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The development of farm-level sustainability indicators for Ireland using the Teagasc National Farm Survey

Author

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  • Ryan, Mary
  • Buckley, Cathal
  • Dillon, Emma Jane
  • Donnellan, Trevor
  • Hanrahan, Kevin
  • Hennessy, Thia
  • Moran, Brian

Abstract

Developing the capacity to assess and chart trends in the sustainability of farming and food production is becoming increasingly more important as agriculture strives to produce more food while minimising the risk to the natural environment. The multi-faceted nature of sustainability is encompassed in economic, environmental, social and innovation indicators. This paper outlines the development of farm level indicators for these sustainability criteria in Ireland. A comparison of indicators across farm systems shows that dairy farms, followed by tillage farms, tend to be the most economically and socially sustainable farm systems. Interestingly, in relation to greenhouse gas emissions in particular, the top performing farms in an economic sense also tend to be the best performing farms from an environmental sustainability perspective. This trend is also evident in terms of the adoption of innovative practices on farm, which is found to be strongly positively correlated with economic performance.

Suggested Citation

  • Ryan, Mary & Buckley, Cathal & Dillon, Emma Jane & Donnellan, Trevor & Hanrahan, Kevin & Hennessy, Thia & Moran, Brian, 2014. "The development of farm-level sustainability indicators for Ireland using the Teagasc National Farm Survey," 88th Annual Conference, April 9-11, 2014, AgroParisTech, Paris, France 170501, Agricultural Economics Society.
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:aesc14:170501
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.170501
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. World Commission on Environment and Development,, 1987. "Our Common Future," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780192820808.
    2. Ernest Reig‐Martínez & José A. Gómez‐Limón & Andrés J. Picazo‐Tadeo, 2011. "Ranking farms with a composite indicator of sustainability," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 42(5), pages 561-575, September.
    3. Emma J. Dillon & Thia Hennessy & Stephen Hynes & Cloe Garnache & Verena Commins, 2007. "Measuring the sustainability of agriculture," Working Papers 0701, Rural Economy and Development Programme,Teagasc.
    4. Dillon, Emma Jane & Hennessy, Thia & Buckley, Cathal & Donnellan, Trevor & Hanrahan, Kevin & Moran, Brian & Ryan, Mary, 2014. "The Sustainable Intensification of the Irish Dairy Sector," 88th Annual Conference, April 9-11, 2014, AgroParisTech, Paris, France 169740, Agricultural Economics Society.
    5. Cathal Buckley & Paul Murphy & David Wall, 2013. "Farm-gate N and P balances and use efficiencies across specialist dairy farms in the Republic Ireland," Working Papers 1302, Rural Economy and Development Programme,Teagasc.
    6. Franks, Jeremy & Frater, Poppy, 2013. "Measuring agricultural sustainability at the farm-level: A pragmatic approach," International Journal of Agricultural Management, Institute of Agricultural Management, vol. 2(4), pages 1-19, July.
    7. Gómez-Limón, José A. & Sanchez-Fernandez, Gabriela, 2010. "Empirical evaluation of agricultural sustainability using composite indicators," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(5), pages 1062-1075, March.
    8. Gomez-Limon, Jose Antonio & Riesgo, Laura, 2008. "Alternative Approaches On Constructing A Composite Indicator To Measure Agricultural Sustainability," 107th Seminar, January 30-February 1, 2008, Sevilla, Spain 6489, European Association of Agricultural Economists.
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    Cited by:

    1. Maria Martinez Cillero & Fiona Thorne & Michael Wallace & James Breen & Thia Hennessy, 2018. "The Effects of Direct Payments on Technical Efficiency of Irish Beef Farms: A Stochastic Frontier Analysis," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 69(3), pages 669-687, September.
    2. Loughrey, Jason & Thorne, Fiona & Hennessy, Thia, 2015. "The Direct Impact of Risk Management Tools on Farm Income: The Case of Irelands Spring Barley Producers," 89th Annual Conference, April 13-15, 2015, Warwick University, Coventry, UK 204228, Agricultural Economics Society.
    3. Jason Loughrey & Fiona Thorne & Thia Hennessy, 2016. "A Microsimulation Model for Risk in Irish Tillage Farming," International Journal of Microsimulation, International Microsimulation Association, vol. 9(2), pages 41-76.
    4. Angelos Liontakis & Irene Tzouramani, 2016. "Economic Sustainability of Organic Aloe Vera Farming in Greece under Risk and Uncertainty," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(4), pages 1-13, April.
    5. Aleksander Grzelak & Jakub Staniszewski & Michał Borychowski, 2020. "Income or Assets—What Determines the Approach to the Environment among Farmers in A Region in Poland?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(12), pages 1-20, June.
    6. Angelos Liontakis & Irene Tzouramani & Stamatis Mantziaris & Alexandra Sintori, 2020. "Unravelling the Role of Gender in Fisheries’ Socio-Economic Performance: The Case of Greek Small-Scale Fisheries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(13), pages 1-13, June.
    7. Dillon, Emma Jane & Hennessy, Thia & Buckley, Cathal & Donnellan, Trevor & Hanrahan, Kevin & Moran, Brian & Ryan, Mary, 2014. "The Sustainable Intensification of the Irish Dairy Sector," 88th Annual Conference, April 9-11, 2014, AgroParisTech, Paris, France 169740, Agricultural Economics Society.

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    Keywords

    Agricultural and Food Policy; Environmental Economics and Policy; Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety;
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