Environmental Impact Of Agricultural Production Research Articles

Анализ факторов, определяющих величину экологического воздействия сельскохозяйственного производства на земельные ресурсы

Abstract. The purpose is to assess the impact of factors determining the magnitude of the environmental impact of agricultural production on land resources. Methodology and methods. In the course of the study, nonparametric statistical methods were used to identify dependencies in the data set. When constructing predictive models, ROC-analysis was used to find the values of the cut-off point. Results. The study made it possible to localize three groups of regions of the Russian Federation that differ quite significantly in terms of the environmental impact of agricultural production on land resources and are characterized by a high level of dispersion within the groups. The analysis of the interrelations between the parameters characterizing the level of environmental impact made it possible to identify factors that have a decisive influence on the indicators of reproduction of land fertility. In regions with a high negative environmental impact, only the yield value is crucial, the growth of which leads to an increase in the uncompensated removal of soil fertility elements, and, accordingly, to the progression of land degradation. In regions with an average level of negative environmental impact, its magnitude also depends on the amount of organic fertilizers applied, which forms a less high level of uncompensated removal of soil fertility elements and, accordingly, environmental damage in the regions included in this group. In the group with a positive environmental impact, it is the level of application of organic fertilizers that has a decisive influence on the reproduction of land fertility. The regression analysis showed that when approximating the values of the positive environmental impact on land resources, the amount of organic fertilizers can be the most reasonable variable. ROC-analysis regarding the application of organic fertilizers for grain crops as a potential predictive parameter of positive environmental impact showed that its threshold value at the cut-off point is 2.56 tons per 1 ha. The scientific novelty lies in the formation of the evidence base of the dependence of land fertility on the parameters of agroecological impact necessary to understand the mechanisms of building a system of rational land use in agriculture.

An Evaluation of Research Interests in Vertical Farming through the Analysis of KPIs Adopted in the Literature

Vertical farming has gained increased attention in recent years due to its capacity to reduce the environmental impact of agricultural production in terms of water consumption and soil and fertilizer usage. In the literature, many works describe and evaluate applications of vertical farming. However, no work addresses the issue of classifying the KPIs for vertical farming and highlights both the most assessed aspects and the lack of evaluations. The main contribution of this study is to conduct a literature review to identify and classify the KPIs used in vertical farming. To this aim, we first proposed a methodology to define the KPI categories. Then, we identified the KPIs used in the literature, and we classified them according to the defined categories. Finally, we analyzed the obtained results. As a result, a collection of 78 KPIs were compiled and organized into the proposed categories. The analyses on the frequency of the KPIs allow us to conclude that the KPIs related to productivity are the most used as compared to those related to sustainability and quality. Furthermore, very few papers perform a cross-category evaluation. This study underscores the necessity for a more balanced consideration of productivity, quality, and sustainability in the context of vertical farming.

Is the technical efficiency green? The environmental efficiency of agricultural production in the MENA region

There is widespread recognition of the global environmental impact of agricultural production on greenhouse gas emissions, but evidence is sparse regarding the impact in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. In this study, we treat agricultural emissions as an undesirable output from agricultural production and apply the directional distance function to measure environmentally-adjusted technical efficiency, defined as environmental efficiency in agricultural production, in six countries in the MENA region (Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia) during the period 1980–2016. The results show that all six countries have clear scope to improve their environmental efficiency. Agricultural production is greener in Jordan and Israel, while environmental efficiency is currently lowest in Egypt and Morocco. Estimated relative shadow price of agricultural emissions is −1.002, implying that the ‘cost’ of removing agricultural emissions is almost equal to the value of producing one unit of good output. These findings suggest there is a trade-off between agriculture emissions and production, which should be considered in efforts to enhance the sustainability of agricultural production in the MENA region.

