Assessing farm sustainability with the IDEA method - from the concept of agriculture sustainability to case studies on farms

Frédéric Zahm, Philippe Viaux, Lionel Vilain, Philippe Girardin and Christian Mouchet
Additional contact information
Frédéric Zahm: Cemagref, UR ADBXF-33612, Cestas Cedex, France, Postal: Cemagref, UR ADBXF-33612, Cestas Cedex, France
Philippe Viaux: Arvalis, Boigneville, France, Postal: Arvalis, Boigneville, France
Lionel Vilain: France Nature Environnement, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturel, Paris Cedex, France, Postal: France Nature Environnement, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturel, Paris Cedex, France
Philippe Girardin: INRA, UMR Agronomie-Environnement, Colmar Cedex, France, Postal: INRA, UMR Agronomie-Environnement, Colmar Cedex, France
Christian Mouchet: ENSAR, Laboratoire de Développement Rural, Rennes Cedex, France, Postal: ENSAR, Laboratoire de Développement Rural, Rennes Cedex, France

Sustainable Development, 2008, vol. 16, issue 4, 271-281

Abstract: The IDEA method ( Indicateurs de Durabilité des Exploitations Agricoles or Farm Sustainability Indicators) is based on research work conducted since 1998 and is one way of giving practical expression to the concept of sustainable farms. Based on 41 sustainability indicators covering the three dimensions of sustainability, this method is designed as a self-assessment tool not only for farmers but also for policy makers to support sustainable agriculture. The scientific approach is based on identifying three different scales of sustainability. The application of the IDEA method is illustrated using French case studies. Linking the IDEA method with the Farm Accounting Data Network is noted as an interesting possibility to assess the sustainability level of different farming systems. The conclusion is that there is not just one farm sustainability model, and therefore the indicators must be adapted to local farming before using the IDEA method. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.

Date: 2008
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (30)

Downloads: (external link)
http://hdl.handle.net/10.1002/sd.380 Link to full text; subscription required (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:wly:sustdv:v:16:y:2008:i:4:p:271-281

DOI: 10.1002/sd.380

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainable Development is currently edited by Richard Welford

More articles in Sustainable Development from John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Wiley Content Delivery ().