Evaluating the Sustainability of Rural Agri-Producers: The Application of SAFA Smallholders in Ecuadorian Banana

Abstract

Applying a suitable Sustainability Assessment Tool (SAT) to a specific agricultural system is a key factor in driving sustainable changes. In particular, evaluating smallholder farmers in developing countries can be especially challenging due to their remote locations, organisational challenges, and limited record-keeping. For these reasons, small agri-producers are excluded from the evaluation process. This research aims to analyse the sustainability of this farming system by utilising SAFA (Sustainability Assessment of Food and Agriculture Systems) Smallholders, as applied to the Ecuadorian banana agri-system. The results show that Labour Rights (4.42), Local Economy (4.36), and Fair Trading Practices (4.30) obtained the highest scores, highlighting the role of producers’ associations in ensuring stable employment and fair prices. Conversely, water (2.76), biodiversity (3.11), and land (3.28) were the weakest indicators, indicating structural environmental vulnerabilities associated with monoculture and limited adoption of ecological practices. Despite these challenges, the analysis identifies the role of associations and the certification market as potential actors for sustainable change in the system. Finally, the SAFA approach is also evaluated. The assessment concludes that, although the tool is quite effective, it should be improved in three ways: omitting the Good Governance indicators, reducing the number of questions in the survey, and broadening the spectrum of results in the indicator assessment.