Scenario Analysis of Changes in the Food Supply Chain

The aim of this study is to identify possible alternative scenarios in food production and consumption that would lead to a more balanced supply of locally produced food and a reduction in the environmental impact of agricultural production. The analysis of food consumption and agricultural land distribution in Slovenia showed that a significantly larger proportion of land area is used for food production for animals than for humans. Several potential changes in the distribution of agricultural land, in milk consumption and production, in the use of fertilizers and in people's eating habits towards lower consumption of red meat were identified. Analysis of the scenarios showed the potential to increase food self-sufficiency by 15 %, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 35 %, and reduce nitrogen intake by 30 % by 2050. Reducing red meat consumption could shift intensive feed-based livestock production to grass-based production and produce more plant-based food for humans. This could increase the amount of local food and make food production less harmful to the environment. Preliminary research has shown that there are several influencing factors in the food supply chain that have conflicting effects on key food supply parameters and environmental indicators. It is therefore necessary to move towards a systematic multi-criteria optimization of the food supply chain in order to achieve the objectives of the European and national strategies on agriculture and climate change.

Advancing irrigation development in the European Union*

AbstractLarge‐scale irrigation systems (LIS) are massively utilized in agriculture worldwide to ensure food security and mitigate the effect of global warming. LIS face unpredictable changes in climate, technologies, and societal tendencies during their lifetime, potentially becoming unusable or insufficient. In this case study of Slovenia, the evolution of LIS was divided into five characteristic periods in terms of motivation, mechanisms, and the key stakeholders. The heyday of LIS development in the late 1980s was followed by denationalization and privatization, and construction was replaced by measures for improving the status irrigation at the state level. Simultaneously, there was a shift in global development towards modernization as LIS should be adaptive to changes throughout their existence in order to preserve their functionality. The construction of LIS resumed less intensively in the European Union during 2007–2013, with recognition of effective LIS functioning as necessity. This study confirms that irrigation development follows the global imperative focus on more effective use of the existing LIS along with simultaneous reduction in the environmental impact of agricultural production through smarter use of water, nutrients, and plant protection products. This should be achieved by organized LIS users, increased knowledge, efficient LIS maintenance and management, and improved connections to the local markets.

Analysis of Sustainability Performance of Different Farming Types Using Life Cycle Approach

Purpose: The article aims to present and discuss the results of environmental and economic analysis of the activities of the main production types of farms in Poland. Approach/Methodology/Design: The theoretical assumptions of the article concern environmental protection and the problem of shaping a low-carbon economy in the EU. In this context, it is presented how the production effects in the agricultural sector influence various types of environmental risks. The methodology of product life cycle analysis (LCA) and life cycle costing (LCC) were proposed for a comprehensive analysis of the impact of agricultural production on the environment and for the diagnosis of farm functioning according to sustainable development criteria. Findings: Based on the analyses carried out, differences in the environmental impact of different types of agricultural activities were found. The negative influence of farms with animal production was higher than that of farms with field crops type. In farms with animal production, different environmental impact areas were found between dairy farming and pig farming. The dairy farming had the strongest environmental impact through production processes. The acidification category turned out to be an important environmental problem in farms with livestock production. Practical Implications: The article brings a number of valuable information that can be a base material and a reference for further research, programs and studies for professionals - practitioners and scientists dealing with the environmental impact of agricultural production, its eco-efficiency, or more broadly ecology and sustainability. Originality/Value: The results of the analysis and theoretical considerations contained in this article complement existing research in the field of agricultural sustainability.

Sustainable consumption in the circular economy. An analysis of consumers’ purchase intentions for waste-to-value food

Abstract This study is aimed at evaluating the relative influence of socio-demographic and psychological features that rule the extent to which consumers engage in the circular economy, purchasing waste-to-value (WTV) food enriched with ingredients otherwise wasted in the supply chain. 477 Italian consumers replied to a web-based questionnaire administered through different social media networks. Two different consumers’ purchase intentions were analysed: consumers were asked both if they would be willing to buy WTV food and if they would buy WTV food if this would help to reduce the environmental impact of agricultural production. Binary logistic regressions are estimated to appraise the eventual drivers of consumers’ statements. Among these drivers, attention was given to aspects related to the generalised aversion to new foods, i.e. food neophobia (FN) and the aversion to food processed in new ways, i.e. food technology neophobia (FTN). Other relevant economic and demographic factors were investigated, together with aspects related to generalised trust, purchase behaviours and preferences. The main results indicate that 56% of respondents declared to be willing to buy WTV food, however, FN and FTN negatively influence the probability of stating a positive purchase intention. Consumers who give importance to reading food labels and think that food could have environmental or health benefits, are more likely to be willing to buy WTV food. In addition, a core of sustainable consumers seems to emerge who express a positive purchase intention for WTV food to reduce the environmental impact of production and give importance to the origin and nutritional values of products. In conclusion, policy implications are drawn.

