Designing and application of a Comprehensive Farm Assessment Index: towards efficient and relevant policy analysis

Purpose Sustainability indicators that allow integrated farm assessments have received increasing attention. However, limited evidence is available for the use of the same when assessing the agricultural sustainability of farming systems, especially in regions practising incessant monoculture. Therefore, this study aims to develop a holistic index to assess alternative farming systems based on a stock-and-flow framework. Design/methodology/approach A composite metric was developed by aggregating the economic, social and environmental indicators. The methodology involved estimation, normalisation, hierarchical weighting and progressive aggregation of indicators to form the Comprehensive Farm Assessment Index (CFAI). The CFAI was applied to assess the farming practices of 88 organic and 90 conventional farming plots across three agro-climatic zones over two cropping seasons in selected districts of Punjab, India. Findings Results showed statistical mean differences between the organic and conventional farming systems in terms of key production costs and income for wheat, rice and cotton crops. The normalised values of the selected social indicators were higher for the organic farming system. Similarly, in the environmental dimension, more biodiversity and less water contamination were found in organic farms. Except for paddy cultivation in the North–East region, the CFAI for organic farming is higher than that for conventional farming, even under the mono-cropping system with a single-crop rotation. Originality/value The CFAI has ubiquitous applications and can be used to assess alternate sustainable approaches and practices across crops and regions. It provides a perspective on the social viability and ecological sustainability of agriculture, which would enable contextual and effective policy analysis and implementation.