The need to satisfy agroecological principles, in order to restore the environmental balance without neglecting the economic benefits for producers, makes the sustainability assessment of fundamental importance. The study is based on the application of Environmental and Economic indicators, developed on the basis of the SAFA methodology, to assess the state of sustainability of organic meat farming in Sicily (Italy). For the dimension related to the Environment the results were on average positive due to the growing commitment to a rational use of resources and the implementation of environmentally friendly practices, but improvements are needed to make the sector more sustainable. In the Economic Area the results were quite high due to the investments that allowed farmers to increase their economic resilience in the long term. The research demonstrates the importance of assessing production processes and the difficulties of methodological application and the detection of certain aspects of business management. In the agri-food system there are opportunities to achieve ambitious objectives, in a market with high consumer needs, where economic and environmental sustainability is increasingly strategic.
Agricultural production, due to its contribution to climate change, exploitation of natural resources
and the loss of biodiversity, needs to follow the path of sustainable development. The European
Commission's aims towards a complete reduction in net emissions of greenhouse gases in 2050 in the
whole Union [
2022 Copyright for this paper by its authors.
Fundamental is to educate farmers about the importance of producing in an environmentally and
economically sustainable way [
The study is based on the identification of environmental and economic sustainability indicators in
order to evaluate the livestock farms' efficiency in Sicily. On the basis of the ‘‘Sustainability
Assessment of Food and Agriculture Systems’’ (SAFA) framework realized by the FAO [
In relation to the economic area, table 2 show the thematic areas and the indicators developed.
The indicators were included in a questionnaire and administered to the farmers interviewed. They
have been developed in the form of open-ended questions and each answer received has been given a
score ranging from high too low to which corresponds a numerical value [
The survey carried out in order to assess the environmental and economic sustainability of livestock farms in Sicily gave the following results, summarised in Figures 1 and 2. The first one shows the results for the environmental dimension, within which in the atmosphere topic the results obtained by the companies are average with good opportunities for improvement. They do not have written plans to communicate to stakeholders, but their commitment translates into the implementation of ecosustainable practices, proper management of solid and liquid manure, land control activities to avoid the risk of fires and the application of minimum processing. The same result can be observed in the water theme, in which farmers commit to implementing practices that do not allow the waste of this resource, such as the cultivation of species that do not require irrigation and the correct management of water inside the cattle sheds. In the soil topic, the results are positive and tending towards the maximum value. Farmers implement the controlled application of organic fertilizers toc improve nutrient deficiencies, reduction of tillage and cultivation of nitrogen-fixing crops. They pay a lot of attention to soil management and they declared that the land is in excellent condition without signs of compaction and degradation, due to soil conservation and improvement practices. Another topic in which the results are very high is the Animal Welfare. Farmers are committed to reduce the use of veterinary medicines and to ensuring the satisfaction of all animals' needs. The 100% of the animals are in good health, they are supported in their normal needs and sources of stress are reduced e.g. for the slaughterhouse places are chosen near the farm so that the journey is short and all animal transport regulations are respected. Biodiversity is another topic considered within the environmental indicators. In this context the results are lower than the average value, which means that farms are not very careful about maintaining biodiversity, so a process of awareness-raising and improvement is necessary. They only commit to crop rotations. The same results are reported in materials and energy topics. Only one farm uses renewable energy therefore the need for improvements is underlined. The farm’s practices for reducing energy use concern the cleaning of stables and the feeding of livestock when it is not grazing, but a particular commitment to reduce energy effort and waste reduction was not reported by any of the interviewed farmers.
