Framework for assessing sustainability of agricultural farms

Hrabrin Bachev

Abstract: This paper attempts to give answer to some important questions, on which there is no agreement among researchers, namely: „what is farm sustainability?“, „what is the relation between farm and agrarian sustainability?“, “which are critical factors of farms sustainability?”, and „how to assess farms sustainability level in conditions of EU CAO implementation in the country?“. First, evolution of the “concept” of farm sustainability as alternative ideology, new strategy, system characteristics etc. is analyzed and discussed. On that base is suggested adequate definition of farm sustainability as ability of a particular farm to maintain its governance, economic, social and ecological functions in a long term. After that applicable for the contemporary conditions of the development of Bulgarian farms framework for assessing the farm sustainability level is suggested. The later includes a system of appropriate principles, criteria, indicators, and reference values, which characterize the governance, economic, ecological and social aspects of farms sustainability as well as approach for their integration and interpretation. The goal is to test the efficiency of this framework, and after that to apply it for the assessment of sustainability level of farms during the new program period of EU CAP implementation in Bulgaria. The ultimate objective of this study is to assist farm management and strategies as well as agricultural policies and forms of public intervention in agriculture.

Keywords: CAP; ecological aspects; economic aspects; farm sustainability; framework for assessment; governance; social aspects

Date published: 2017-08-16