Sustainability index and matrix multiplication of broiler farming partnerships for environmental performance improvement

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Broiler farming partnerships are increasingly adopted to enhance production efficiency and farmer livelihoods; however, their environmental sustainability remains inadequately addressed. Prior studies have mainly highlighted performance, while the integration of environmental, technological, social, and institutional factors has been somewhat lacking. The objectives of the study were to evaluate the sustainability status of partnership-based broiler farming systems and to identify the structural causal relationships among dominant leverage variables using an integrated Rapid appraisal for fisheries – multidimensional scaling and matrix of cross-impact multiplications applied to classification framework.METHODS: A multidimensional sustainability assessment was conducted using a structured framework comprising ecological, economic, social, technological, and partnership dimensions. A comprehensive total of ۳۲ sustainability attributes were recognized and integrated into a survey tool. Data were obtained from ۱۷ expert respondents selected through purposive sampling based on their experience and involvement in broiler partnership systems. Sustainability indices and leverage factors were created utilizing multidimensional scaling, subsequently employing cross-impact matrix multiplication applied in classification structural analysis to categorize dominant variables according to their their driving power and dependence.FINDINGS: The findings reveal a moderate sustainability status, with environmental performance achieving the highest index (۷۰.۵۷) percent, followed by technological (۶۲.۶۲) percent, economic (۵۶.۵۲) percent, and social (۵۲.۶۵). In contrast, the partnership dimension exhibited a lower sustainability level (۴۷.۰۰) percent. Matrix of cross impact multiplications applied to classification analysis revealed that mortality causes, chicken mortality rate, sanitation practices, feeding equipment, housing type, and manure waste utilization function as critical linkage variables, indicating strong cross-dimensional interdependencies. The study demonstrates robust interrelations among different dimensions, showing that advancements in technological efficiency and management practices foster economic improvements and lower environmental repercussions. However, weak partnership arrangements and governance limitations significantly hinder overall system performance. CONCLUSION: The study highlights that the integration of both methods demonstrates that sustainability in broiler partnerships emerges from dynamic interactions among biosecurity, housing technology, labor capability, waste valorization, and institutional trust. This systems-based framework provides a stronger basis for designing phased sustainability interventions and adaptive governance strategies in emerging poultry industries. Recent agrifood systems studies similarly emphasize causal structural mapping as an effective instrument for planning sustainability transitions.

کلیدواژه ها:

Broiler partnership system ، Multidimensional scaling (MDS) ، Matrix of cross impact multiplications applied to classification (MICMAC) ، Partnership governance ، Sustainability assessment.