Abstract

The agricultural systems across the globe are under increasing strain from the limited natural resources, unpredictable climatic patterns, and the challenge of fulfilling the twofold role of achieving food security while pursuing environmental sustainability. The present paper discusses a Strategic Resource Management Framework (SRMF), which uses data-based resources assessment along with sustainability indicators modeling and decision-support optimization to provide guidance in agricultural activities that would promote long-term environmental and economic sustainability. The framework includes four interrelated levels: the level of gathering field data, the level of assessing resources and computing indicators, the level of strategic optimization and decision support, and the level of implementation and continuous feedback monitoring. Unlike the traditional approaches which treat agricultural inputs separately, the framework presented in this paper combines soil, water, energy, and biodiversity indicators in a single analytical framework, which would allow conducting trade off-analysis in a coordinated manner. The framework is presented along with the implications of its application, among which are higher resource efficiency, reduced negative environmental impact, and greater resilience to climate-related stress.