.1016/j.jenvman.2009.05.023 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 90 (11) ◽

pp. 3345-3362 ◽

Cited By ~ 47

Author(s):

José A. Gómez-Limón ◽

Laura Riesgo

Keyword(s):

Composite Indicator ◽

Agricultural Sustainability ◽

Irrigated Agriculture ◽

Duero Basin ◽

Alternative Approaches

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The impacts of agricultural policy scenarios on development of remote rural areas – the case study of the Bruntál and Ostrava districts

Agricultural Economics (Zemědělská ekonomika) ◽

10.17221/14/2009-agricecon ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 55 (No. 4) ◽

pp. 161-168

Author(s):

Z. Bednaříková ◽

T. Doucha

Keyword(s):

Agricultural Policy ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Computable General Equilibrium ◽

Agricultural Sector ◽

Computable General Equilibrium Model ◽

Urban Centre ◽

Negative Impacts ◽

Spatial Impacts ◽

Policy Scenarios

The paper presents the results of simulations for the Bruntál district as a remote rural area and Ostrava as an adjacent urban centre, based on the Computable General Equilibrium model. The model assesses spatial impacts of various agricultural policy and other economic conditions on the regional development of the study areas. The model utilizes a regional Social Accounting Matrix with economic inter-linkages between the rural-urban localities in the study areas. Four agricultural policy scenarios are assessed. All scenarios have negative impacts on the economy of the Bruntál district. Nevertheless, the scenario based on the switch of funds from the Pillar 1 to the Pillar 2 of the Common Agricultural Policy and on the degressive modulation of direct payments shows to be the most significant for the agricultural sector and the overall economy of the district.

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Estimation of evapotranspiration by FAO Penman–Monteith Temperature and Hargreaves–Samani models under temporal and spatial criteria. A case study in Duero Basin (Spain)

10.5194/nhess-2019-250 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Rubén Moratiel ◽

Raquel Bravo ◽

Antonio Saa ◽

Ana M. Tarquis ◽

Javier Almorox

Keyword(s):

Rural Areas ◽

Reference Evapotranspiration ◽

Irrigated Agriculture ◽

Duero Basin ◽

Daily Data ◽

Data Record ◽

Key Factor ◽

Scheduling Method ◽

Temporal And Spatial

Abstract. Use of the Evapotranspiration based scheduling method is the most common one for irrigation programming in agriculture. There is no doubt that the estimation of the reference evapotranspiration (ETo) is a key factor in irrigated agriculture. However, the high cost and maintenance of agrometeorological stations and high number of sensors required to estimate it creates a non-plausible situation especially in rural areas. For this reason the estimation of ETo using air temperature, in places where wind speed, solar radiation and air humidity data are not readily available, is particularly attractive. Daily data record of 49 stations distributed over Duero basin (Spain), for the period 2000–2018, were used for estimation of ETo based on seven models against Penman–Monteith FAO 56 with temporal (annual or seasonal) and spatial perspective. Two Hargreaves–Samani models (HS), with and without calibration, and five Penman–Monteith temperature models (PMT) were used in this study. The results show that the models' performance changes considerably depending on whether the scale is annual or seasonal. The performance of the seven models was acceptable from an annual perspective (R2 > 0.91, NSE > 0.88, MAE

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Building a Composite Indicator to Measure Environmental Sustainability Using Alternative Weighting Methods

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12114398 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (11) ◽

pp. 4398 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

José Gómez-Limón ◽

Manuel Arriaza ◽

M. Guerrero-Baena

Keyword(s):

Environmental Sustainability ◽

Environmental Performance ◽

Composite Indicator ◽

Composite Indicators ◽

Alternative Methods ◽

Analytic Hierarchy ◽

The Individual ◽

Hierarchy Process ◽

Weighting Methods

Environmental sustainability in agriculture can be measured through the construction of composite indicators. However, this is a challenging task because these indexes are heavily dependent on how the individual base indicators are weighted. The main aim of this paper is to contribute to the existing literature regarding the robustness of subjective (based on experts’ opinions) weighting methods when constructing a composite indicator for measuring environmental sustainability at the farm level. In particular, the study analyzes two multi-criteria techniques, the analytic hierarchy process and the recently developed best-worst method, as well as the more straightforward point allocation method. These alternative methods have been implemented to empirically assess the environmental performance of irrigated olive farms in Spain. Data for this case study were collected from a panel of 22 experts and a survey of 99 farms. The results obtained suggest that there are no statistically significant differences in the weights of the individual base indicators derived from the three weighting methods considered. Moreover, the ranking of the sampled farms, in terms of their level of environmental sustainability measured through the composite indicators proposed, is not dependent on the use of the different weighting methods. Thus, the results support the robustness of the three weighting methods considered.

