The executive summary of the report, “Measuring sustainability in cotton farming systems: Towards a guidance framework” provides an overview of sustainability issues in cotton and takes stock of indicators used to measure sustainability. These are then rated to arrive at a set of common indicators that can serve as a basis for discussion within the industry on the development of a framework to further enhance sustainability.
The report provides an overview of the current status of knowledge on possible environmental, economic, and social impacts associated with cotton production. To ensure that the indicators are relevant, the starting point for identifying suitable sustainability indicators is the social, environmental, and economic impacts associated with cotton production, and an extensive bibliography for sources of the information on sustainability issues is included. Details of each of the sustainability programs and initiatives reviewed are also included in the report. The report contains a methodological framework to prioritize sustainability areas and indicators according to their relevance, usefulness and
feasibility of a specific country, and/or regional context.
The report is focused at the farm and farmer level. The results are presented as a set of recommended indicators to measure sustainability in cotton production. The report concludes with a discussion on the importance of country and stakeholder perspectives in complementing the recommended indicators with specific priorities
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