Assessing Sustainability of Organic Livestock Farming in Sicily: A Case Study Using the FAO SAFA Framework

Mariarita Cammarata, Giuseppe Timpanaro and Alessandro Scuderi
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Mariarita Cammarata: Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment (Di3A), University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy
Alessandro Scuderi: Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment (Di3A), University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy

Agriculture, 2021, vol. 11, issue 3, 1-20

Abstract: Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and pollutants, soil erosion and groundwater pollution are some of the negative aspects blamed on livestock farming, so their level of sustainability needs to be assessed, taking into account the territory in which they operate. The research focuses on the assessment of sustainability performance in the four dimensions of good governance: environmental integrity, economic resilience and social well-being, considered by the ‘‘Sustainability Assessment of Food and Agriculture Systems’’ (SAFA) tool developed by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The objective of applying this methodology is to highlight the sustainability dimensions in which the ten analyzed farms are weakest and the ones in which they show the most strength, in order to provide farmers a tool to understand the criticalities on which to intervene. The farms considered follow the principles of agroecology and organic farming, which are decisive in the pursuit of sustainable development. The overall results show a satisfactory level of sustainability with high prospects for improvement, in line with the EU commitments undertaken in the Green Deal and the Millennium Development Goals. Livestock farms must, therefore, be encouraged and accompanied with targeted technical assistance strategies and appropriate agroecological protocols.

Keywords: agroecology; animal husbandry; sustainable development; policy; environment; economics; social (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (9)

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