A software and database platform for multi-criteria assessment of agri-food systems

INRA, the French National Institute for Agricultural Research, aims to improve the environmental, societal and economic performances of agriculture, and to favour healthy and sustainable food systems. Research conducted to reach these objectives should consider and integrate many criteria. The development of tools for the multi-criteria assessment of the production and transformation of agricultural products is of strategic importance, to guide the evolution towards sustainable agri-food systems. INRA has therefore decided to develop an in-house platform for the multi-criteria sustainability assessment of agri-food systems. The objectives of the platform are: • To develop user-friendly multi-criteria assessment tools and associated databases for agri-food systems, • To train future users, give support to users • To provide a science and technology watch on multi-criteria assessment Many methods have been proposed for the multi-criteria assessment of the environmental, societal and economic impacts of farming systems (van der Werf and Petit, 2002; Bockstaller et al., 2008). These methods present a similar structure, often consisting of eight stages (Acosta-Alba and van der Werf, 2011): 1) Definition of the sustainability dimensions to be assessed, 2) Identification of objectives for each dimension, 3) Selection or conception of indicators for each objective, 4) System definition, 5) Definition of calculation algorithms for each indicator, 6) Technical description of the system, 7) Calculation of indicator values, 8) Interpretation of results, identification of improvement options (Table 1). In spite of their similar structure, these methods present an amazing diversity in their implementation, and the outcome of studies using different methods to assess contrasting systems depends to a large extent on the characteristics of the methods used (van der Werf et al., 2007). Methods differ amongst others with respect to system definition (inclusion of inputs to the system assessed), issues of concern considered, type of indicators (means-based vs effect-based) and expression of results (per ha or per kg of product) depending on identified functions. Initially the platform will focus on the multi-criteria assessment of environmental impacts through Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The implementation of societal and economic dimensions in methods for multi-criteria assessment will be pursued, in particular, but not exclusively, via the concept of Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment. The platform will allow the implementation of both LCA-type methods and other methods for the multi-criteria assessment of agri-food systems (e.g. Ecological Footprint, Emergy). This will be done by conforming the architecture of the platform to the eight stages of multi-criteria assessment methods outlined above (Figure 1).The platform will be complementary to other INRA software platforms, and in particular to the RECORD platform (http://www4.inra.fr/record), for the modelling and simulation of crop and farm systems