Análise comparativa de ferramentas brasileiras de avaliação do desenvolvimento sustentável em propriedades agrícolas.

Abstract

In recent decades, a wide variety of tools have been developed to assess the sustainability of agricultural properties. The scope of this work was to analyze the differences and similarities of Brazilian methods of assessing sustainability in agricultural properties, in the normative, systemic, and procedural dimensions. This study discusses the possible limits and potential of the Brazilian tools Ambitec-Agro, APOIA Novo Rural, and ISA in comparison with the international methods MESMIS, IDEA, MOTIFS, and RISE, through analyzes carried out by the researcher and by other specialists. In the normative dimension, it compares the categories: the objective of the tool, target audience, concept of sustainability, origin of goals, and hierarchical levels. As for the objectives and target audience, the three tools are similar, differing in relation to the unit of analysis. They were also similar in terms of the concept of sustainability, based on the triple bottom line (social, economic, and environmental dimensions), only differing in the emphasis given to each one. As for the origin of the goals, they are also similar, including the participation of experts and the literature to support their procedures. In the systemic dimension, the categories of complexity (they are similar) and interaction between the indicators (the three national tools consider the indicators independently) were compared. In the procedural aspects, the preparatory, measurement (reliability and availability of data, ease of use, and compatibility with property data) and evaluation (transparency, output precision, tool complexity, and applicability of the evaluation data) were considered. It was found that no tool stood out as the best in all the analyzed items, each having advantages and disadvantages in relation to the purpose of sustainability assessment. As they are standardized, with no possibility of including other indicators, the three tools show precision in the results, allowing them to be used for the purpose of certification. It is recommended to reduce the level of complexity of the tools to be used, which will allow the expansion of the target audience and guide public policies, improving the tools to be applied, and allowing the choice of sustainability indicators according to the peculiarities found in the region to be applied.