The guiding vision of SAFA is that food and agriculture systems worldwide are characterized by four dimensions of sustainability: good governance, environmental integrity, economic resilience and social well-being. For each of these four dimensions of sustainability, SAFA outlines essential elements of sustainability based on international reference documents and conventions. The 21 themes and 58 sub-themes were definedthrough expert consultations. Default performance indicators for each sub-theme facilitate measuring progress towards sustainability. SAFA assessment involves adaptation to geographic, sector-specific and individual conditions of the assessed entity and the comprehensive use of existing documentation, standards and tools. The SAFA Guidelines consist of three sections: Section 1 describes the purpose, linkages, principles and scope of SAFA; Section 2 outlines the procedure of SAFA implementation; Section 3 contains the SAFA protocol for sustainability themes and sub-themes. Default indicators sheets, providing guidance and references can be found in this publication complement entitled SAFA Indicators; these will be subject to periodic reviews, as learning is gained during the Guidelines’ implementation.