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Beyond profitability: Using economic indicators to measure farm sustainability

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 October 2009

S. Freyenberger ,
R. Levins ,
D. Norman  and
D. Rumsey
S. Freyenberger
Affiliation:
Former Extension Associate, Kansas Center for Agricultural Resources and the Environment, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506;
R. Levins
Affiliation:
Professor and Extension Agricultural Economist, Department of Applied Economics, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108;
D. Norman*
Affiliation:
Professor, Department of Agricultural Economics, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506;
D. Rumsey
Affiliation:
Director, Math Sciences Learning Center, Department of Mathematics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210.
*
Corresponding author is D. Norman (dnorman@agecon.ksu.edu).
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Abstract

United States farm policy has a long tradition of subsidizing farmers in order to achieve national goals. The issue of agricultural subsidies poses a particular challenge in terms of relevant policy design. This paper explores the potential for economic indicators to guide policies that encourage sustainable agriculture through alternative-oriented approaches. We begin by reviewing several indicators of sustainable agriculture that have been proposed previously. We then suggest a set of three economic indicators: energy and machinery use, creation of local jobs, and feed balance, and apply them to two groups of farmers: conventional farmers and those with an explicit orientation towards sustainable agriculture. Though our survey groups cannot be compared statistically, it appears that these three indicators are capable of distinguishing between the two farmer groups. We conclude with some suggestions for further research and application.

Keywords

economic analysisgovernment farm paymentsKansassustainability indicatorssustainable agricultureU.S. farm policy
Type
Articles
Information
American Journal of Alternative Agriculture , Volume 16 , Issue 1 , March 2001 , pp. 31 - 34
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2001

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