Comparative Analysis of Brazilian Methods to Assess Sustainable Development in Farms

Osorio, Laura Gonçalves; Dias, Marcelo Fernandes Pacheco

doi:10.1590/1809-4422asoc00602vu27L5OA

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Original Article • Ambient. soc. 27 • 2024 • https://doi.org/10.1590/1809-4422asoc00602vu27L5OA linkcopy

Comparative Analysis of Brazilian Methods to Assess Sustainable Development in Farms

Análisis Comparativo de Métodos Brasileños para Evaluar el Desarrollo Sostenible en Agricultura

Authorship SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

Abstract

The aim of the present research is to analyze differences and similarities in Brazilian methods used to assess farms’ sustainable development, namely: Ambitec-Agro, APOIA-NovoRural and ISA. Meta-study was the adopted method. According to the results, all three methods (Ambitec-Agro, APOIA-NovoRural and ISA) presented similarities to, and differences from, each other. The choice for the method demands special emphasis on decision-making about what to be analyzed in the farms, namely: technology, agricultural activity or the farm as a whole. In addition, based on the indicators, the three methods were previously set and it made their choice impossible.

Keywords:
Agribusiness; sustainable development; methods; assessment; farm

Dimensions	Analysis category	Descriptions
Normative	Aim	General aim of the method
	Target public	Who does the method interests to?
	Sustainability concept	Adopted sustainability concept
	Origin of targets and indicators	How were sustainability assessment targets defined?
	Hierarchy levels and indicators	Hierarchical levels of sustainability assessment. What are the assessed indicators?
	Scoring and aggregation method	Assessment method of data aggregation indicator
	Function of the method	Purpose of the method
Systemic	Simplicity	Using simplicity for method understanding and representation purposes
Systemic	Sufficiency (complexity and parsimony)	Use of the complexity necessary for a successful assessment Interaction between the indicators addressed in the method

Methods	Material
Ambitec-Agro	(Rodrigues; Campanhola, 2003; Monteiro; Rodrigues, 2006). (Lima et al., 2014). (Monteiro et al., 2013). (Rodrigues; Kitamura, 2003) (Rodrigues; Pimenta; Casarini, 2016) Excel spreadsheet website: https://www.cnpma.embrapa.br/forms/apoia.php
APOIA-NovoRural	(Ramos Filho et al., 2004) (Demattê Filho , 2014). Excel spreadsheet website: www.cnpma.embrapa.br/forms/apoia.php
ISA	(Silva et al., 2017) (Ferreira et al., 2012). Excel spreadsheet website: www.epamig.br/projeto-isa/

Dimension	Categories	Comparison
Normative	(1) Goal	Similarities Environmental, economic and social impacts
	(2) Analysis unit	Different units Ambitec-Agrotechnology APOIA-NovoRural: carried out activities ISA: property as a whole.
	(3) Target public	Similarities farmers Public managers of agricultural promotion and development
	(4) Sustainability concepts	Similarities Triple bottom line analysis.
	(5) Origin of indicators	Similarities Pre-established indicators
	(6) Origin of targets	Different targets APOIA-NovoRural and ISA adopt a baseline of 0.7 Ambitec-Agro evaluates the changes that occurred between two moments, with different degrees and qualities (positive or negative).
	(7) Hierarchical levels	Similarities presence of more than one hierarchical level
	(8) Data aggregation	Different forms of aggregation Ambitec-Agro: the result is presented through a column graph, generating an index that varies between - 15 (maximum decrease = decrease in impact) and + 15 (maximum increase = increase in impact). APOIA-NovoRural and ISA: utility scale ranging from 0 to 1, with the baseline value of environmental compliance standardized at 0.7.
	(9) Possibility of weighting the indicators	Different weighting possibilities Ambitec-Agro: weighs 1) the weight of each indicator and 2) the scope of the impact APOIA-NovoRural; considers 1) severity of impact and 2) scope of impact ISA: no possibility of weighting
	(10) Function of the tool in an environmental management system	Different functions Similar in terms of presenting a diagnosis. ISA stands out for its ability to propose action plans in the tool itself.
Systemic	(11) Simplicity	Similarities Results in graphical and easy-to-understand form.
	(12) Sufficiency and parsimony	Similarities Integrative approach to the dimensions of sustainable development Emphasis on the environmental dimension of sustainable development.
	(13) Interactions between indicators	Similarities Indicators independent from each other.

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[TFN1] Source: Elaborated by the authors (based on Binder et al., , Feola e Steinberger (2010;); Marchand et al., 2014; De Olde, 2017).