Selecting performance indicators for farms and ranches engaged in collaborative agroecosystem research.

Abstract

The pace of global change complicates the assessment of the outcomes of agricultural management, hindering decision-making by producers, researchers, and consumers. The Long-Term Agroecosystem Research Network (LTAR) is in a unique position to advance monitoring to inform decision-making. Here, we describe how the network selected performance indicators designed to measure the trade-offs from various farming and ranching approaches. Indicator selection was motivated by the need for common indicators that apply to the diversity of LTAR sites, but they are intended for widespread use by producers and other managers via the Agricultural Performance Indicator and Context Knowledge System (AgPICKS). An initial set of domains, attributes, and indicators was developed via synthesis of structured conversations at national LTAR meetings. Early use revealed the need for a systematically inclusive process toward improvement. We designed and implemented an iterative decision-making protocol to reach a consensus for a new version. The indicator framework differs from others in its attention to production and social outcomes and its grounding in networked agricultural science. Next steps entail developing web tools and personnel for AgPICKS that use LTAR's data and knowledge ecosystem to guide users in setting benchmarks of the desired conditions for their prioritized indicators, collect data, and visualize data to assess how well their management meets their benchmarks, toward the accurate measurement of management outcomes in a changing world.