ŚWIADOMOŚĆ ŚRODOWISKOWA ROLNIKÓW A WYBRANE ELEMENTY CHARAKTERYSTYKI GOSPODARSTW

The major objective of the article was to assess how farmers perceive the environmental impact of agriculture and to identify the characteristics of farms managed by farmers differing in terms of environmental awareness. The studies covered 600 commercial farms across Poland, participating in the FADN. Awareness of farmers in this area was assessed using the Likert scale. Depending on the included element of the natural environment, from about 30 to 60% of the farmers were aware of the negative environmental impact of agricultural production. According to the farmers surveyed, the main motive justifying a need to protect the environment is care for health – relatively few farmers associate a need to protect the environment with the conditions of economic activities. The analyses carried out also showed that farmers aware of the negative environmental impact of agricultural production managed farms with the higher production potential on average, higher intensity and better economic results. The higher level of awareness of farmers from farms conducting the more intensive production contradicts the argument that intensively farming farmers do not see environmental problems.

Use of different rooting materials to improve hygiene and to lower ammonia emission within the outdoor concrete area in organic growing finishing pig production

In organic pig production, pigs are often provided with concrete areas outdoors. These outdoor areas are frequently used for urination and defecation by the pigs, which results in high nitrogen emissions. This is inconsistent with the goal of organic farming to minimise the environmental impact of agricultural production. Introduction of a well-designed rooting yard with an optimal rooting material could possibly be a way to improve the conditions in the outdoor area. In an earlier study, we tested different designs of rooting yards. In the present study, we compared outdoor areas without enrichment (Reference, R) with outdoor areas with rooting yards filled with one of three different kinds of rooting material: wood shavings (W), peat (P) or peat + a small amount of pelleted feed (PF).In total, three batches (batch 1: Dec-April (winter/spring); batch 2: May-Sept (summer); batch 3: Oct-Jan (autumn/winter), in a research facility with eight pens of 16 pigs each, were studied. Data on performance and activity, hygiene and ammonia emission in the outdoor area were used for the evaluation.No significant differences in performance were seen between treatments. The pigs found the rooting yards with rooting material outdoors attractive and pigs with rooting material outdoors tended to be outdoors more often than pigs in the reference pen. However, these differences were generally not significant, due to large variations. Hygiene outdoors was significantly better in the pens with rooting yards and rooting material than in the reference pen, but there were no significant differences depending on whether the rooting yards were filled with wood shavings, peat or peat with feed pellets. However, while the visual hygiene evaluations showed positive results for all rooting materials tested, the ammonia measurements did not show matching results. Instead, the ammonia emission from the outdoor area was higher in pens with wood shavings in the rooting yards than in the reference pen. Thus introduction of a rooting yard with rooting material in the outdoor area in organic pig production can have positive results in terms of improved hygiene and reduced ammonia emission if the rooting material consists of peat. Addition of small amounts of feed pellets in the peat, to make the rooting material more attractive to the pigs, did not give any great positive effect.

Design of rooting yards for better hygiene and lower ammonia emissions within the outdoor concrete area in organic pig production

Large fouled concrete areas outdoors and high nitrogen emissions are a problem in organic pig production. This is not consistent with the goal of organic farming to minimise the environmental impact of agricultural production. Introduction of a special rooting yard with rooting material in the outdoor concrete area could possibly be a way to create more activity in one part of the outdoor area, in which the pigs do not want to excrete. In the present study, the aim was to find an optimal design for such a rooting yard in the outdoor area. Four different designs of rooting yards, with varying sizes and wall heights ((LH=large (8.4m2) with one high wall (1.0m); LL=large (8.4m2) with low walls (0.3m); SH=small (5.3m2) with one high wall (1.0m) and SL=small (5.3m2) with low walls (0.3m)), were tested in parallel and compared with a reference pen (R) without a rooting yard. Peat was used as rooting material in all the outdoor rooting yards. In total, two batches, in a research facility with eight pens of 16 pigs each, were studied. Data on performance, location and activity in the pen and hygiene and ammonia emissions in the outdoor area were used for evaluation of the designs. No significant differences were seen in performance, total activity and total rooting activity between treatments. However, the pigs in the pens with rooting yards were observed rooting outdoors significantly more than those in the reference pens. Significantly better hygiene and a tendency for lower ammonia emissions from the area with rooting material were recorded in the pens with rooting yards compared with the same area in the reference treatment.It was concluded that use of a rooting yard in the outdoor area in organic pig production allows the excretory behaviour of the pigs to be steered in the desired direction, improving hygiene and the appearance of the outdoor area. A large rooting yard with one high wall was found to be the best design, giving a 14% reduction in chamber NH3 emissions (ECH) from the total outdoor area compared with the reference pen.

