Sustainable intensification (SI) is widely regarded as a key concept to increase yields while reducing the impact on the environment especially in the context of smallholder farming. SI revolves around identifying the major factors limiting agricultural production and addressing these without adverse effects on the environment, while supporting livelihoods of farmers and rural populations. The meaning and usefulness of the SI concepts are still debated strongly. However, recent efforts to develop frameworks of indicators to measure the progress towards SI can help to make it applicable for decision-making.
Wageningen University, in collaboration with ICRISAT and SLU used the CRP-GLDC innovation fund to contribute to the field of multi-dimensional sustainability analysis on three main fronts. These include, (1) a review of sustainability assessment tools and frameworks, (2) a new modelling framework for exploring the multi-dimensional effects of future pathways for sustainable intensification, and (3) a dashboard for multi-criteria sustainability assessment.