With the Sustainability Monitoring and Assessment RouTine (SMART), the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) and SFS have developed the world's first tool that enables agricultural and food systems to have their sustainability performance analyzed in a credible, transparent, and comparable manner. Among other things, food sovereignty is evaluated.
Dr. Rainer Weisshaidinger, Isabella Gusenbauer, Moritz Teriete, Richard Petrasek, and Dr. Thomas Lindenthal
The term "sustainability" is now used inflationarily and inconsistently. An increasing number of seals and certificates and suppliers of "sustainable" products make it difficult for consumers to understand who is actually operating sustainably. Against this background, FiBL and SFS decided to develop the SMART method. SMART is based on the SAFA (Sustainability Assessment of Food and Agriculture Systems) sustainability guidelines published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in 2014. The aim and content of these SAFA guidelines is to clearly define guidelines for a comprehensive sustainability assessment of food and agriculture and thus avoid greenwashing in the area of sustainability.
The SAFA guidelines define four dimensions of sustainability: "Ecological Integrity," "Economic Resilience," "Social Well-being," and "Good Corporate Governance," which are further divided into 21 topics and a total of 58 subtopics. Specific targets have been formulated for each of these sub-topics, which can be used to evaluate sustainability performance using indicators. As NGOs were also actively involved in the process of drafting the guidelines, food sovereignty was included as one of the sub-topics.
What is food sovereignty?
The concept of food sovereignty was launched in 1996 as a broad-based approach to tackling (local) food and supply problems by La Vía Campesina, a global small farmers' movement, along with many other local, national, and transnational initiatives. Thanks to these organizations and initiatives, this important concept has become an integral part of the sustainability debate. Since the concept stands in opposition to conventional, mostly unsustainable agricultural concepts, this can be considered a success. However, evaluating the concept of food sovereignty is anything but easy.
Assessment of food sovereignty in SMART
Food sovereignty, together with the sub-topic of indigenous knowledge, represents the topic of "cultural diversity" in the SAFA guidelines. At SAFA, cultural diversity means respecting the intellectual property rights of indigenous communities and the rights of all stakeholders to their lifestyle and the associated patterns of production and consumption. Cultural diversity is an indispensable asset for reducing poverty and achieving sustainable development. Understanding this diversity is a prerequisite for further development measures (UNESCO 2008 according to FAO 2014, p. 204).
According to SAFA, food sovereignty is based on a renewal of traditional agricultural and indigenous wisdom and encompasses the need for a more equitable, local, and sustainable food system that affirms the fundamental values of democracy, empowerment, and self-determination. Food sovereignty leads to a fair, ecologically harmonious, and local food and agricultural system based on the right of peoples and communities to define it themselves (FAO 2014, p. 207).
Setting targets and evaluating food sovereignty in SMART
Target: The company or farm contributes to this and benefits from exercising its right to choose and own its means of production, particularly when it comes to preserving and using traditional heirlooms and locally adapted varieties or breeds.
Assessment: As a sustainability goal, it is measured whether the business can choose where to source materials (e.g., seeds) and where to sell its products (e.g., farm gate, supermarket). Access to choice reflects the independence of the business/company and the ability of the food chain to control its production and supply system.
The SMART method provides scientists with a tool for measuring the political concept of food sovereignty in conjunction with other areas of sustainability. It also gives evaluated companies and agricultural businesses the opportunity to make progress and further develop their sustainability impact. Since sustainability is not always easy to "measure," FiBL and SFS are working to further develop the SMART method in the area of food sovereignty, among others.
FiBL Austria – Network for Organic Agriculture
The Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) was founded in May 2004 as a non-profit association based in Vienna. FiBL Austria currently employs 34 people. It works in close cooperation with FiBL Switzerland, FiBL Germany, and FiBL International.
Networking between practice, consulting, and research, as well as providing consumers with sound biological knowledge, are among the key objectives and areas of work of FiBL in Austria. With practice-oriented research and market development projects, FiBL in Austria plays an active role in the comprehensive exchange of knowledge and in networking all stakeholders along the organic food production chain – from producers to consumers.
The main areas of work include: sustainability assessment, sustainable eating habits, and plant and vegetable cultivation.
FiBL in Austria maintains close cooperation with national and international research partners, partners in the fields of education and consulting, as well as marketing organizations and multipliers at the national and international level. Project commissions are received from government agencies and private clients.
