Agricultural sustainability index in Brazil

• New agricultural sustainability index integrates economic, social, environmental metrics. • South/Southeast outperform north/northeast due to economic and infrastructure constraints. • Environmental challenges are critical in pantanal and cerrado biomes. • Study urges region-specific strategies and index refinement for improved sustainability. Agriculture faces the challenge of increasing food production while reducing environmental impacts like soil erosion and greenhouse gas emissions. This study introduces a comprehensive Agricultural Sustainability Index for Brazil, integrating economic, social, and environmental indicators. The quantitative index includes seven environmental indicators (e.g., Burned Area, Carbon Loss, Soil Erosion), five social indicators (e.g., Education, Gender Inequality, Land Distribution), and five economic indicators (e.g., Credit Access, Economic Income, Infrastructure). Results show that Agricultural Sustainability Index values range from 0.12 to 0.67, with a mean and median of 0.42. Since 1 represents the highest sustainability and 0 the lowest, half of Brazil's municipalities fall below 0.42, indicating room for improvement. Municipalities in the South and Southeast perform better, while those in the North and Northeast face economic constraints and lower scores. Environmental challenges are particularly significant in the Pantanal and Cerrado biomes. These findings emphasize the need for region-specific strategies and infrastructure improvements. Future research should refine the index and incorporate dynamic factors like climate change to enhance agricultural sustainability in Brazil.