An-Najah University Journal for Research - A (Natural Sciences)

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Keywords

• Assessment
• agroecological sustainability
• socio-territorial sustainability
• economic sustainability
• indicators.
• IDEA

Abstract

Assessing farm sustainability is not only a scientific challenge, but also a necessity for sustainable development. It requires consideration of the three dimensions of sustainability: agro-ecological, socio-territorial and economic. Several assessment methods based on indicators and scoring have been proposed by researchers. Our work focuses on one of these methods: The Indicators of Farm Sustainability (IDEA). This method was applied to assess the sustainability of newly-created olive farms in the wilaya of Djelfa (Algeria) as a result of public policies implemented since the 2000s. The IDEA method assesses the sustainability of a farm using 42 indicators covering the three dimensions of agro-ecology, socio-territory and economy. Surveys of 57 olive farms in the study region were used to analyze the sustainability of these farms by highlighting the low level of sustainability at the socio-territorial level, with an average of 30/100. The results show that, overall, the farms are economically sustainable and less sustainable in agroecological terms, with averages of 67 and 53/100 respectively. Sustainability at farm level can be enhanced by intervening on one or more of the ten sustainability components proposed by the IDEA method, such as plant and animal diversity, spatial organization, product quality and production process efficiency. The findings highlight priority areas for improvement, including plant and animal diversity, spatial organization, product quality, and production process efficiency. These results provide guidance for targeted interventions to strengthen the overall sustainability of olive farms in arid regions.

معلومات المقال

قيد النشر

الكلمات الإفتتاحية

• Assessment
• agroecological sustainability
• socio-territorial sustainability
• economic sustainability
• indicators.
• IDEA

الملخص

Assessing farm sustainability is not only a scientific challenge, but also a necessity for sustainable development. It requires consideration of the three dimensions of sustainability: agro-ecological, socio-territorial and economic. Several assessment methods based on indicators and scoring have been proposed by researchers. Our work focuses on one of these methods: The Indicators of Farm Sustainability (IDEA). This method was applied to assess the sustainability of newly-created olive farms in the wilaya of Djelfa (Algeria) as a result of public policies implemented since the 2000s. The IDEA method assesses the sustainability of a farm using 42 indicators covering the three dimensions of agro-ecology, socio-territory and economy. Surveys of 57 olive farms in the study region were used to analyze the sustainability of these farms by highlighting the low level of sustainability at the socio-territorial level, with an average of 30/100. The results show that, overall, the farms are economically sustainable and less sustainable in agroecological terms, with averages of 67 and 53/100 respectively. Sustainability at farm level can be enhanced by intervening on one or more of the ten sustainability components proposed by the IDEA method, such as plant and animal diversity, spatial organization, product quality and production process efficiency. The findings highlight priority areas for improvement, including plant and animal diversity, spatial organization, product quality, and production process efficiency. These results provide guidance for targeted interventions to strengthen the overall sustainability of olive farms in arid regions.