A multicriteria approach for measuring the sustainability of different poultry production systems.

This study aimed to analyze the sustainability of different poultry production systems and was intendedas an integrated systems approach to address human food needs, environmental preservation, economicfeasibility and quality of life. The sustainability of the following three poultry production systems wascompared: conventional, organic and organic-plus (this category is comprised of more restrictiverequirements to improve animal welfare and meat quality). A bio-economic model combining on-farmdata recording with a multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) was assessed. To make a general sustainabilityevaluation, the following four dimensions were considered: economic, social, environmental andquality. The majority of the data was collected directly on the farms, and the environmental indicatorswere estimated with life cycle assessment (LCA), ecological footprints and emergy analysis. To developthe MCDA, six indicators for each dimension (economic, social, qualitative and environmental) wereselected. The analyzed farming systems showed different results based on the stakeholder beingconsidered (scientists, consumers and producers). The OP system showed the best performance wheneconomic, social and environmental dimensions were integrated following the scientist and consumerstakeholders criteria.[...]