Abstract

VEGA, M.L et al. Un nuevo método para la evaluación de la sustentabilidad agropecuaria en la provincia de Salta, Argentina. RIA. Rev. investig. agropecu. [online]. 2015, vol.41, n.2, pp.168-178. ISSN 1669-2314.

This paper describes the design, development, and calculation of an index to assess agricultural sustainability. This index was called ISAP (a Spanish acronym meaning Agricultural Sustainability Index) and was estimated for seven farms in the Anta Department, province of Salta, Northwestern Argentina. The construction of the ISAP involved the estimation of indicators that where previously selected together with agricultural producers during three series or structured and semi-structured interviews performed between 2012 and 2014. The ISAP was built on the concept of "social-ecological system", understood as the geographical and cultural arena where processes of social, environmental, and productive change can take place. This approach allowed the inclusion of governance and decision-making processes in the assessment. The calculation of the ISAP was made with the active participation of farmers, who where in charge of assessing their own establishments. The farms assessed present an acceptable level of sustainability, all above the acceptability threshold adopted for this study. A detailed analysis of the cases studied allowed the identification of aspects that need interventions and improvement strategies. The current version of the ISAP will be discussed with local experts and producers to assess its potential applicability to other production systems, and for different areas in the province of Salta or in other parts of Northwestern Argentina. The ISAP is not meant to replace other assessment methods but aims to be a complementary tool to assess and optimize the level of agricultural sustainability in the region.

Keywords : Agricultural Sustainability Index; Anta; ISAP; Sustainability indicators.

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