Collecting holistic evidence on agroecology performance to accelerate sustainable food system transitions

Publication Type

Journal Article

Journal Name

Environmental and Sustainability Indicators

Name of Author

• Sarah K. Jones, Bioversity International
• Andrea Cecilia Sánchez, Bioversity International
• Chris Dickens, International Water Management Institute (IWMI) Colombo
• Matthias S. Geck, World Agroforestry Centre
• Chaturangi Wickramaratne, International Water Management Institute (IWMI) Colombo
• Veronique Alary, Université de Montpellier
• Peter Bolo, International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology Nairobi
• Dennis Junior Choruma, International Water Management Institute, Pretoria
• Somphasith Douangsavanh
• Modou Gueye Fall, Bioversity International
• Gatien Falconnier, International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, Harare
• Shweta Gupta, International Food Policy Research Institute
• Chris Kettle, Bioversity International
• Smitha Krishnan, Bioversity International
• Sylvia Nyawira, International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology Nairobi
• Guillermo Orjuela-Ramirez, Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical
• Boko Michel Orounladji, Centre International de Recherche-Developpement sur l’Elevage en zone Subhumide, Bobo-Dioulasso
• Piedad Pareja, Centro Internacional de la Papa, Peru
• Telma Sibanda, International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, Harare
• Christine Lamanna, World Agroforestry Centre

Publication Date

9-1-2026

Abstract

A growing body of research shows the potential of agroecology for enabling a shift to planet-friendly and socially just agrifood systems through context-specific transition pathways. We conduct a scoping review to identify and evaluate the potential of 42 existing agroecology adherence and/or agricultural performance assessment tools to generate credible, legitimate, salient and transferable evidence to inform these transitions. Results show that while multiple relevant tools exist, each of them can be strengthened in at least one area. While most tools are transferable (low time and resource requirements) and have legitimacy (open access with transparent methods), tools have variable saliency (holistic scope inclusive of local priorities) and credibility (use scientific design principles and quality assurance processes). For a subset of 11 tools collecting multidimensional performance data, analysis of 263 identified indicators showed there is a bias towards economic measures (notably income, yield, and resilience), while certain social (e.g. land tenure, traditional knowledge retention) and environmental (e.g. climate mitigation) aspects are regularly overlooked. Through a multidisciplinary process engaging experts across 8 countries, we develop a Holistic Localized Performance Assessment for agroecology (HOLPA) framework that integrates and builds on positive features of existing multidimensional agroecology performance assessments tools and overcomes key limitations. The HOLPA framework for analysis, agroecology indicators, key performance indicators, and low-cost localization process can be used to strengthen agroecology performance assessments, empowering landscape actors to identify evidence-based pathways towards agrifood systems where both people and nature can thrive.

Keywords

Agroecology, Assessment tools, Scoping review, Sustainability indicators, Sustainable agrifood systems, Trade-offs

Recommended Citation

Jones, S., Sánchez, A., Dickens, C., Geck, M., Wickramaratne, C., Alary, V., Bolo, P., Choruma, D., Douangsavanh, S., Fall, M., Falconnier, G., Gupta, S., Kettle, C., Krishnan, S., Nyawira, S., Orjuela-Ramirez, G., Orounladji, B., Pareja, P., Sibanda, T., & Lamanna, C. (2026). Collecting holistic evidence on agroecology performance to accelerate sustainable food system transitions. Environmental and Sustainability Indicators, 31 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indic.2026.101374

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.