This study evaluates the sustainability of alternative durum wheat cultivation practices in Southern Italy using a multi-criteria decision analysis framework. Based on experimental field data from Basilicata, six cropping scenarios—with or without fertilization, intercropping with lentil, and/or application of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF)—are assessed across environmental, economic, and social criteria. The PROMETHEE outranking method is combined with the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) to integrate quantitative indicators and expert-based qualitative judgments, while group decision techniques address stakeholder heterogeneity. Two weighting perspectives are simulated: a policy-maker viewpoint emphasizing environmental performance, and a farmer viewpoint prioritizing profitability and risk reduction. Results reveal a structural divergence between socially optimal and privately optimal systems. Intercropping with lentil and AMF inoculation ranks first under policy-oriented weights due to superior soil health and biodiversity performance, whereas conventional cultivation remains preferable under farmer-oriented weights because of higher gross margins. Lentil intercropping without AMF emerges as a compromise solution, balancing income stability and environmental improvement. The dual-ranking approach highlights the sustainability gap between public objectives and private incentives, providing evidence for targeted policy instruments to support agroecological transition in Mediterranean cereal systems.
