Alignment evaluation using sustainable family farm practices with fuzzy TOPSIS

The family farming segment plays an important socioeconomic role in the Brazilian economy. Its development is a precondition for a more economically efficient and just society. Family farming contributes to promoting rural development insofar as it constitutes an alternative to the major problems affecting the rural environment and its population. In this context, the present study sought to evaluate sustainable practices in family farming in the Rio Grande do Sul State (Brazil) using a diffuse multicriteria decision model. By applying the fuzzy TOPSIS (Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution) method, the most sustainable family properties were classified, demonstrating that the criteria most prioritized by the specialists were the proper disposal of waste, hiring local and regional labor, and concern over work accidents. According to our findings, the family farm that was the most aligned with sustainable practices produces yogurt‐based cheese, with about 26 years of activity in the industry. In addition, the differential in the surveyed businesses demonstrates the relevance of being aligned with practices to mitigate problems related to the environment.