概要

This report presents an overview of the Committee on Sustainable Assessment (COSA) and their work between 2009 and 2013 to improve the measurement of sustainability in agriculture through partnerships and assessment tools. The report outlines the main issues facing sustainable agriculture and impact measurement and presents the results from the beginning of their research into the economic, social and environmental impacts of Voluntary Sustainability Standards (VSS). Findings are presented with caveats and possible consequences, for example, whilst farms implementing a sustainability intervention generally experience better economic performance than those not, uncertainty about future costs and funding availability mean positive economic benefits could diminish. COSA is confident that more rigorous analysis will be possible as more data is collected over time.