Worldwide Sustainability Hotspots in Potato Cultivation. 2. Areas with Improvement Opportunities

Agriculture has a large impact on the environment and retailers increasingly stimulate their suppliers to reduce the environmental impact of agricultural production. The environmental impact resulting from producing a commodity can be measured with a life cycle analysis (LCA) but performing an LCA is costly and time-consuming. In the first paper of this series a practical and general method to identify hotspot areas in crop production on a global scale was developed. The method was implemented for potatoes. The objective of the work reported here was to evaluate the tool and to identify improvement opportunities for each of seven indicators: yield, erosion risk, nitrogen surplus, depletion of water reserves, biocide use, carbon footprint, and impact on biodiversity. The tool produces realistic outputs that can be used to target improvement efforts and thus improves the use efficiency of limited resources. The tool can be expanded to produce similar results for other crops; methods to improve the resolution of the tool are discussed.

Pollution shadow prices in conventional and organic farming: an application in a Mediterranean context

Organic farming integrates environmental concerns and criteria within farm management practices in order to reducethe environmental impact of agricultural production. In this paper, the shadow price of two of the main indicators of pollution arising from agricultural practices, nitrogen surplus and impact of pesticides, are calculated and compared in a context of Mediterranean climate and cultures. Results show that it is more costly for organic farms to reduce their levels of pollution emission than for conventional farms. This may be due to the fact that the specific regulations on organic farming restrict agricultural practices to a larger degree than current restrictions affecting conventional farming. These results suggest that organic farming might be an adequate answer to part of the environmental problems provoked by conventional farming.

Pelletized organo-mineral fertilizer product as a nitrogen source for potato production

Replacement of mineral fertilizer with organo-mineral fertilizer products made with animal manures is one strategy for reducing the environmental impact of agricultural production. This study evaluated a pelletized organo-mineral fertilizer product with a nutrient analysis of approximately 7-4-4 produced from composted solid poultry, solid dairy and liquid hog manure as a N source for processing potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) production in Atlantic Canada. The availability of N in the organo-mineral fertilizer product was estimated, and tuber yield, size distribution and quality parameters and soil NO3-N content at harvest were compared at similar application rates of N as mineral or organo-mineral fertilizer. Field trials were conducted in 2000 to 2002 to compare different rates of mineral (0–200 kg N ha-1 as NH4NO3) or organo-mineral (0–3 t product ha-1) fertilizer band-applied at planting, followed by split applications of variable rates of mineral fertilizer. Apparent recovery of N from the mineral fertilizer, estimated as the slope of the regression of plant N accumulation against the rate of N applied and expressed as a percentage, was 65, 33 and 78% in 2000, 2001 and 2002, respectively. Apparent recovery of total N in the organo-mineral fertilizer was 6 0 , 26 and 57% in 2000, 2001 and 2002, respectively. Fertilizer N equivalency of the total N in the organo-mineral fertilizer, estimated as the apparent recovery of organo-mineral fertilizer N divided by apparent recovery of mineral fertilizer N and expressed as a percentage, was 92, 79 and 73% in 2000, 2001 and 2002, respectively. Application of equivalent rates of N as mineral or organo-mineral fertilizer at planting generally resulted in comparable values of tuber yield, size distribution and quality parameters and soil NO3-N content at tuber harvest. We recommend application of 1.5 t ha-1 of organo-mineral fertilizer at planting, with additional mineral fertilizer applied as a split application if warranted, as a suitable N source for processing potato production. Key words: Solanum tuberosum, yield, tuber size, tuber nitrate, tuber specific gravity, soil nitrate

An Alternative Scheme to Compute the Common Agricultural Policy Direct Payments to Farmers

An alternative to the direct payments modulation under CAP Regulation n. 2237/2003 is presented, using a logistic function model where payments to farmers are related to economic efficiency, environmental impact of agricultural production, and farmer's income. The approach used develops into two phases: in phase one the focus is on modulation among countries; then in phase two redistribution among farmers within a Member State is contemplated.

