Measuring Social Sustainability in the Italian Agri-Food Sector: Proposed Key Performance Indicators

Abstract

The social dimension of sustainability in the agri-food sector is gaining more and more attention from both scholars and policymakers. In Europe, among different countries, Italy stood out for the active role played in including social conditionality in the Common Agricultural Policy. Despite such interest, there is still confusion concerning the concept of social sustainability, and tools aimed at measuring the social performance of farms are still lacking. The current study aims to identify indicators to measure the social sustainability of farm practices in the Italian agri-food system. The methodology included an analysis of the most relevant literature, legislation, and guidelines to identify five macro-areas of interest, which served as the foundation for developing theoretical social sustainability key performance indicators. The results of this study provide useful insights for both practitioners and policymakers to develop strategies and policies focused on social sustainability.