Abstract

Author:
Haoua Amrouni Sais, Salah Eddine Benziouche

Doi: 10.26480/sfna.02.2025.61.68

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License CC BY 4.0, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited

Since the 2000s, Algerian researchers have increasingly focused on assessing farm sustainability using various tools. Among them, the IDEA method (Indicateurs de Durabilité des Exploitations Agricoles) is the most widely applied, across different farming systems and agroecological zones. This paper reviews research in Algeria that has used the IDEA method to assess farm sustainability. It summarizes key findings and analytical insights to support future work. IDEA evaluates sustainability through three dimensions: agroecological, socio-territorial, and economic. It has proven useful in identifying weaknesses, especially in the socio-territorial dimension, and in proposing ways to improve overall sustainability. However, several limitations have emerged, including the relevance of some indicators, the weighting system, and challenges in data availability. These limitations have led to adaptations of the method in various studies. Similar challenges are reported in other Maghreb countries, which share comparable agroecological and socio￾cultural contexts. Therefore, adapting the IDEA method to local realities is essential. Developing a region￾specific sustainability assessment tool could lead to more accurate evaluations and better-informed strategies for improving farm sustainability