Another important dimension of sustainability is the economic area (Fig. 2). The first topic refers to the investments made by farm to extend sustainability, for example the use of human resources or funds provided by agricultural policies. In this context, the results are positive and higher than the average value. Farmers are creating a relationship between the activities and the enterprise's investment. In general, all the companies analysed refer to other activities in the territory for the supply of inputs not produced directly. All interviewed made investments to improve financial and natural capital in the long term, such as the purchase of new land or the modernisation of machinery to improve production performance and reduce pollution. All livestock farms have a business plan drawn up with the help of professional figures and they declared to have a positive net profit demonstrating the farms' profitability and financial sustainability over time. Moving on to the vulnerability area, all farms have obtained a high score as they are able to guarantee the production quantity and quality by reducing the risks that could threaten the production process. Farmers, in addition to meat production, also deal with cereal and forage production through the practice of crop rotations to diversify their activities. All the interviewed declared to have stable relationships always with the same suppliers, with the exception of one farms, because it was sometimes forced to find inputs in companies other than the usual ones because the latter were not able to supply it. All stated that the level of liquidity to meet the farm's financial commitments over the last 5 years is very positive, and they are able to obtain loans both formal (from banks or credit institutions) and informal (from families or friends) to face difficult situations or to improve production performance. The ability of enterprises to cope with internal and external risks was also reported, so the company can implement action plans to reduce the negative effects, such as the creation of farm roads that can be used in the event of flooding or the necessary fire prevention measures in crops. The area of interest “Product quality and information” obtained high scores. All farms have declared the non-use of pesticides, no one has contaminated products, and all the products produced are in conformity with the regulations. All interviewed uses the traceability system and certification bodies that periodically carry out checks in the farms. The last topic in the economic area is “Local Economy”. This refers to the use of local workforce in production process, in which farmers have a low commitment, because they are family businesses and rarely use seasonal workforce. The results are more positive in other indicators, in fact they regularly pay all taxes and all inputs are found in the pertinent territory.
Environmental Results 6.0 5.0 e4.0 u l a V3.0 n a e M2.0 1.0 tirecudno tleeendm ticednou lteeepndm GHG itiscaecpm llttrsauon itiseccam rP irp rP
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Environmental indicators and topics tirseavnon tilticaonny ilaandnm ttirsaopon co fu a o titab tseym tlfsanp rC aH scoE tir o y g e t n
I Biodiversity rgy tion ino ino leeeabn recddun ttreeaeng ttrseecdu ew am sa a enR edy W W g r e n
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Economics Results 6.0
Vulnerability Economics indicators and topics tiirsssceeaazdpdouH tiitaacnoodnoonFm itlrsanoyuQm tiltirsseaecayybTm tiiitrfrceeudonpodC s s t e e n lreeepoym ttfeaonx rrceeuopm thO ayPm laco
L Product quality and information
Local Economy
The results of the sustainability levels suggest that the peculiarities presented by the analysed farms can be the key to achieve an environmentally and economically sustainable livestock farming. Agroecological principles, supported by organic farming, aim to improve production and ecological performance. Sicily lends itself to sustainable farming and this is the message we want to disseminate in order to increase the number of farms that follow the principles of agroecology.
Respect for ecosystem balance, ensuring the product's quality, the health of the consumer and of the animals reared, as well as guaranteeing an adequate income for the producer, are aspects that need to enter into synergy to ensure a sustainable livestock farming system. Significant improvements in both the environmental and economic spheres can only be made by respecting the principles of organic farming and agroecology. The study highlights the strengths and weaknesses of organic livestock farms in Sicily. Regarding the environmental aspect, farms certainly still need to concentrate their efforts to achieve significant sustainability levels, especially for biodiversity, use of renewable energy sources and the reduction of waste produced during production process. On the other hand, very positive results have been achieved in the economic area thanks to the commitment of farmers to use the EU agricultural policy aid by increasing investment in the sector. In conclusion, it is possible to affirm that in spite of the numerous improvements that the Sicilian livestock sector still needs, an elected model of sustainability is certainly beginning to emerge for the companies operating in Sicily.
This research was funded from the research project “Sostenibilità economica, ambientale e sociale del sistema agroalimentare del mediterraneo”, Principal investigator Prof. Claudio Bellia funded by PIAno di inCEntivi per la Ricerca di Ateneo (PIACERI) UNICT 2020/22 line 2, UPB: 5A722192154, University of Catania.