Sustainability indicators for rubber plantations in Thailand: Environmental integrity dimension

Abstract

The natural rubber industry has played a vital role in Thailand’s economic, environmental, and social contexts. Therefore, sustainable rubber production is a significant concern. At present, a wide variety of international tools has been developed to assess the agricultural sector’s sustainability performance. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations developed the Sustainability Assessment of Food and Agriculture systems ( SAFA) in 2013. Environmental integrity is one of the dimensions of sustainability in SAFA. SAFA is applied to assess the impact of agriculture operations on the environment. This research aims to assess suitable environmental integrity indicators in compliance with SAFA for rubber plantations in Thailand. The system boundary is set to cover rubber plantations, harvesting of fresh latex, and rubber tree felling. This work conducted focus group discussions, using the SAFA, guidelines, indicators, and tools for rubber plantations, the review process by rubber plantation experts, representatives of rubber associations, SAFA researchers, and environmental scholars, and site visits to interview rubber farmers in the south, northeast, and north of Thailand. Environmental themes, including the atmosphere, water, land, biodiversity, and material and energy were included in assessing the environmental integrity of a rubber plantation. Animal welfare was not included.