IBELAB: Innovative sustainability assessment systems for farms

In this project various sustainability aspects in the assessment of farms are compiled. Many of the instruments necessary for this are still in the development phase. The project facilitates the inclusion and application of innovative assessment systems in teaching and in performance assessments.

• Students will learn about new sustainability assessment systems for farms and how to apply them.
• A well-structured documentation of the farms being visited, does allow to focus during the time-limited visits more on farm management and on human-social („soft“) factors instead of collecting farm data.
• The use of a systematic sustainability assessment system is of benefit both for teaching as well as for the qualification for credit points: stronger practice-orientation.

Innovativ is the systematic and relatively broad approach in assessing the sustainability of quite different farms with 12 indicators, with the system RISE (Response-Inducing
Sustainability Evaluation), which has been developed by the University of applied science (HAFL) in Zollikofen with support of FiBL, which also allows comparisons between farms.

A yearly update of the farm data is desirable (e.g. as semester or bachelor work, planned for 2012).

For the students the strong insight into the practice and farm management and the detailed documentation about the farms were seen as very positive also for facilitating the discussion with the farm families and for the in-depth analysis of the farms.

• Easy readable documentation about the farms and good explanation of the sustainability assessment of the farms by experts, which students can use before and after the farm visits.
• The relevance of the student work is higher, as the summary and conclusions of the group farm analysis will be reported back to the farmers.
• Important that the farmers get a small financial compensation for providing good farm data.