Dataset for Measuring the Holistic Performance of Food and Agricultural Systems: A Systematic Review

Measuring the holistic and multifunctional performance of food and agricultural systems is critical for their transformation towards a sustainable, healthy, and resilient future. To effectively guide decisions and ensure agrifood systems deliver multiple functions, a holistic systems perspective is needed. This dataset comprises the results of a systematic review and describes 206 holistic assessment approaches based on a framework outlined by Binder et al. (2010), and four key characteristics of holistic systems assessment proposed by Lamanna et al. (2024): 1) measuring multiple dimensions of performance, 2) integrating multiple stakeholder perspectives, 3) evaluating emergent system properties, and 4) collecting and presenting data in ways which reveal interactions, synergies, and trade-offs. The 206 assessments were retrieved from two online databases: Web of Science (WoS) and CAB Abstracts. The search was conducted using a comprehensive search string designed to capture three main components: 1) Terms related to sustainable agrifood systems approaches (e.g., Holistic, Socio-ecological, Sustainable, Agroecological), 2) Terms related to agrifood systems (e.g., Agro-ecosystem, Agriculture, Farm, Food systems), and 3) Terms related to assessment methods (e.g., Framework, Tool, Indicator, Metric, Assessment, Evaluation, Measurement, Monitoring, Index). The search was conducted on September 28, 2022. This work was conducted under the project “Metrics to support Agroecological TRANSITIONS for building resilient and inclusive agricultural and food systems” (grant number 2000003774) of the TRANSITIONS programme. The TRANSITIONS programme is implemented by The Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT, CIFOR-ICRAF, IRRI, IWMI, The Transformative Partnership Platform on Agroecology, and the University of Vermont. It is generously funded by the European Union and managed by IFAD.