At a time when food producers have to make significant changes to their businesses in order to survive, a review of benchmarking in agriculture and discussion of its future potential is critical. This book meets that need by providing an overview of existing benchmarking practices in agriculture and the food supply chain, and evaluating the potential of these practices to drive sustainable innovation in food and farming. Increasing pressures from commodity markets, corporate buyers, government and rising input prices (particularly fuel prices) are creating an environment in which farmers and their advisors are keen to make greater use of performance information for survival and growth. Where farmers are diversifying into alternative production methods, non-agricultural enterprises and on-farm production and sales, the greater the interest in a wider range of accounting tools for decision making. Lisa Jack and her contributors draw on a wide range of data and sources from Australia, New Zealand, the USA, the UK and Europe to provide critical evaluations of what might be considered 'state of the art' benchmarking practices at this time, including recent strategic developments such as the use of non-financial measures in balanced scorecards. The food and farming industry is unusual in that benchmarking takes place among large numbers of small, family-owned businesses working in a global industry. Not only, therefore, is this book important for those working in food supply chain businesses, but also for those involved in the general practice of benchmarking.
Part 1 Introduction: Sustainable change and benchmarking in the food supply chain, with Julie Boone; Part 2 Benchmarks for Comparison of Farm Performance: Benchmarks and yardsticks - mass participation benchmarking in farming; Best practice in mass participation benchmarking, Sarah Thelwall; Dairybase - building a best practice benchmarking system, Nicola Shadbolt; Part 3 Benchmarking for Better Practice in Farming: Benchmarking clubs and business improvement groups; Farm benchmarking in the UK: an assessment by the Food Chain Centre, 2002-2007, Peter Whitehead; Part 4 Environmental Benchmarks in Farming and Food: Standards, indices and targets for environmental performance; Farmer learning for benchmarking for environmental sustainability, Sue Kilpatrick; Part 5 Benchmarking for Best Practice: Innovative Practice and Developments in Farming and Food: Process benchmarking and other developments in agriculture; The balanced scorecard in farming and food, Nicola Shadbolt; Conclusion: sustainable change through benchmarking in farming and food; Index.
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