RISE – getting sustainability down to earth
An agricultural operation is sustainable if it is sufficiently profitable, environmentally friendly and offers good living conditions to those who work and live on the farm. With the RISE (Response-Inducing Sustainability Evaluation) method developed at BFH-HAFL, the sustainability of agricultural production can be measured and communicated in the context of agricultural extension, education and supply chain management. The RISE software has been tested around the world, is available in seven languages and can be used both on- and off-line.
RISE is a computer-supported method developed at BFH-HAFL, which facilitates a holistic assessment of agricultural operations. The evaluation is based on ten indicators that reflect environmental, economic and social aspects. The most important data source is a questionnaire-based interview with the farmer. The evaluated data are visualized as a sustainability polygon and serve as a basis to a feedback dialogue in which the farmer and the trained RISE consultant jointly identify potentials for improving farm sustainability performance.
The RISE approach complements existing control and certification systems. It can also be employed for monitoring purposes and allows to visualize sustainability trends at individual farm level and at regional scale.