Ecological agricultural production mode and carbon footprint accounting based on low carbon economy

Abstract

In order to maintain the yield of vegetables and reduce the pressure on the environment, it is necessary to study the carbon emission. In this study, the carbon footprint (CF) of two vegetable bases in Anhui was calculated using the life cycle assessment (LCA) method. Base A had no restrictions on the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, while base B did not use chemical fertilizers and pesticides in the production process. According to the accounting results, the carbon emission of base A which used fertilizer accounted for more than half of the total, while base B which used manure instead of chemical fertilizer had significantly reduced carbon emission, but slightly increased labour and electric power. After calculation, it was found that the carbon emission of base B was 3952 kg/ha, 10.73% lower than base A, the CF was 2664 kg/ha, 11.02% lower than base A, and the CF of cucumber had the largest reduction, 17.44%, indicating that the organic production mode was effective for reducing CF. The calculation results verify the importance of reducing the use of chemical fertilizer and pesticide for low-carbon production and provide some theoretical support for realizing low-carbon economy and promoting the healthy development of vegetable industry. The research significance of this paper is to examine the impact of chemical fertilizer on carbon emissions during agricultural production using CF accounting and to provide an effective reference for reducing carbon emissions during agricultural production.