Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
3.6
3.6
Journals
Agriculture
Special Issues
Integrated LCA-LCC Assessment Model of Agricultural Systems
share announcement

Integrated LCA-LCC Assessment Model of Agricultural Systems

A special issue of Agriculture (ISSN 2077-0472). This special issue belongs to the section "Agricultural Economics, Policies and Rural Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2023) | Viewed by 6646

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Maria Pergola

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Degree Course of Agriculture, Dipartimento di Farmacia, Università degli Studi di Salerno, 84084 Fisciano, Italy
Interests: agricultural economics and policy; life cycle assessment; carbon footprint; rural development; sustainable consumption and production; sustainable agriculture; ecosystems services; life cycle costing

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

The European Green Deal is the EU’s long-term growth strategy to make Europe climate-neutral by 2050. The strong dependence on fossil fuels, and the consequent emissions of greenhouse gases, have pushed all productive sectors to adopt new policies aimed at achieving the objectives of environmental, economic, social, and institutional improvement.

Agriculture, and the related food systems, represent one of the sectors that use most of the available water resources and is responsible for a large part of the increase in greenhouse gases in the earth’s atmosphere. Changes in land use have transformed large areas from relatively stable ecosystems in agro-ecosystems that have suddenly changed according to their extensive or intensive management. The introduction of certain intensive agricultural practices, such as drainage, deep-soil tillage, and unbalanced fertilizations, have had a major impact on the earth’s carbon pools and atmosphere fluxes.

The estimation of emissions by the agricultural sector is difficult to account for as it constitutes widespread pollution, characterized by the extreme variety of environmental features and cultivation management systems. Therefore, several estimation methods have been developed over time and connected to the various cultivation production processes. On the other hand, the estimation of costs in agriculture appears simpler and, in this situation of a general energy and economic crisis, economic analysis seems increasingly relevant to understand which policy guidelines can be implemented for agricultural and/or rural sectors.

In this context, the Special Issue aims to collect contributions on the joint estimation of environmental impacts, production/cultivation costs, and profitability of agricultural systems from a Life Cycle Thinking perspective. For this purpose, the use of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Life Cycle Costing (LCC) methodologies is encouraged to evaluate the environmental and economic sustainability of agriculture production models.

All types of articles, including original research, opinions, and reviews, are welcome.

Dr. Maria Pergola
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agriculture is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • sustainable agriculture
  • circular economy in agriculture
  • climate change
  • environmental impacts assessment
  • LCA
  • rural development
  • economic analysis in agriculture
  • LCC

Published Papers (4 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

17 pages, 1519 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of the Economic and Environmental Sustainability of Livestock Farms in Inland Areas
by Michele Cerrato, Allegra Iasi, Federica Di Bennardo and Maria Pergola
Agriculture 2023, 13(9), 1708; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture13091708 - 29 Aug 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 949
Abstract
The present research aimed to evaluate the economic and environmental sustainability of livestock farms in inland areas of the Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park (Southern Italy) and the convenience and possibility of activating forms of local economies. The study involved [...] Read more.
The present research aimed to evaluate the economic and environmental sustainability of livestock farms in inland areas of the Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park (Southern Italy) and the convenience and possibility of activating forms of local economies. The study involved three types of grazing husbandries: one with only sheep and goats; one with only cattle; and one mixed, namely with cattle, sheep and goats. The profitability of the analyzed farms was compared through their gross profit and the net income of the farmer. To evaluate the convenience of the farms under study to activate forms of a short supply chain, the transformation value of the milk was used as the reference parameter. The environmental impact per farm and per adult bovine unit was assessed through the LCA methodology. The economic analysis showed that the survival of the analyzed farms is essentially linked to public subsidies, which in some cases represent more than 75% of the total output. Family enterprise plays a fundamental role in management decisions, in the size of animal breeding, and in investment decisions. Referring to environmental impacts, the analysis showed a lower sustainability of cattle farming, mainly due to the higher methane emissions during enteric fermentation. Despite all this, the ecosystem services provided by these semi-extensive farms in inland areas are significant, and therefore economic and environmental analyses should take them into account to enhance them and encourage farmers to remain in these often marginal areas. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Integrated LCA-LCC Assessment Model of Agricultural Systems)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 1372 KiB  
Article
An Environmental and Economic Analysis of Strawberry Production in Southern Italy
by Maria Pergola, Angela Maffia, Giuseppe Carlucci, Alessandro Persiani, Assunta Maria Palese, Massimo Zaccardelli, Gessica Altieri and Giuseppe Celano
Agriculture 2023, 13(9), 1705; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture13091705 - 29 Aug 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1753
Abstract
This paper aims to provide an evaluation of the environmental and economic aspects of strawberry cultivation in the Campania and Basilicata regions of Southern Italy, and to consider the effects on strawberry productivity following compost tea (CT) application. Eight strawberry-growing systems were tested. [...] Read more.
This paper aims to provide an evaluation of the environmental and economic aspects of strawberry cultivation in the Campania and Basilicata regions of Southern Italy, and to consider the effects on strawberry productivity following compost tea (CT) application. Eight strawberry-growing systems were tested. To this end, compost tea production and characterization were described; a quantitative analysis of the strawberries’ yield was performed, and environmental impact per ha and per kg of strawberries was estimated using the life cycle assessment methodology. To compare the profitability of the systems analyzed, the gross profit of the farmers was calculated, also considering the social cost of pollution. One of the two organic systems analyzed, using solarization for soil disinfestation, biological fight for pest control, and corrugated boxes as packaging recycled at the end-of-life, was the most sustainable system with carbon credits. At the same time, organic crops are not always the most sustainable and profitable systems if significant irrigation and fertigation interventions are carried out, as in another organic system analyzed. Plastic materials and zinc structures were the most impacting items in almost all analyzed systems. The use of a CT with an elevated number of beneficial microorganisms with a high suppressive action allowed to obtain a good increase of the yield, in both systems that used it, and to have a higher gross profit. On the other hand, the validity of this technique was strongly linked to the finding of high-quality green compost. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Integrated LCA-LCC Assessment Model of Agricultural Systems)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

