Elimination Method of Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA): A Simple Methodological Approach for Assessing Agricultural Sustainability

Byomkesh Talukder, Alison Blay-Palmer, Keith W. Hipel and Gary W. VanLoon
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Byomkesh Talukder: Parmalat Canada and McGill Centre for the Convergence of Health and Economics (MCCHE), McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 1X9, Canada
Alison Blay-Palmer: Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, Wilfrid Laurier University, Centre for Sustainable Food Systems (CSFS), Centre for International Governance Innovation, Balsillie School of International Affairs, Waterloo, ON N2L 6C2, Canada
Keith W. Hipel: System Design Engineering Department, Conflict Analysis Group, University of Waterloo, Centre for International Governance Innovation, Balsillie School of International Affairs, Waterloo, ON N2L 6C2, Canada
Gary W. VanLoon: School of Environmental Studies, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON K7L 3J9 Canada

Sustainability, 2017, vol. 9, issue 2, 1-17

Abstract: In the present world context, there is a need to assess the sustainability of agricultural systems. Various methods have been proposed to assess agricultural sustainability. Like in many other fields, Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) has recently been used as a methodological approach for the assessment of agricultural sustainability. In this paper, an attempt is made to apply Elimination, a MCDA method, to an agricultural sustainability assessment, and to investigate its benefits and drawbacks. This article starts by explaining the importance of agricultural sustainability. Common MCDA types are discussed, with a description of the state-of-the-art method for incorporating multi-criteria and reference values for agricultural sustainability assessment. Then, a generic description of the Elimination Method is provided, and its modeling approach is applied to a case study in coastal Bangladesh. An assessment of the results is provided, and the issues that need consideration before applying Elimination to agricultural sustainability, are examined. Whilst having some limitations, the case study shows that it is applicable for agricultural sustainability assessments and for ranking the sustainability of agricultural systems. The assessment is quick compared to other assessment methods and is shown to be helpful for agricultural sustainability assessment. It is a relatively simple and straightforward analytical tool that could be widely and easily applied. However, it is suggested that appropriate care must be taken to ensure the successful use of the Elimination Method during the assessment process.

Keywords: agricultural sustainability assessment; multi-criteria decision analysis; reference values; Elimination (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (12)

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