Hello. My name is Gabrielle Solomon and I am conducting a research project, “A systematic framework for assessing the sustainability of agriculture”, as a PhD candidate in the School of Environmental and Rural Science at the University of New England.

Through our research, we would like to test the framework in relation to our local production systems – and this is where we need your help!

We will conduct this in the form of a short (10–15 minutes of your time) survey, and receive your feedback. If you choose to participate in and contribute to this project, your survey responses will be anonymous, preventing identification of your responses. I would really appreciate hearing from you.

The reason for this project is that, while agriculture continues to be critical for human beings to survive and thrive, the ways in which agriculture is practised can negatively impact human societies, natural resources and ecosystems. Sustainable agriculture has been proposed as the way forward: to continue to produce food, feed, fibre, fuel and pharmaceuticals, while ensuring that these production activities only have positive impacts on communities and the environment.

Despite the importance of sustainable agriculture, there is no agreement about how to assess it. We have developed a framework that builds on and streamlines existing international frameworks for assessing sustainable agriculture. We have combined and harmonised the indicators from these universal frameworks, and have chosen the most commonly used indicators to arrive at a consensus-based framework. So this is why we would like to test the framework in relation to our local production systems.

My principal supervisor for the research project is Dr Rhiannon Smith, and my co-supervisors are Prof. Nick Reid, Dr Alex Ball and Prof. Lewis Kahn.

By completing the survey, you will contribute to our understanding of how sustainable agriculture is operationalised and assessed. In particular, it will help us understand what is required of assessment frameworks for sustainable agriculture. Our sincere hope is that this research will contribute to more resilient and vibrant rural communities and landscapes.

The survey:

• should take less than 10-15 minutes to complete;
• is constructed so that all but three of the questions are answered by simply ticking a box; 
• considers your farm business (or operation) to include not only your farm but any associated agricultural businesses, for example, an agricultural consultancy, or shearing, wool classing or livestock transport business. We are interested in all aspects of the sustainability of your farm operation, including social (you, your family, community and business relationships), economic (your farming income and financial welfare), and ecological (the farm environment and landscape in which you farm, and the natural resources associated with your operation);
• is designed to be used world-wide, in many different socio-economic, cultural and political contexts. We recognise Australia has a high standard of living, and that some of the questions might seem odd or irrelevant, but we have tried to customise the questions to our local production systems and businesses.

The project hyperlink will take you to the Qualtrics platform, which hosts the survey. Embedded before the survey is an information sheet for participants, our definitions for sustainable agriculture, and an implied consent form.

Please contact me on gsolomo3@myune.edu.au if you have any questions. If you have any concerns about the survey, please feel free to contact Dr Rhiannon Smith on (02) 6773 3297 or rsmith66@une.edu.au.

If you do choose to complete the survey - thank you!