Quantifying ecological impacts: A comparative life cycle assessment of conventional and organic potato cultivation

Abstract

In order to meet the ever-increasing demand of food in the near future, the agriculture sector is anticipated to expand grain, vegetable, fiber, and biomass energy production within the restrictions of limited resources, while simultaneously minimizing the related Environmental Impacts (EIs). When focusing on potatoes specifically, it's important to note that a significant portion of global potato production occurs in developing countries. Nevertheless, existing literature reveals a noticeable gap in research dedicated to assessing the EIs of potato cultivation, as well as other staple crops. The current study aims at contrasting the EIs of organic and conventional potato cultivation in the northern plains of India. Taking two functional units (one hectare of land and one ton of potato produced), a cradle-to-farm gate Life Cycle Assessment approach using SimaPro 9.1.1 software was applied to explore various hotspots for highlighting and analyzing the various phases responsible for sparking off the severe EIs and compared for both cultivation systems. To confirm results from different perspectives, both ReCiPe Midpoint & Endpoint impact assessment methods were used which acknowledged that fertilization is the most significant phase for environmental impacts in conventional cultivation. Specifically, conventional cultivation contributes 2007.669 kg CO2 eq per hectare to Global Warming potential, whereas organic cultivation emits 1287.952 kg CO2 eq. Transitioning to organic cultivation leads to an average reduction of 35.76 percent across a range of 18 environmental impact categories Furthermore, the endpoint method reveals that 86 percent of the total score for conventional cultivation, which is 159.20, comes from human health-related indicators, whereas organic cultivation exhibits 27.6 percent less impact in this regard. Conducting a sensitivity analysis highlights fertilization as the most sensitive phase for conventional potato cultivation, whereas irrigation emerges as the critical phase for organic cultivation. The current study assists farmers in making decisions about chemical usage, energy management, and governments in improving the overall sustainability of cultivation systems through regulatory adjustments.