Measuring and Assessing SDG-Related Indicators for Ecosystem Services Focused on Sustainable Agriculture: A Challenge for the Scientific Community

Sustainable development was documented in two Dutch case studies on arable farms acting as living labs, showing that methods are available to assess indicators and thresholds of ecosystem services in line with relevant Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Both farms met the various thresholds and thus obtained the lighthouse qualification, implying that these farmers can follow in the future their own type of successful management. The government, representing its citizens, should not prescribe farmers what to do but require them to reach the goals of sustainable development in their own professional way. Meeting the thresholds is the overall goal and that should also apply to various broadly defined farming systems emphasizing, for example, regenerative, organic, circular, nature-inclusive and high-tech-precision management. Current environmental regulations for agriculture in England and the Netherlands focus on payment for a variety of single management measures that have no quantitative relation with ecosystem services unless indicator measurements and assessments would be made. Questions are currently raised within the scientific community about the living lab concept and about methods and procedures to measure indicators and thresholds for ecosystem services. If the community cannot agree on an operational methodology soon, a scientifically sound expression for sustainable agriculture will remain beyond reach.