Assessment of agricultural sustainability

Formal assessment systems for agricultural sustainability are necessary for a scientific understanding of policy and planning for sustainable agricultural development. Analytical frameworks for environmental assessments and rural livelihoods assessments, backed by significant international initiatives, have been available for the past decade or so. Agricultural sustainability assessments can benefit greatly from an understanding of such frameworks. The state-of-the-art in environmental, rural livelihoods and agricultural sustainability assessments is evaluated and a framework for assessment of agricultural sustainability is proposed.