Tag: Decision-making

The reflection checklists aim to help you think through and reflect on what types of data and output a few commonly used tools produce, helping you select the right tool for your needs. They may validate your choice of tool, lead you in adapting or modifying it, or prompt you to think of an alternative.

The reflection checklists summarize ten key tools to help you select a tool appropriate to your needs. Included are descriptions of the uses of each tool, reflections using the ten steps of the Meta-framework, descriptions of the tools’ adaptability, and key resources for further information. The ten tools include:

1. Tool for Agroecology Performance Evaluation (TAPE)
2. Holistic Localized Performance Assessment (HOLPA)
3. Farm Sustainability Indicators (IDEA4)
4. Original Agroecological Survey and Indicator System (OASIS)
5. Sustainability Assessment of Food and Agriculture Systems (SAFA)
6. Guide for Agroecological Evaluation (Guide)
7. The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB)
8. Agroecology Criteria Tool (ACT)
9. Business Agroecology Criteria Tool (B-ACT)
10. United Nations Committee on World Food Security (CFS) policy tracking tool

The Holistic Localized Performance Assessment (HOLPA) framework provides a conceptual and methodological approach for assessing the multidimensional performance of agroecology and supporting agrifood system transitions. Designed to evaluate agroecological systems across environmental, social, and economic dimensions, HOLPA integrates globally harmonized indicators with locally relevant measures to ensure that assessments are both scientifically comparable and contextually meaningful. The framework is structured around three core modules: a context module that characterizes the socioecological conditions of the agrifood system, an agroecology module that evaluates alignment with the 13 agroecology principles defined by the High-Level Panel of Experts (HLPE), and a performance module that combines standardized key performance indicators with locally selected indicators identified through a participatory process. These components enable a comprehensive understanding of agroecological performance while recognizing the importance of local priorities and conditions.

First released in 2019 and currently being updated through an enhanced version known as TAPE+, the tool aims to generate harmonized and comparable information across diverse agricultural contexts. Based on FAO’s ten Elements of Agroecology, TAPE evaluates farming systems through a four-step process that includes contextual analysis, characterization of agroecological transition (CAET), performance measurement, and interpretation of results. The framework is intended to support policy development, project monitoring, and stakeholder understanding of agroecological practices and sustainability outcomes.

The IDEA4 (Indicateurs de Durabilité des Exploitations Agricoles) framework is a diagnostic and decision-support tool designed to assess the sustainability of agricultural holdings and facilitate transitions toward more sustainable farming systems. Originally developed in France as an educational instrument for agricultural training, IDEA has evolved into a widely used assessment framework for farmers, advisors, researchers, and rural development practitioners. The fourth version of the methodology introduces an updated conceptual framework and a dual approach to sustainability assessment, combining scientific rigor with operational applicability. IDEA4 evaluates sustainability across environmental, social, and economic dimensions and is compatible with a wide range of farming systems, including livestock production, arable crops, horticulture, vineyards, fruit production, forage systems, and medicinal and aromatic plants. To facilitate implementation, the framework is supported by free digital tools, including an Excel-based calculator and the WEB-IDEA platform.

The Sustainability Assessment of Food and Agriculture Systems (SAFA) framework, developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), provides a comprehensive approach for evaluating sustainability across food and agricultural value chains. Developed through an extensive multi-stakeholder process and formally released in 2014, SAFA establishes a common framework for defining, assessing, and communicating sustainability performance in agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and aquaculture systems. The framework evaluates sustainability through four integrated dimensions: environmental integrity, economic resilience, social well-being, and good governance. By organizing sustainability into themes, sub-themes, goals, and indicators, SAFA enables users to assess performance systematically and classify results across a spectrum ranging from unacceptable to best practice.

The OASIS framework, developed by Agroecology Europe, is an analytical tool specifically designed to assess whether farms are progressing along a pathway of agroecological transition. Unlike conventional farm assessment approaches that focus primarily on production or environmental performance, OASIS adopts a holistic and systems-based perspective that captures the complexity of agricultural systems and their interactions within local socioecological contexts. The framework evaluates farms across five interconnected domains: farming practices, economic viability, sociopolitical aspects, environment and biodiversity, and resilience. By integrating these dimensions, OASIS aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of agroecological development and sustainability at both farm and landscape scales.

The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) initiative, hosted by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), provides a comprehensive framework for evaluating the environmental, social, and economic dimensions of food and agriculture systems. Established to mainstream the values of biodiversity and ecosystem services into decision-making processes, TEEB seeks to help stakeholders recognize the multiple benefits and costs associated with natural resource use, including those that are often overlooked or not reflected in conventional economic accounting. Rather than functioning as a single assessment tool, TEEB offers an integrated set of concepts, principles, and methodological guidance that can be adapted to diverse decision-making contexts.

The Guide for the Evaluation of Agroecology is a holistic assessment and diagnostic framework developed by the Agroecological Transitions Working Group (Groupe de Travail sur les Transitions Agroécologiques, GTAE), a consortium of four non-governmental organizations: Agrisud International, AVSF, CARI, and GRET. Building on experience gained through the earlier Mémento pour l’évaluation de l’agroécologie (2019), the guide was published in 2023 to support development practitioners, farmers, researchers, and organizations in assessing both the performance of agroecological systems and the conditions that enable their long-term development and sustainability.

The Agroecology Criteria Tool (ACT) is a diagnostic and assessment framework designed to evaluate the extent to which agricultural policies, programmes, projects, and investments support agroecological transitions. Grounded in the FAO’s 10 Elements of Agroecology and Gliessman’s Five Levels of Food System Change, ACT assesses how strongly an intervention aligns with agroecological principles and contributes to the transformation of agrifood systems. Rather than measuring the environmental, social, or economic outcomes of an intervention, the tool focuses on assessing its degree of agroecological integration and identifying its orientation along different stages of food system transformation.

The CFS Policy Tracking Tool, developed by the Transformative Partnership Platform on Agroecology in collaboration with the Research and Innovation Working Group of the Agroecology Coalition, is designed to monitor the extent to which governments implement the agroecology-related policy recommendations adopted by the United Nations Committee on World Food Security (CFS). The tool translates 62 action points from the 2021 CFS policy guidance into 22 priority actions that collectively reflect the intent of the five CFS policy recommendations while aligning with the 13 agroecological principles established by the High-Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition (HLPE). Its purpose is to provide a structured framework for assessing policy support for agroecological transitions and food system transformation at national and subnational levels.