There is a growing global demand for the application of environmentally sound, sustainable farming practices to reduce the impacts of climate change, increase resilience to it, 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. In the following, a digital tool developed for such measurement and related advice and decision support will be presented in relation to one of the outcome products of the CAPTIVATE project.
The Eco-farm Assessment and Decision support (EAD) Tool is a digital self-assessment approach for farmers and advisors to assess ecological sustainability at farm level, consisting of sustainability indicators that provide information on the current state 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 farmer context), processing of the result and direct link to CAP action.
Beside on-farm sustainability assessment, one of the tool’s main objectives is to support farmers in selecting appropriate CAP measures to meet specific farm conditions and to improve environmental sustainability performance. This will lead to better understanding and more effective implementation of CAP measures, and will have a positive impact on the environment, as more farmers will be supported to properly implement the measures.
The tool is basically comprised of two separate modules. The [1.] first one is aimed at collecting responses from farmers using the open access Kobo Toolbox (https://www.kobotoolbox.org) platform, where we set up the form in English (working language) and in the target country languages; while the [2.] second one provides immediate presentation of the results for the respondents, thus encouraging self-assessment, using the Kobo Toolbox API, by our own programming methods.
