A comparative analysis of the sustainability of rice cultivation technologies using the analytic network process

Abstract

Sustainability of local farming systems and technologies is a very important issue that faces notorious measurement difficulties. Multi-criteria methods may help researchers to solve empirical problems in the construction of composite sustainability indicators and in ranking agricultural technologies according to their sustainability. This paper shows how a multi-criteria decision-making technique, the Analytic Network Process (ANP), can be fruitfully employed to this end. Contrary to simpler and hierarchical goal-criteria-alternative approaches, in ANP all the elements in the network can be related in any possible way, which means that a network can incorporate feedback and interdependent relationships within and between clusters. We illustrate the use of ANP by ranking three rice cultivation technologies -that we call unrestricted traditional, agro-environmental and ecological-in the rice fields of the Albufera Natural Park in Valencia (Spain), using economic, environmental and socio-cultural sustainability criteria. Rice is a multifunctional crop in this area, as flooded rice fields act as semi-natural wetlands, with important ecological consequences, mainly connected with the protection of biodiversity. We show that the ANP methodology is perfectly suited to tackling the complex interrelations involved in sustainability evaluation in this case. We find the ecological cultivation system to be the most sustainable technology. The agro-environmental system ranks second, while the unrestricted system is ranked third. Our results also show that if only the economic dimension of sustainability were considered, the order would be reversed, with traditional unrestricted and ecological technologies exchanging places and the agro-environmental system remaining in second place.Additional key words: biodiversity protection, ecosystems, multi-criteria decision methods, ranking of technologies. Resumen Análisis comparativo de la sostenibilidad de tecnologías de cultivo del arroz mediante el método ANP (analytic network process)La sostenibilidad de los sistemas y tecnologías agrícolas locales es un tema que encara notables dificultades de medición. Los métodos multicriterio pueden ayudar a los investigadores en la construcción de indicadores agregados de sostenibilidad y en la ordenación de las tecnologías agrícolas de acuerdo con su sostenibilidad. Este trabajo muestra como una técnica de decisión multicriterio, el Analytic Network Process (ANP), puede ser empleada al respecto. Contrariamente a otros enfoques, en el ANP todos los elementos de la red pueden ponerse libremente en relación, lo que permite incorporar relaciones de interdependencia y realimentación. Su uso se ilustra ordenando tres tecnologías de cultivo del arroz -tradicional, agroambiental y ecológica-, en los arrozales del Parque Natural de la Albufera (Valencia), con criterios de sostenibilidad económicos, ambientales y socioculturales, que recogen el carácter multifuncional del cultivo del arroz en esta zona. Los resultados muestran que la metodol...

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