Measuring agricultural sustainability in terms of efficiency : the case of Dutch sugar beet growers

T.J. de Koeijer, G.A.A. Wossink, P.C. Struik, J.A. Renkema

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

152 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Sustainability embraces socio-economic and bio-ecological dimensions or attributes. This paper presents a conceptual framework for quantifying sustainability on the basis of efficiency theory commonly used in economics. The conceptual model is implemented using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). Sustainability is measured for a sample of Dutch sugar beet growers. The average technical efficiency was only 50&Eth;A positive correlation was found between technical efficiency and sustainable efficiency. Differences in efficiency among farmers were persistent within and between years. We conclude that there is considerable scope for improving the sustainability of arable farming by better management.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)9-17
JournalJournal of Environmental Management
Volume66
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2002

Keywords

  • Data envelopment analysis
  • Economic efficiency
  • Environmental efficiency
  • Profit efficiency
  • Sustainability
  • Technical efficiency

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