23 pages, 4824 KiB  
Article
Life Cycle Assessment of Olive Oil Production in Turkey, a Territory with an Intensive Production Project
by Beatriz Ruiz-Carrasco, Lázuli Fernández-Lobato, Yaiza López-Sánchez and David Vera
Agriculture 2023, 13(6), 1192; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture13061192 - 03 Jun 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2046
Abstract
The global warming fight should focus on agriculture, especially on olive crops, due to their potential role in combating it. One of the leading olive oil-producing countries is Turkey; therefore, evaluating and quantifying the environmental impacts of its olive oil production is essential. [...] Read more.
The global warming fight should focus on agriculture, especially on olive crops, due to their potential role in combating it. One of the leading olive oil-producing countries is Turkey; therefore, evaluating and quantifying the environmental impacts of its olive oil production is essential. This is the first analysis of Turkey that encompasses both the farming and the industrial phases through a cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment (LCA). As a representative value chain, it was considered an intensive system, according to the representativeness of rainfed and irrigated areas, with two-phase and three-phase olive oil extraction in Turkey. In the climate change category, analysis results gave a value of 3.04 kg of CO2 equivalent for 1 kg of unpackaged virgin olive oil. The phase that contributes the most in all impact categories is the farming phase (2.53 kg of CO2 equivalent), whereas the most impactful activities are fertilization and irrigation (69.5% of impact in this stage). The results have been compared to others obtained by different value chains, revealing an intermediate position in environmental impact. It can be concluded that better agricultural practices should be implemented, including the optimization of energy and water systems, in order to minimize the negative environmental effect of olive oil production. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Integrated LCA-LCC Assessment Model of Agricultural Systems)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 1345 KiB  
Article
Fertilization Strategies on Fennel Crop in the Mediterranean Environment: Agronomic Performance, Costs and Sustainability Assessment
by Mariangela Diacono, Alessandro Persiani, Vincenzo Alfano, Antonio Monteforte and Francesco Montemurro
Agriculture 2023, 13(5), 1048; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture13051048 - 12 May 2023
Viewed by 1167
Abstract
In the Mediterranean area, using organic fertilizers is crucial to maintaining and increasing soil fertility and crop productivity since soil organic matter is being progressively depleted due to climate change effects. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare two different organic [...] Read more.
In the Mediterranean area, using organic fertilizers is crucial to maintaining and increasing soil fertility and crop productivity since soil organic matter is being progressively depleted due to climate change effects. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare two different organic fertilizers (MC1 without and MC2 with an inoculum of selected microorganisms), applied at 100% and 50% doses, with mineral fertilization and an unfertilized control: (i) by assessing the agronomic performance of fennel crop; and (ii) by investigating environmental and economic sustainability, through GHG emissions determination, carbon efficiency, and cost analysis. The results of the MC2 were comparable to the mineral fertilization for crop growing parameters (plants and roots dry weights) and marketable yield, irrespective of the amount applied (50–100%), likely due to the inoculum of selected microorganisms. These may have favored the soil microbial activity, the nutrient availability, and better synchronization of N mineralization with fennel N demand with respect to MC1 (with a higher C/N ratio). The MC2 also achieved lower costs than the other treatments. The highest GHG emission value was found in the mineral fertilization treatment, while the lowest was recorded in the unfertilized control treatment. The two organic treatments at 100% were the most carbon-efficient systems because of the highest carbon stocks/output, considering the difference between C stocked/output and the C loss/input emitted. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Integrated LCA-LCC Assessment Model of Agricultural Systems)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-4
Back to TopTop