The IDEA method (farm sustainability indicators): an educational approach

Abstract

The sustainability assessment of farm involves a great demand for indicators. The IDEA method, developed for an education aim on the instigation of the Ministry for agriculture and fisheries, helps farmers to progress on the way to sustainability. It includes an agri-ecological scale, a socio-territorial scale and an economic scale to assess, through 37 quantitative or qualitative indicators, the farm systems and to suggest ways for better sustainability.