Towards an operational definition of sustainability in New Zealand dairy farming : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Resource and Environmental Planning, Massey University

TL;DRAbstract

Sustainability is increasingly viewed as a desirable goal of agricultural development and environmental management. The emergence of the sustainability concept has seen a concomitant rise in the interest of its measurement. It has been suggested that through the use of sustainability indicators, the attainment of the agricultural sustainability goal can be assessed. It is therefore the aim of this thesis to develop indicators based on the concept of agricultural sustainability. An environmental accounting model is used as the framework within which these indicators were developed and evaluated. The agricultural sustainability concept is first examined and defined, giving significance to its economic, ecological and social dimensions. It is emphasised that the attainment of sustainability involves the balance and trade-off amongst these dimensions, which can be demonstrated through the dynamic interactions of these dimensions. The thesis then focuses on the discussion of the methodologi

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