Multicriteria analysis applied to the sustainable agriculture problem

The aim of this paper is to present an operational approach to compare the relative sustainability of existing farming systems. Sustainability rests o n the assumption that an equilibrium must exist among three domains: social , economic and ecological. If we are to look for a solution to the problem, we must face a multi-dimensional approach. We propose that multicriteria a nalysis, a multi-dimensional method, is an appropriate methodology to study the issue. As sustainability cannot be measured directly, the nay out is t o use indicators. We have performed a thorough analysis of four farming sys tems existing in Guaira, SP, Brazil to validate the methodology. Thirty ind icators of sustainability (ten ecological, ten social, and ten economic) we re defined and used to perform the analysis. The results of the multicriter ia analysis proved useful because of its capability of reducing the dimensi onality of the problem. From the three dimensions of sustainability, a fina l score was derived that can easily compare the relative sustainability of each farming system.