Methodology, Implementation, and Future Development
This technical report presents the conceptual and methodological foundations of the Agricultural Sector Resilience Progress Indicator, included in the Common Agricultural Policies (CAP) Performance Monitoring and Evaluation Framework (PMEF) as indicator I.9. The indicator is designed to assess the capacity of the European Union farming sector to withstand and adapt to climate-related stressors. It is composed of four policy-relevant sub-indicators covering production, income, water, and soil resilience. It evaluates both the current resilience status and progress over time, using 15-year reference (2001–2015) and evaluation (2007–2021) periods benchmarked against EU-27 performance distributions. This report details the methodological choices and interpretation of I.9, providing a transparent framework for its application and future refinement.
The primary purpose of the indicator is to serve as an early-warning system, i.e. flagging when performance across key resilience dimensions is regressing, stagnating, or progressing. To support this objective, a simple three-grade scoring system [0, 0.5, 1] was adopted, applied to each sub-indicator and aggregated into the composite index. This approach enables meaningful interpretation of shifts over time while facilitating communication with stakeholders. It avoids overemphasising minor rank differences and maintains flexibility in assessing broader trends in sectoral resilience.
The indicator is made operational through an interactive online dashboard that allows users to explore resilience trends across Member States and time. The report concludes with recommendations to enhance the I.9 framework, including the integration of additional indicators such as drought resilience and crop diversity, and emphasizes the strategic importance of diversification in mitigating farmers' exposure to climate and market shocks. As the framework continues to evolve, future improvements will focus on refining input data, enhancing statistical robustness, and expanding conceptual scope to better support EU climate adaptation and agricultural policy goals
CATARINO Rui;
DENTENER Frank;
2025-11-19
Publications Office of the European Union
JRC143715
978-92-68-33844-5 (online),
1831-9424 (online),
EUR 40542,
OP KJ-01-25-583-EN-N (online),
https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC143715,
10.2760/7559119 (online),
