From the autumn 2023, we are testing our EAD tool in all project languages. Now we are ready to welcome our beta testers, who will receive additional benefits in the form of "knowledge gifts".
The main advantages, and benefits, of using the tool, are that participating farmers can:
- Measure how sustainably their farms are operated and develop strategies for improvement.
- Compare themselves to other farms at the same time, or monitor the progress of their own farms during a series of measurements.
- Testify the sustainability level of the farm in an objective, quality-assured way, following the methodology and standards of FAO and FiBL, accepted worldwide by third parties, which can be useful in many scenarios, such as business and investment planning, grant requests, loan applications, (short) supply chain marketing and branding, etc.
- Based on the results, get access to personalized guidelines, good practice descriptions, suitable CAP measures and more.
Figure 1,2. The screen of the Kobo Form and the result processing starting page, showing a Radar chart.
Where to start, how to use the tool:
- Please read more about the EAD tool below and/or you may find additional information on our website.
- You can enter and fill out the assessment form online, in a browser, or by downloading the KoboCollect Mobile App.
- You may find instructions on how to use the form, and work with the tool, in Module 3 of our e-Learning Course.
- For the instant, real-time processing and presentation of the submission results, you will need a dedicated account on our platform, which can be requested by sending us an email or filling out our contact form, indicating the need for the account.
The Ecofarm Assessment and Decision Tool (EAD) is a digital self-assessment approach for farmers and advisors to assess environmental sustainability at the farm level, consisting of sustainability indicators that attempt to provide baseline information that can help farmers in their decision-making process. The dimensions of sustainability are presented with a focus on ecology, with a detailed assessment (in a local context), processing of the result and a direct link to CAP measures.
There is a growing global demand for environmentally sound, sustainable farming practices to reduce the impacts of climate change, increase resilience to climate change, protect, maintain and enhance our natural resources, improve healthy eating, promote economically viable models, and many other positive impacts. In the EU, the Common Agricultural Policy's support schemes, measures and prescribed practices are increasingly focused on this issue, but there are also a number of other operational models (eco-certification organisations, business supply chains, quality systems, etc.) where it is important to measure where a given farm is at in terms of sustainability and where it is in the process, and in the light of this, what development directions can be identified for it.
Figure 3. The high level overview of the system boundaries and connection between the modules.
The processing of results is based on a special scoring, weighing and calculation method, based on the indicators and eco-themes, subthemes. The calculation methodology is a know-how, developed specifically for the CAPTIVATE project (involving experts at the national levels in each target country), while the overall approach is fully shared and well explaned in our Guidebook.
To determine the level and type of impact of all EAD indicators on the topics of ecological sustainability, a Delphi process was started with experts from all project countries as well as others from the EU area. The impacts were created according to the respective ecological sustainability goals by experts specializing in these areas and ultimately determined by the project team.
Figure 4. A small insight into the calculation process, in Excel, which was adapted to the web-based system, which works in real-time connecting to the Kobo API, for instant self-evaluation result.
