A Framework for Identifying and Validating Indicators to Assess Agribusiness Sustainability: An Emphasis on Greenhouses in Iran

ABSTRACT Indicators serve as essential tools for assessing the sustainability of businesses in economic, social, and environmental dimensions. They play a crucial role in guiding businesses toward improvements in their sustainability practices. The main purpose of this study was to identify, localize, and validate sustainability indicators for agribusinesses, with an emphasis on greenhouses in Iran. The study used a mixed‐methods design, combining qualitative and quantitative approaches. First, the literature on the sustainability of agricultural systems and businesses was comprehensively reviewed to identify sustainability indicators, which were then localized by conducting semi‐structured interviews and analyzing their content qualitatively to extract a list from the perspective of experts. The statistical population of this phase comprised scholars of sustainability in the agricultural sector. In the final step, the extracted indicators were validated using the fuzzy Delphi technique. The statistical population for this step was comprised of experts who had practical experience in agribusinesses in addition to possessing knowledge of sustainability. The samples for both the interviews and the fuzzy Delphi technique were chosen purposively. Eventually, 31 indicators were identified within eight components in three sustainability dimensions. The components included resource quality preservation, input management, resource preservation, profitability, vulnerability, social justice and security, knowledge and empowerment, contribution to local development, and safety and health. With only a few studies conducted on the sustainability of greenhouses and no past studies on sustainability indicators for the study area, this study can contribute significantly to the exiting literature on the subject. Indicators identified will serve as a roadmap for achieving sustainability in agribusinesses, especially in greenhouse operations. By assessing sustainability through these indicators, a more profound understanding of the actual status of sustainability can be gained. National and local policies can be developed based on these to increase the level of sustainability of agribusinesses. If these indicators are integrated into the strategic framework of agribusiness, this will definitely improve their sustainability performance and enhance their reputation, build stakeholder trust, and also increase their competitiveness in the growing eco‐conscious market.