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Foreign Aid and its Role in Maintaining the Exploitation of the Agricultural Sector: Evidence from a Case Study in Africa

International Journal of Health Services ◽

10.2190/ekb0-afnd-8gn3-ge72 ◽

1983 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 33-49 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Claudio Schuftan

Keyword(s):

Rural Development ◽

Foreign Aid ◽

Local Governments ◽

Agricultural Sector ◽

National Development ◽

The Other ◽

Sizable Proportion ◽

Using Data ◽

State Of Affairs

Today most foreign aid donors are genuinely committed to the idea that development in Third World countries should start with rural development. Therefore, a sizable proportion of their development funds are invested in rural projects. However, donors channel these funds through local governments (most often representing local bourgeois interests) that are not as committed to the principle of rural development. These governments are often also embarked in policies that are actually—directly or indirectly—expropriating the surpluses generated by agriculture and investing them in the other sectors of the economy. The peasants are therefore footing most of the bill of overall national development. This paper contends that, because of this state of affairs, foreign aid directed toward rural development is actually filling the investment gap left by an internal system of unequal returns to production in agriculture. In so doing, foreign aid is indirectly financing the development of the other sectors of the economy, even if this result is unintended. This perpetrates maldevelopment without redressing the basic exploitation process of peasants which lies at the core of underdevelopment. Evidence to support this hypothesis is presented using data from a primarily agricultural exporting country: the United Republic of Cameroon.

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Systematic Stakeholder Inclusion in Digital Agriculture: A Framework and Application to Canada

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13126879 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (12) ◽

pp. 6879

Author(s):

Hassan P. Ebrahimi ◽

R. Sandra Schillo ◽

Kelly Bronson

Keyword(s):

Agricultural Sector ◽

Food System ◽

News Article ◽

Test Case ◽

Stakeholder Groups ◽

Research And Innovation ◽

Article Analysis ◽

Digital Agriculture ◽

Responsible Research

This study provides a model that supports systematic stakeholder inclusion in agricultural technology. Building on the Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) literature and attempting to add precision to the conversation around inclusion in technology design and governance, this study develops a framework for determining which stakeholder groups to engage in RRI processes. We developed the model using a specific industry case study: identifying the relevant stakeholders in the Canadian digital agriculture ecosystem. The study uses literature and news article analysis to map stakeholders in the Canadian digital agricultural sector as a test case for the model. The study proposes a systematic framework which categorises stakeholders into individuals, industrial and societal groups with both direct engagement and supportive roles in digital agriculture. These groups are then plotted against three levels of impact or power in the agri-food system: micro, meso and macro.

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Technological Innovation and the Agricultural Sustainability

International Journal of Innovation in the Digital Economy ◽

10.4018/ijide.2016040101 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 7 (2) ◽

pp. 1-14

Author(s):

Rachida Khaled ◽

Lamine Hammas

Keyword(s):

Technological Innovation ◽

Energy Production ◽

Agricultural Sector ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Agricultural Productivity ◽

Agricultural Sustainability ◽

Net Income ◽

Agriculture Sector ◽

The Impact

The diffusion of the technological innovation can affect the agricultural sector in the three-sided (social, economic and environmental), a hand, it can contribute to solve problems of the agricultural sector: the effects of the climatic changes, the farming exodus and the migration and the problems of poverty and it can improve the agricultural productivity. But on the other hand, he can lead to new problems, such as depletion of energy resources caused by excessive use of energizing technologies, pollution of air and water and the destruction of soil by industrial waste. This paper aims to theoretically and empirically analyze the role of technological innovation in improving agricultural sustainability through the impact of mechanization on agricultural productivity, energy production and net income per capita for a panel of three Maghreb countries (Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia) during the period 1997-2012. By using simultaneous equations, the authors' finding that technological innovation cannot achieve the purpose of sustainable development in the agriculture sector in the Maghreb countries through the negative impact of mechanization and research and development on agricultural productivity.

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Impact Assessment Analysis of Sea Level Rise in Denmark: A Case Study of Falster Island, Guldborgsund

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13137503 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (13) ◽

pp. 7503

Author(s):

Alexander Boest-Petersen ◽

Piotr Michalak ◽

Jamal Jokar Arsanjani

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Impact Assessment ◽

Sea Level Rise ◽

Sea Level ◽

Alternative Methods ◽

Projection Data ◽

Storm Events ◽

Cascading Effects ◽

Local Levels

Anthropogenically-induced climate change is expected to be the contributing cause of sea level rise and severe storm events in the immediate future. While Danish authorities have downscaled the future oscillation of sea level rise across Danish coast lines in order to empower the coastal municipalities, there is a need to project the local cascading effects on different sectors. Using geospatial analysis and climate change projection data, we developed a proposed workflow to analyze the impacts of sea level rise in the coastal municipalities of Guldborgsund, located in Southeastern Denmark as a case study. With current estimates of sea level rise and storm surge events, the island of Falster can expect to have up to 19% of its landmass inundated, with approximately 39% of the population experiencing sea level rise directly. Developing an analytical workflow can allow stakeholders to understand the extent of expected sea level rise and consider alternative methods of prevention at the national and local levels. The proposed approach along with the choice of data and open source tools can empower other communities at risk of sea level rise to plan their adaptation.

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