A Review of Energy Sustainability Indicators Within Agri-Food Systems

Achieving energy sustainability is a major challenge across all sectors of an economy. In agri-food systems (AFSs), this challenge is twofold in the context of energy sustainability; one challenge is to reduce fossil fuel dependency, and another challenge is to provide safe and nutritious food for humans and animals. An appropriate aggregate indicator needs to be used for assessing the energy sustainability of AFSs. This study presents a systematic literature review aimed at developing a core indicators framework to support both research and policymaking. It also critically evaluates and updates existing indicators currently used to evaluate energy sustainability in AFSs, considering environmental, economic, social and technical dimensions. Environmental indicators, such as energy use efficiency, net energy balance, carbon footprint, exergy destruction and renewable energy share, measure the ecological impacts of agricultural practices. Economic indicators, including energy cost share, levelized cost of energy, energy return on investment, and productivity per unit of energy input, reflect how energy use influences farm competitiveness and resilience. Social indicators such as equitable access to energy, labor productivity gains, and system resilience to energy shocks highlight the broader human and societal aspects of energy sustainability. Technical indicators, including technology performance, maintenance intensity, technology lifespan, and resource circularity, emphasize the need to minimize resource depletion and environmental harm. Together, these sustainability indicators provide a strong framework for assessing trade-offs and guiding policy decisions that support the transition toward low-carbon, resilient, and resource-efficient AFSs. Their effective development and implementation require interdisciplinary knowledge integration and active engagement with relevant societal stakeholders in a transdisciplinary sustainability context.