THE AGRICULTURAL ACTIVITY SOCIAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT SYSTEM (APOIA-Social)

Abstract

The Agricultural Activity Social Impact Assessment System (APOIA-Social) consists of a set of electronic spreadsheets that integrate sixteen indicators of the contribution of a given agricultural activity towards the social welfare at the rural establishment scale. Four essential assessment aspects are considered: i. Employment; ii. Economy; iii. Health; and iv. Management and Administration. The indicators are composed of scaling checklists in which quantitative data obtained in a field interview, according to the knowledge of the farmer/administrator, are automatically translated into graphically expressed impact indices. The impact index for each indicator is then transformed into a Utility Value (0 to 1), following functions and coefficients specifically derived for each indicator. The Utility Values for all indicators are integrated to compose the Agricultural Activity Social Impact Index. The results of the assessment allow the farmer/administrator to verify which impacts may be failing or fulfilling his/her social welfare objectives. To policy makers the assessment points out the main contributions of the activity towards local sustainable development, facilitating the definition of control actions and promotion measures. Finally, the aggregated 'social impact index' is a yardstick for social performance of technology, facilitating decisions concerning agricultural technology selection, transfer and adoption.