Proposal for a global index to evaluate the contribution of agricultural production chains to sustainable development

Abstract

In a global context marked by growing awareness of environmental challenges and the urgency of promoting sustainable economic development models, agricultural production chains (APCs) are emerging as a strategic axis. These not only constitute the basis for food security and human subsistence, but also generate significant externalities -both positive and negative- on ecosystems and local socioeconomic dynamics. Particularly in Latin America, where the agricultural sector represents an economic pillar, the comprehensive evaluation of CAPs under sustainability criteria has become a priority for governments and planning agencies. This study seeks to contribute in this sense, by setting as the general objective of the research: to propose an index of contribution of CAPs to sustainable development (ICCAPDS). To this end, a guiding thread is designed that takes as a basis the theoretical and methodological background based on a literature review. As a scientific novelty, the proposal of a methodology for the analysis of CAP with a systemic approach, based on various mathematical tools and methods, which integrates the methodological aspects for its diagnosis with the construction of a global index, based on a system of multidimensional indicators (economic, social, environmental and institutional political), which allows evaluating the contribution of CAP to the sustainable development of the territory.