The suitability of "the Tool for Agroecology Performance Evaluation" in a European context

Abstract

Agroecology is increasingly being considered to address sustainability issues in current agricultural systems. In order to assess the impacts of this new approach, FAO has developed the Tool for Agroecology Performance Evaluation (TAPE). While it has been successfully tested in Argentina, Cuba, Cambodia and Senegal, this tool has never been tested in a European context nor a territory mainly dedicated to livestock production. This study analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of TAPE in such a territory. The implementation of this tool was conducted in the Monts du Lyonnais (France) which served as a case study. Within this framework, local actors and farmers were interviewed. It was shown that the different steps of TAPE make the tool broadly relevant and complete to assess the "agroecological performance" of a territory. However, it was also observed that the tool has indicators whose calculation methods were designed to evaluate agricultural systems that are mainly subsidiary. Thus, some indicators, such as women's empowerment, may not be sufficiently relevant when applied in Europe. New studies on other European territories must be conducted to confirm these observations.