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Sustainability Assessment of Goat and Sheep Farms: A Comparison between European Countries

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  • Christina Paraskevopoulou

    (Laboratory of Statistics and Quantitative Analysis Methods, Logistics and Supply Chain Management, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 541 24 Thessaloniki, Greece)

  • Alexandros Theodoridis

    (Laboratory of Animal Production Economics, School of Veterinary Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 541 24 Thessaloniki, Greece)

  • Marion Johnson

    (Organic Research Centre, Trent Lodge, Stroud Road, Cirencester GL7 6JN, UK)

  • Athanasios Ragkos

    (Agricultural Economics Research Institute, Hellenic Agriculture Organization “Demeter”, 115 28 Athens, Greece)

  • Lisa Arguile

    (Organic Research Centre, Trent Lodge, Stroud Road, Cirencester GL7 6JN, UK)

  • Laurence Smith

    (School of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Royal Agricultural University, Cirencester GL7 6JS, UK)

  • Dimitrios Vlachos

    (Laboratory of Statistics and Quantitative Analysis Methods, Logistics and Supply Chain Management, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 541 24 Thessaloniki, Greece)

  • Georgios Arsenos

    (Laboratory of Animal Husbandry, School of Veterinary Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 541 24 Thessaloniki, Greece)

Abstract

European sheep and goat farming faces diverse challenges at global or local scales and constitutes an important sector for many countries, playing important sociocultural, economic and environmental roles. A closer examination of the overall sustainability of the sector is necessary to assess the performance of different farm types in various geographical settings. This comparative study evaluates the use of a common sustainability assessment (SA) tool for the major European countries in the sheep and goat sector. In particular, the study reports the results of a SA using the Public Goods (PG) Tool, adapted within the Innovation for Sustainable Sheep and Goat Production in Europe (iSAGE) Horizon 2020 project, which includes questions accounting for 13 dimensions of a sheep and goat farm sustainability. In total, 206 farmers from Greece, Italy, Spain, Finland, United Kingdom, France and Turkey were interviewed, all of which were typical of specific types of a pan-European sheep and goat farm typologies elaborated within iSAGE. The study resulted in composite indicators of performance in each dimension for each country. Finland, Italy and the United Kingdom performed better than other countries, while Turkey and Greece performed below average in most categories. The results highlight challenges for each country but also at the European level, the latter mainly relating to generational renewal and an unwillingness to invest in the adoption of a more sustainable approach with long-term results.

Suggested Citation

  • Christina Paraskevopoulou & Alexandros Theodoridis & Marion Johnson & Athanasios Ragkos & Lisa Arguile & Laurence Smith & Dimitrios Vlachos & Georgios Arsenos, 2020. "Sustainability Assessment of Goat and Sheep Farms: A Comparison between European Countries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-23, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:8:p:3099-:d:344691
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    3. Athanasios Ragkos & Alexandros Theodoridis & Georgios Arsenos, 2019. "Alternative Approaches of Summer Milk Sales from Transhumant Sheep and Goat Farms: A Case Study from Northern Greece," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(20), pages 1-21, October.
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    2. Smith, Laurence G. & Westaway, Sally & Mullender, Samantha & Ghaley, Bhim Bahadur & Xu, Ying & Lehmann, Lisa Mølgaard & Pisanelli, Andrea & Russo, Giuseppe & Borek, Robert & Wawer, Rafał & Borzęcka, M, 2022. "Assessing the multidimensional elements of sustainability in European agroforestry systems," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 197(C).
    3. Mateja Janeš & Minja Zorc & Maja Ferenčaković & Ino Curik & Peter Dovč & Vlatka Cubric-Curik, 2021. "Genomic Characterization of the Three Balkan Livestock Guardian Dogs," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-16, February.
    4. Bertrand Méda & Léonie Dusart & Juliette Protino & Philippe Lescoat & Cécile Berri & Pascale Magdelaine & Isabelle Bouvarel, 2021. "OVALI, Sustainability for Poultry ® : A Method Co-Designed by Stakeholders to Assess the Sustainability of Chicken Supply Chains in Their Territories," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-19, January.
    5. Maria Tsiouni & Stamatis Aggelopoulos & Alexandra Pavloudi & Dario Siggia, 2021. "Economic and Financial Sustainability Dependency on Subsidies: The Case of Goat Farms in Greece," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-15, July.
    6. Danilo Gambelli & Francesco Solfanelli & Stefano Orsini & Raffaele Zanoli, 2021. "Measuring the Economic Performance of Small Ruminant Farms Using Balanced Scorecard and Importance-Performance Analysis: A European Case Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-13, March.
    7. José Nahed Toral & Zenón Gerardo López Tecpoyotl & José Roberto Aguilar Jiménez & Daniel Grande Cano & Claudia Delgadillo Puga, 2021. "Compliance of Goat Farming under Extensive Grazing with the Organic Standards and Its Contribution to Sustainability in Puebla, Mexico," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-25, June.

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