How can Europe build a common approach to measuring agricultural sustainability that delivers real value for farmers, policymakers and the food supply chain?

Drawing on a series of discussions and workshops involving Forum members and invited guests, the Forum for the Future of Agriculture’s report, Way forward: Towards an operational benchmarking system, explores how to translate shared principles into a practical framework for assessing and recognising progress on farms.

Co-authored by Marc Rosiers and Tassos Haniotis, the report builds on these exchanges to consider the next steps: what should be measured, how it should be measured and how progress can be assessed. It proposes scientifically credible, understandable and affordable indicators, with an emphasis on practical value for farmers and minimal administrative burden.

Balancing people, planet and profit

The discussions highlighted the importance of linking sustainability with the long-term productive capacity, resilience and viability of farms. The report places economic viability, environmental stewardship and social responsibility at the centre of this approach, recognising that farmers need financially viable businesses to invest in lasting improvements.

Soil health is proposed as a practical starting point, alongside dedicated measures addressing biodiversity, water and climate.

Collect once, use many times

Farmers already provide information through regulatory requirements, farm management systems and sustainability schemes. The report proposes building on these existing sources through a “report once, use many times” approach, allowing data to serve multiple policy, market and financial reporting needs.

A key theme emerging from the Forum’s discussions is the opportunity to connect existing public and private sustainability systems, reducing duplication and improving consistency.

Recognising different starting points

European agriculture encompasses diverse regions, climates and farming systems. A useful benchmarking framework must reflect those differences, recognising both strong existing performance and improvements over time.

The report advocates testing indicators in practice, learning from farmers’ experience and refining methods before wider implementation. Its preliminary shortlist of indicators provides a starting point for further testing and discussion.

Creating value from measurable progress

Beyond measurement, the proposed framework aims to help create opportunities for farmers through better access to markets, finance and incentives. It explores how verified sustainability performance could eventually support recognition and rewards, while maintaining existing legal obligations as the essential baseline.

The report contributes the outcomes of the Forum’s discussions to the wider development of a European sustainability benchmarking approach, including the European Commission’s On-farm Sustainability Compass.

Read the full report to explore the proposals emerging from these discussions—and the practical steps towards measurable progress on the ground.

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