Quantitative assessment of agricultural sustainability reveals divergent priorities among nations

Agriculture is fundamental to all three pillars of sustainability, environment, society, and economy. However, the definition of sustainable agriculture and the capacities to measure it remain elusive. Independent and transparent measurements of national sustainability are needed to gauge progress,...

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Main Authors: Zhang, Xin, Yao, Guolin, Vishwakarma, Srishti, Dalin, Carole, Komarek, Adam M.
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: Elsevier 2021
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/142839
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author Zhang, Xin
Yao, Guolin
Vishwakarma, Srishti
Dalin, Carole
Komarek, Adam M.
author_browse Dalin, Carole
Komarek, Adam M.
Vishwakarma, Srishti
Yao, Guolin
Zhang, Xin
author_facet Zhang, Xin
Yao, Guolin
Vishwakarma, Srishti
Dalin, Carole
Komarek, Adam M.
author_sort Zhang, Xin
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Agriculture is fundamental to all three pillars of sustainability, environment, society, and economy. However, the definition of sustainable agriculture and the capacities to measure it remain elusive. Independent and transparent measurements of national sustainability are needed to gauge progress, encourage accountability, and inform policy. Here, we developed a Sustainable Agriculture Matrix (SAM) to quantify national performance indicators in agriculture and to investigate the trade-offs and synergies based on historical data for most countries of the world. The results reveal priority areas for improvement by each country and show that the trade-offs and synergies among indicators often differ. Exceptions to common economic-versus-environmental trade-offs, for example, offer opportunities to learn from countries with synergistic pathways for multiple sustainability indicators. These SAM indicators will improve as data become more available, but this version offers a useful starting point for evaluating progress, identifying priorities for improvement, and informing national policies and actions toward sustainable agriculture.
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spelling CGSpace1428392024-10-25T07:57:32Z Quantitative assessment of agricultural sustainability reveals divergent priorities among nations Zhang, Xin Yao, Guolin Vishwakarma, Srishti Dalin, Carole Komarek, Adam M. models sustainable development goals greenhouse gas emissions health agricultural policies indicators environment nutrition agricultural productivity sustainable agriculture Agriculture is fundamental to all three pillars of sustainability, environment, society, and economy. However, the definition of sustainable agriculture and the capacities to measure it remain elusive. Independent and transparent measurements of national sustainability are needed to gauge progress, encourage accountability, and inform policy. Here, we developed a Sustainable Agriculture Matrix (SAM) to quantify national performance indicators in agriculture and to investigate the trade-offs and synergies based on historical data for most countries of the world. The results reveal priority areas for improvement by each country and show that the trade-offs and synergies among indicators often differ. Exceptions to common economic-versus-environmental trade-offs, for example, offer opportunities to learn from countries with synergistic pathways for multiple sustainability indicators. These SAM indicators will improve as data become more available, but this version offers a useful starting point for evaluating progress, identifying priorities for improvement, and informing national policies and actions toward sustainable agriculture. 2021-09-10 2024-05-22T12:11:09Z 2024-05-22T12:11:09Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/142839 en Open Access Elsevier Zhang, Xin; Yao, Guolin; Vishwakarma, Srishti; Dalin, Carole; Komarek, Adam M.; et al. 2021. Quantitative assessment of agricultural sustainability reveals divergent priorities among nations. One Earth 4(6): 1262-1277. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oneear.2021.08.015
spellingShingle models
sustainable development goals
greenhouse gas emissions
health
agricultural policies
indicators
environment
nutrition
agricultural productivity
sustainable agriculture
Zhang, Xin
Yao, Guolin
Vishwakarma, Srishti
Dalin, Carole
Komarek, Adam M.
Quantitative assessment of agricultural sustainability reveals divergent priorities among nations
title Quantitative assessment of agricultural sustainability reveals divergent priorities among nations
title_full Quantitative assessment of agricultural sustainability reveals divergent priorities among nations
title_fullStr Quantitative assessment of agricultural sustainability reveals divergent priorities among nations
title_full_unstemmed Quantitative assessment of agricultural sustainability reveals divergent priorities among nations
title_short Quantitative assessment of agricultural sustainability reveals divergent priorities among nations
title_sort quantitative assessment of agricultural sustainability reveals divergent priorities among nations
topic models
sustainable development goals
greenhouse gas emissions
health
agricultural policies
indicators
environment
nutrition
agricultural productivity
sustainable agriculture
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/142839
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