Metrics for Agricultural Sustainability

The confusing way in which sustainable agriculture has been defined and measured is clarified in this comprehensive volume, which provides an inventory of the metrics for sustainable agriculture from cradle to the farm gate, organized by media and scale.

Example metrics include change in soil organic carbon as an integrating metric for soil health, change in groundwater level as a metric of over-withdrawal, current and change in land use diversity as an integrating metric for biodiversity, and farm worker education as an integrating metric of social prosperity. These metrics are informative at the individual level, but are shown collectively to provide a more complete understanding of the risks and opportunities for innovation and consumer acceptance across agricultural and food production systems.

The book describes the process of integrating metrics into indices for decision-making, with examples from the US, Europe, and Asia.