Summary
This paper applies the FAO's SAFA framework to assess the sustainability of Sicilian blood orange production, comparing organic and conventional systems across the agri-food value chain. Whilst overall sustainability performance was comparable between systems, organic farms showed better environmental outcomes. The authors conclude that whilst SAFA offers a holistic assessment tool, its complexity presents practical challenges for small and medium-sized farms, requiring adaptations for quantitative data collection in this production context.
UK applicability
The findings are relevant to UK citrus producers and policymakers evaluating sustainability frameworks, though UK horticultural contexts differ climatically and scale-wise. The practical limitations identified with SAFA implementation in small-medium farms may apply to comparable UK horticultural sectors, though direct transferability requires consideration of UK-specific production conditions and regulatory environments.
Key measures
SAFA (Sustainability Assessment of Food and Agriculture systems) framework dimensions and indicators applied to organic and conventional citrus farms
Outcomes reported
The study applied the SAFA framework to compare organic and conventional blood orange production systems in Sicily, measuring sustainability performance across multiple dimensions. Whilst no notable overall differences were found between production systems, organic farms demonstrated superior environmental performance.
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