Agri Sustainability Compass
Agriculture provides food and livelihood for millions and shapes our rural areas and the natural environment. It therefore makes sense to look at its sustainability performance.
This Compass shows the development of a set of key EU agricultural sustainability indicators.
Each indicator is accompanied by an assessment of the trend:
evolution in the desired direction
,
neutral or mixed signals
or in the undesired direction
. Additional links offer more detailed information available under the Agri-food Data Portal.
Economic performance
Farmers produce our daily food and in return want to earn a decent living with that activity. Under the Economic Performance section, several key indicators
are brought together that help us understand how the farmers of today and the sector as a whole, are performing in economic terms compared to the past.
Social performance
Viability of the agriculture and rural areas from the social perspective is another prerequisite for sustainability. Social sustainability of agriculture
and rural areas is associated with concepts such as fairness, connectedness, diversity, and quality of life. With a male dominated and aging farmer population,
operating in often remote areas with limited access to services and networks, it is important to consider this dimension.
Environmental and climate performance
As a land-based activity, agriculture is intrinsically linked with the environment and climate.
When not pursued sustainably, farming can have negative impacts on water, soil, air quality and biodiversity.
Environmental and climate sustainability goes hand in hand with a farming that works in harmony with
natural resources and ecosystems, while also locking up carbon in the soil and limiting emissions.
Without prospects for a decent return, farmers will leave the sector and agricultural production will not take place.
This section brings together key indicators on the economic performance of agriculture.
The indicator on 'Trade balance (Trade)' helps to understand whether EU agriculture has become more competitive on the world market.
A better economic performance also means becoming more efficient in the conversion of inputs into outputs. The indicator 'Agricultural productivity (Productivity)' captures this aspect.
Key to economic performance are the earnings farmers make with their activity, in particular given the alternative of working outside of agriculture.
The indicator 'Farmers income compared to the average wage in the economy (Earnings)' depicts this comparison.
The indicator 'Net value added per worker (Value worker)' measures the change in labour productivity over time. As in other parts of the economy,
labour has been steadily replaced by other inputs such as capital and machinery.
The indicator 'Average farm size and total farm number (Size)' sheds light on the structural change happening in the sector, towards fewer and larger farms in search for economies of scale.
Finally, the indicator 'Value created in agriculture and food chain (Value added)' compares the value added by the agricultural sector and by the other food chain players,
such as food processors or retailers, and helps to understand who captures most of the value linked to food production.
Agriculture cannot take place without interaction with its surrounding environment, which acts as a source of services and inputs, such as pollinators or clean water,
and a sink for agricultural outputs. Some of these interactions are unwanted, such as pollution, overexploitation or emissions, which can result in environmental degradation
or contribute to greenhouse gas and other unwanted emissions. This section brings together nine key indicators for agriculture.
The 'Farmland birds index (Birds)' is a signal indicator for the biodiversity status on and around agricultural fields.
Crop diversity (which refers to the presence of more than one crop on a farm’s arable area at the same time) is seen as important for maintaining soil health and biodiversity.
The level of diversity is measured by the ‘Crop diversity at farm level (Crops)'.
The indicator 'Farming intensity (Intensity)' shows which share of the agricultural area is managed in an input-intensive way.
Some of the nutrients used in and/or resulting from agriculture – mainly in manure and chemical fertilisers - end up in the surrounding water bodies, which can affect their state negatively.
The indicator 'Nitrates in groundwater (Nitrates)' captures this trend.
Agriculture also at times uses pesticides to manage crop diseases. These pesticides can have unwanted effects on the environment, including on non-targeted organisms.
The 'Pesticides: Harmonised Risk Indicator 1 (Pesticides)' shows the trend in pesticide sales weighted for their risk to the environment.
Organic agriculture is generally associated with more environmentally friendly farming practices. The indicator 'Share of land for organic agriculture (Organics)' shows the growing
in area of this type of agriculture.
Agriculture, and in particular livestock, is an important source of ammonia emissions, which pollutes the air and is hence unwanted. The indicator 'Ammonia emissions (Ammonia)' captures the trend.
Combatting climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions is another important societal concern. The indicator 'Greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture (Emissions)'
depicts agriculture's trend in these emissions as well as its share in total emissions.
Greenhouse gas emissions are a global problem. Reducing European production to meet local climate goals might lead to the import of less greenhouse gas efficient food
from abroad and cause a worse climate footprint. The indicator 'GHG emissions per Euro produced (Emissions/€)' shows the efficiency of EU farming in terms of greenhouse gas emissions.
While earning a decent living is important, being part of a socially thriving community is another precondition for overall sustainability.
This section brings together indicators of the social performance of agriculture and rural areas. More complex indicators, such as wellbeing, connectedness,
or quality of life, are yet to be designed. However, the section gathers a set of other useful key indicators.
To start with, the use of antibiotics is a growing concern in society, both from human and animal welfare perspectives.
The 'Antibiotic use per animal (Antibiotics)' indicator captures the farming sector's contribution to combatting antibiotic resistance.
A precondition for a viable agricultural sector is generational renewal. The indicator 'Share of farm managers by age (Age)' helps to understand
the dynamics in age distribution in the sector.
Gender equality is another important societal issue. The indicator 'Share of farms managed by women (Gender)' compares the gender distribution
among farm managers with the rest of the economy.
Farmers need the right skill set to cope with the difficult decision environment on farms. Access to knowledge and education is important in that respect.
The indicator 'Training of farm managers (Training)' compares the level of agricultural training between young and all farmers.
Finally, the risk of poverty is an important signal indicator for social performance. It is depicted by the indicator 'Poverty rate in rural areas versus the whole territory (Poverty)'.
