Choosing the way of transition to sustainable production in the direction of its eco-management, it is necessary to determine the evaluation criteria. In eco-management, the choice of an alternative is based on an assessment of economic efficiency, which is defined as the ratio of costs and effect and reflects the cost increase in benefits. Modern research contains various methods for determining economic efficiency. This article presents a methodology for assessing the effectiveness of eco-management in agriculture, consisting of a list of indicators and taking into account the characteristics of the field of activity. Improving economic efficiency is an urgent task for the prospects for the development of agricultural production. Agriculture is a special area of material production, this is due primarily to the fact that the health of consumers and life expectancy depend on its quality. In these conditions, the effectiveness of eco-management becomes a priority for the agricultural sector, in connection with which, the competitiveness of manufactured products and producers increases, the quality of food products is ensured, the development of rural areas is sustainable, and an efficiently functioning agricultural market is formed. Given these circumstances, the development of eco-management in the agricultural sector increases its competitiveness over other sectors of the economy. © 2020, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.