The Relationship between Greenhouse Gas Emissions and the Intensity of Milk Production in Ireland

European Union agri-environmental schemes aim to reduce the environmental impact of agricultural production, but were developed before consideration of greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture. Life cycle assessment methodology provided a framework for comparing emissions as kg CO2 equivalent per kg of energy corrected milk (ECM) (kg CO2 kg(-1) ECM yr(-1)) and per hectare (kg CO2 ha(-1) yr(-1)) for farms both within and outside the Irish agri-environmental scheme. The agri-environmental scheme farms operate extensive systems from 40 to 120 cows producing between 3032 and 5946 kg ECM cow(-1) lactation(-1). The cows are fed on grass, conserved silage, and concentrates. Supplementation ranged between 250 and 620 kg cow(-1) yr(-1). The conventional farms had between 30 and 77 milking cows producing 4736 to 6944 kg ECM cow(-1) lactation(-1). Supplementation ranged from 400 to 1000 kg cow(-1) yr(-1). The emissions from each unit were estimated using published emissions factors and possible error was evaluated by using ranges for each factor. Calculated emissions ranged from 0.92 to 1.51 kg CO2 kg(-1) ECM yr(-1) and 5924 to 8323 kg CO2 ha(-1). On average, total emissions from conventional farms were around 18% (p = 0.01) greater than the agri-environmental scheme farms and emissions per hectare (total area required) were 17% greater (p = 0.02) but there was no significant difference (p = 0.335) in terms of emission per unit milk produced. To evaluate greenhouse gas emissions for each farm in terms of the system intensity it was necessary to define a measure of intensification and area per liter of milk produced that was best.

Application of the Life Cycle Assessment methodology to agricultural production: an example of sugar beet production with different forms of nitrogen fertilisers

The suitability of the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology to analyse the environmental impact of agricultural production is investigated. The first part of an LCA is an inventory of all the resources used and emissions released due to the system under investigation. In the following step, i.e. the Life Cycle Impact Assessment the inventory data were analysed and aggregated in order to finally get one index representing the total environmental burden. For the Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) the Eco-indicator 95 method has been chosen, because this is a well-documented and regularly applied impact assessment method. The resulting index is called Eco-indicator value. The higher the Eco-indicator value the stronger is the total environmental impact of an analysed system. A sugar beet field experiment conducted in northeastern Germany was chosen as an example for the analysis. In this experiment three different nitrogen fertilisers (calcium ammonium nitrate=CAN, urea ammonium nitrate solution=UAN, urea) were used at optimum N rates. The obtained Eco-indicator values were clearly different for the N fertilisers used in the sugar beet trial. The highest value was observed for the system where urea was used as N source. The lowest Eco-indicator value has been calculated for the CAN system. The differences are mainly due to different ammonia volatilisation after application of the N fertilisers. For all the systems the environmental effects of acidification and eutrophication contributed most to the total Eco-indicator value. The results show that the LCA methodology is basically suitable to assess the environmental impact associated with agricultural production. A comparative analysis of the system, contribution to global warming, acidification, eutrophication and summer smog is possible. However, some important environmental issues are missing in the Eco-indicator 95 method (e.g. the use of resources and land).

Quantifying the environmental impact of production in agriculture and horticulture in The Netherlands: which emissions do we need to consider?

This study focuses on the environmental impact of agricultural production. The aim of the study is to identify the most important sources of greenhouse gases, acidifying and eutrophying compounds in Tomato Cultivation, Greenhouse Horticulture and Total Agriculture in The Netherlands. Within each of these three sectors we distinguish two systems. The System Agriculture (System A) includes the first-order processes of the agricultural production chain and the System Industry (System I) includes some second-order processes. Results indicate that, in general, System A emissions exceed System I emissions. However, in some cases emissions from System I are relatively high compared to System A emissions, and need to be considered when quantifying the total environmental impact of agricultural production. For example, acidifying emissions from the production of electricity and rockwool (both second-order processes) contribute almost 25% to the total acidifying emissions from System Greenhouse Horticulture A+I.