Why is this indicator important?

Harmful, unsustainable agricultural practices from extractive industries, large-scale agricultural producers, and peasants can pose significant risks to people and the environment. While sustainable agriculture was mainly defined by environmental criteria in the past, its economic and social dimension as come to the fore. A farm can only be sustainable if it is well managed and the well-being of those working at the farm is taken into consideration.

The indicator was developed through a multi-stakeholder process to ensure capturing the complex nature of sustainable agriculture.

How is the indicator measured and monitored?

The indicator’s scope centers around the agricultural land area of a farm holding including, extensive crop and livestock production systems, subsistence agriculture, agro-forestry, and aquaculture that takes place within the agricultural land area. Excluded are state and common land that is not used exclusively by farm holdings, pastoral pastures, backyard farming, forestry and aquaculture holdings. Agricultural area is defined as arable land plus land under permanent crops, meadows, and pastures.

The methodology was endorsed in late 2019, including both national farm surveys as a single data collection instrument as well as multi-dimensional data sources. According to the metadata document, data is collected through agricultural surveys or as integrated modules in already existing household surveys (e.g., AGRISurvey and the 50x2030 initiative) organized by national statistical agencies, with support from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and other international agencies. In addition, sensing, GIS, administrative data, or environmental monitoring systems were further identified as cost-effective instruments.

FAO, together with the Global Strategy to improve Agriculture and Rural Statistics (GSARS), have developed the capacity development material necessary for this indicator, such as a methodological guide, an enumerator manual, calculation document and an e-learning course.

By Anne Hennings, peer-reviewed by FAO.