Concept and methods

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Behind every change in global agriculture are countless farmer decisions — on crops, livestock, inputs, and technologies. Each adjustment, from feed rations to crop shares, shapes performance, sustainability, and markets. Understanding these decisions means understanding how agriculture evolves.

To capture these dynamics, agri benchmark developed a

Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) — a scientifically robust and internationally standardised method that turns farm-level knowledge into globally comparable insights. Working closely with local experts, the agri benchmark network establishes typical farm models that represent prevailing production systems in key regions. A structured process is used, involving analysis of statistical data, collaborative data collection, data set validation and regular updates. This ensures consistent, comparable, and realistic results across countries and sectors. The SOP underpins agri benchmark’s global analyses of production systems, competitiveness, sustainability, and policy impacts – helping to explain how agriculture performs and adapts around the world.

The approach provides a practical alternative to large-scale surveys or unavailable accounting data. It offers a feasible, evidence-based method for research, advisory, and industry partners seeking to understand and anticipate changes in agriculture.

agri benchmark’s Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) in brief

agri benchmark’s Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) was developed to ensure comparability and quality in its global farm data and analyses. It outlines how typical farms are defined, data are collected, validated, and updated. A paper published in the journal Agriculture (link in column at right) describes how this approach is applied to analyse production systems, competitiveness, practice changes, and policy effects worldwide.

Steps to identify typical farms

Step 1: Identifying relevant regions

Regions are selected to represent major production areas, using indicators available in statistics such as livestock numbers and density.

Step 2: Identifying typical production systems

Local experts (e.g., farm advisors, producer organisations or research institutions) help define the most common farm and production systems based on farm structures, the use of production factors, land use and livestock types, management, and performance.

Step 3: Data collection

Data are gathered through focus groups with producers and experts, or from individual farms that represent the “typical” case. Consensus ensures realistic, representative figures.

Step 4: Processing and validation

Data are analysed using production and accounting models to calculate physical, economic, and environmental indicators (including GHG emissions). Results are verified with partners for accuracy and consistency.

Step 5: Updating

Prices are updated annually, and structural or performance data every 3–5 years, jointly with local partners.

Step 6: Discussion and finetuning

Results are reviewed at the annual agri benchmark conference, where partners compare data across countries and adjust inconsistencies. Final results are published in the agri benchmark database and summarised online.