From metrics to insights: Evaluating cereal farming sustainability in Catalonia using composite index approach

Assessing the agricultural sustainability offarms ischallenging, since itinvolves various aspects that can change over time and differ bylocation. This paper develops acomposite index toevaluate the sustainability ofcereal farming inCatalonia, Spain. Using factor analysis, weintegrate 21indicators across economic, environmental, and social dimensions based onthe Farm Accountancy Data Network (2016–2021). The results show sustainability scores ranging from 2 to 5, with larger economic s farms outperforming smaller ones by 0.4 points. Five key factors explain the variance in sustainability across farms, with profitability, benefit-cost ratio, and agri-footprint carrying the highest weights. In addition, our empirical findings indicate that subsidy dependence negatively affects the sustainability of farms, while modernisation and environmental management improvements enhance farm performance. This suggests a need for size-specific policy interventions focusing on smallholder management capacity and broader climate adaptation strategies. The methodology could offer a practical tool for monitoring sustainability progress in Mediterranean cereal production systems, and for identifying possible sources of improvements with regard to more sustainable agricultural practices.