Methodological approach to measuring social sustainability in agriculture

Minka Anastasova-Chopeva

Abstract: Over the last decades, the importance of social sustainability has been increasing and growing, and this trend will continue in the future. The role of the individual person as part of a group or of the civil society stands out more clearly. The main (and longer-term) goal of social sustainability is social reunification, and more specific goals, in a more timely manner are related to opportunities for personal development and participation in decision-making processes in all public spheres. Social sustainability in agriculture along with the other three aspects (economic, environmental, managerial) is an integral part of the sustainability model of agriculture. The aim of the article is to present the main elements of the essence and content of social sustainability in the context of the UN Global Compact on human rights and on this basis the foundations of the methodological tool for measuring the level of social sustainability in agriculture are examined. In developing the methodological approach to measuring social sustainability, account was taken of the common concepts of social sustainability and, on the other hand, the specific features of the agricultural sector. The heart of the article is the proposed system of principles, criteria and of social sustainability in agriculture at macro and micro (farm) level. On the basis of expert assessment and the results of long-term research of the Institute of Agrarian Economics (IAE) in the sphere of social problems in the branch, the reference values of the respective indicators are determined.

Keywords: agriculture; criteria; indicators; principles; social sustainability

Date published: 2019-07-11