Market Gardens as Agroecological Lighthouses: A Case Study in Sweden with the Tool for Agroecological Performance Evaluation (TAPE)
(2025) In Master Thesis Series in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science MESM02 20251LUCSUS (Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies)
- Abstract
- Global agri-food systems are in urgent need of a sustainability transformation guided by best practices of agroecology. The study used the Tool for Agroecological Performance Evaluation (TAPE) to assess the performance of seven market gardens in southern Sweden in comparison to the Swedish horticultural sector. The findings indicate that all participating market gardens could be considered agroecological and that they outperformed the Swedish horticultural sector in terms of social and ecological sustainability as well as several economic indicators. Building socio-ecological resilience through their practice, the market gardens were up to twelve times more productive per hectare and had incomes twice as high as average Swedish... (More)
- Global agri-food systems are in urgent need of a sustainability transformation guided by best practices of agroecology. The study used the Tool for Agroecological Performance Evaluation (TAPE) to assess the performance of seven market gardens in southern Sweden in comparison to the Swedish horticultural sector. The findings indicate that all participating market gardens could be considered agroecological and that they outperformed the Swedish horticultural sector in terms of social and ecological sustainability as well as several economic indicators. Building socio-ecological resilience through their practice, the market gardens were up to twelve times more productive per hectare and had incomes twice as high as average Swedish horticulture. However, their labour intensity led to trade-offs that were not acknowledged or compensated in the current productivity-driven agri-food system. Market gardens are “agroecological lighthouses” that provide a sustainable alternative to large-scale, industrial farming but need to become more present on political agendas. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9195329
- author
- Hergert, Charly LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- MESM02 20251
- year
- 2025
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- market gardening, agroecological transitions, sustainability performance, Tool for Agroecological Performance Evaluation (TAPE), Sweden, sustainability science
- publication/series
- Master Thesis Series in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science
- report number
- 2025:020
- language
- English
- id
- 9195329
- date added to LUP
- 2025-06-11 12:48:38
- date last changed
- 2025-06-18 09:12:10
@misc{9195329, abstract = {{Global agri-food systems are in urgent need of a sustainability transformation guided by best practices of agroecology. The study used the Tool for Agroecological Performance Evaluation (TAPE) to assess the performance of seven market gardens in southern Sweden in comparison to the Swedish horticultural sector. The findings indicate that all participating market gardens could be considered agroecological and that they outperformed the Swedish horticultural sector in terms of social and ecological sustainability as well as several economic indicators. Building socio-ecological resilience through their practice, the market gardens were up to twelve times more productive per hectare and had incomes twice as high as average Swedish horticulture. However, their labour intensity led to trade-offs that were not acknowledged or compensated in the current productivity-driven agri-food system. Market gardens are “agroecological lighthouses” that provide a sustainable alternative to large-scale, industrial farming but need to become more present on political agendas.}}, author = {{Hergert, Charly}}, language = {{eng}}, note = {{Student Paper}}, series = {{Master Thesis Series in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science}}, title = {{Market Gardens as Agroecological Lighthouses: A Case Study in Sweden with the Tool for Agroecological Performance Evaluation (TAPE)}}, year = {{2025}}, }