Assessing the sustainability of rice production in Brazil and Cuba

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to assess the sustainability of the agricultural production chain of rice (Oryza sativa L.) in Brazil and Cuba, using a conceptual model that considers five sectors of sustainability supported in the Goals Programming philosophy as multicriteria analysis tools. A synthetic sustainability indicator is constructed to support decision-making through the benchmarking process to contribute the environmental, economic and social sustainability of rice farming. As results, Brazil shows a greater sustainability based on better availability of environmental resources for rice cultivation, a lower relative environmental load, better economic and productive performance, poorer employment and wage policies and higher satisfaction of the social demand for rice. On the other hand, Cuba shows a deficit of environmental resources, higher relative environmental load, low economic and productive performance, better employment and wage policies, and unsatisfied social demand for rice.

Keywords

• Rice farming
• Decision making
• Sustainability
• Goals programming philosophy