Evaluating sustainability indicators employed across European arable agricultural research. a systematic literature review

Abstract

The assessment and quantification of agricultural sustainability remain disjointed with many methodological frameworks used by the research community. Defining ‘indicators’ as measurable variables used to assess targeted areas of sustainability, this study provides a systematic review of studies simultaneously employing indicators across social, economic, and environmental pillars of sustainability to assess the farm-level performance of European arable agriculture. Based on strict search criteria, 36 publications were identified, employing 22 different frameworks and multiple unique indicator combinations. Overall, the analysis demonstrates that whilst many existing assessment structures are similar in their overall approach, there are large differences in the total number of indicators used and a common trend towards a higher number of environmental, rather than economic or social indicators. Across the three pillars, common indicators included the treatment and accessibility of labour, production efficiency, environmental care during production, and impacts on soil quality, suggesting that improvements in these areas on farms are considered to support their sustainability. The review also identified trade-offs between the broad applicability and site specificity of sustainability assessment frameworks, suggesting that a minimal set of indicators incorporating these key areas could be used across frameworks to support comparisons. This review identifies research gaps, summarises conflicting methodologies, and provides scientific reference and guidance for the evaluation of the sustainability of European agricultural systems.