Abstract
Agricultural production in Minqin Oasis, China, is commonly categorized as intensive crop production (ICP), integrated crop–livestock production (ICLP), intensive livestock production (confined feeding) (IFLP), and extensive livestock production (grazing) (EGLP). The objectives of the present study were to use a life cycle assessment technique to evaluate on-farm energy balances and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of agricultural production, and to compare the differences among the four systems. Data used in the present study were collected from published literature and face-to face questionnaires from 529 farms in eight towns (two towns per production system) within Minqin county. The ANOVA of averaged data from 2014 to 2015 indicated that the net energy ratio (Output/Input) for the EGLP system was significantly higher than that for any other system (P < 0.01), whereas the difference among other three systems were not significant. The EGLP system generated lower CO2-eq emissions per hectare of farmland than other systems (P < 0.01). Relating carbon economic efficiency to market values (US$) of agricultural products, indicated that the carbon economic efficiency (US$/kg CO2-eq) of the IFLP system was significantly greater than that of other systems (P < 0.01). The major GHG emission sources varied across the systems, that is, soil respiration is the dominant source in EGLP, while the main sources in IFLP are enteric methane and manure management; in ICLP major sources are enteric methane, soil respiration and fertilizer; and in ICP are soil respiration and fertilizer. The structural equation modelling analysis showed that livestock category was strongly linked to net income. The direct effects and total effects of water use efficiency, via its positive influence on energy balances and GHG emissions were much stronger than those of other dependent variables. The study provides important benchmark information to help develop sustainable agricultural production systems on energy balances and GHG emissions in northwestern China.
Highlights
Energy is the driving force of existence and is required for agricultural production systems
The life cycle assessment (LCA) technique using a methodological framework to evaluate on farm energy balances and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions was conducted according to the ISO standard (International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
There were significant differences in energy balances and GHG emissions associated with crop production in Minqin Oasis
Summary
Energy is the driving force of existence and is required for agricultural production systems. As agricultural production depends heavily on fuel energy and other energy resources, it has a major impact on GHG emissions. This has led to serious environmental problems such as global warming, which has affected the stability and sustainability of agricultural ecosystem, threatening global food security and ecological security (Khoshnevisan et al, 2014). The net energy ratio (NER) is one of the key indicators for developing more sustainable agricultural practices (Ghorbani et al, 2011). High NER in conjunction with low energy use will conserve natural resources, reduce environmental damage, and promote the sustainable development of agriculture. The NER has been widely used to accurately evaluate energy use and energy use efficiency in various production systems to identify or develop more energy-efficient crop management practices or cropping system at regional, national, and global scales (Yuan et al, 2018)
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