Analysis of the determinants of the economic and environmental performance of Swiss dairy farms in the alpine area.

Improving the sustainability of the dairy food chain involves a reduction of the environmental impact of dairy farming, as a large part of the environmental impacts associated with dairy product consumption is generated in the agricultural phase of the milk life cycle. In this paper, we combine life cycle assessment and farm accountancy data to analyze the factors affecting the environmental performance, defined as the eco-efficiency of food production, and the economic performance of Swiss dairy farms in the alpine area. The results of the analysis show the existence of synergies in the enhancement of farm economic and environmental performance. Unfavorable natural production conditions (high altitudes and unfavorable topography) have a strong negative impact on both areas of performance. Conversely, organic farming, farm size, full-time farming and a high agricultural education level have a positive effect on the two dimensions of the sustainable performance of a farm.