MultiCAS: Multi-dimensional performance assessment of complex agroecological systems

The European agricultural landscape is dominated by industrial monoculture farms, which results in biodiversity loss, rural area homogenisation and environmental pollution. Small-scale farms that are closely integrated into local community networks have the potential to reverse this trend. They can enhance agrobiodiversity, spatial and temporal complexity, producer-consumer relationships and community responsibility. However, their agroecological (AE) performance and contribution to AE transition remain under-explored. Documenting these dimensions is crucial in order to identify and communicate context-specific best AE practices, thus fostering the broad adaptation of agroecology and the bottom-up transformation of the food system.

MultiCAS aims to co-create a context-sensitive, multi-dimensional tool for assessing AE performance and guiding AE transitions.