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Integrating life cycle assessment (LCA) with boundary line analysis (BLA) to reduce agro-environmental risk of crop production: a case study of soybean production in Northern Iran

Integrating life cycle assessment (LCA) with boundary line analysis (BLA) to reduce... Increasing the yield of oilseeds is considered an important plan and strategy in different countries such as Iran. With limited available arable land, boosting the cultivation of oilseeds should involve increasing per unit area. Therefore, narrowing the yield gap (YG) and optimizing agricultural practices/inputs can be the efficient strategies for improving food security and mitigating the environmental impacts of agriculture. For this purpose, the boundary line analysis (BLA) was integrated with the life cycle assessment (LCA) in this study to survey 301 soybean farms. BLA analysis calculated attainable yield and YG as 4437 and 1972 kg ha−1, respectively. According to the results, the BLA improved the efficient use of resources and attenuated environmental hazards by exploring the causes of YG and optimizing farm practices, something which was confirmed by the LCA and the ReCiPe2016 model. For instance, optimization of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and sulfur fertilizers resulted in reduction rates of 44%, 45%, 87%, and 56% the in global warming potential, respectively. As a result of the BLA-optimized tillage operations, the impacts of mineral resource scarcity and freshwater eutrophication were reduced by 15% and 16%, respectively. In addition, a reduction rate of 52% was also observed in the water use impact category due to the optimal irrigation frequencies, i.e., 1–3 times. Moreover, diesel fuel and fertilizers are the primary sources of environmental damage. Eventually, tillage optimization and fertilization should be first taken into account in order to produce larger amounts of healthier food by bridging the YG.Graphical Abstract[graphic not available: see fulltext] http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy Springer Journals

Integrating life cycle assessment (LCA) with boundary line analysis (BLA) to reduce agro-environmental risk of crop production: a case study of soybean production in Northern Iran

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References (134)

Publisher
Springer Journals
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2023. Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
ISSN
1618-954X
eISSN
1618-9558
DOI
10.1007/s10098-023-02464-9
Publisher site
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Abstract

Increasing the yield of oilseeds is considered an important plan and strategy in different countries such as Iran. With limited available arable land, boosting the cultivation of oilseeds should involve increasing per unit area. Therefore, narrowing the yield gap (YG) and optimizing agricultural practices/inputs can be the efficient strategies for improving food security and mitigating the environmental impacts of agriculture. For this purpose, the boundary line analysis (BLA) was integrated with the life cycle assessment (LCA) in this study to survey 301 soybean farms. BLA analysis calculated attainable yield and YG as 4437 and 1972 kg ha−1, respectively. According to the results, the BLA improved the efficient use of resources and attenuated environmental hazards by exploring the causes of YG and optimizing farm practices, something which was confirmed by the LCA and the ReCiPe2016 model. For instance, optimization of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and sulfur fertilizers resulted in reduction rates of 44%, 45%, 87%, and 56% the in global warming potential, respectively. As a result of the BLA-optimized tillage operations, the impacts of mineral resource scarcity and freshwater eutrophication were reduced by 15% and 16%, respectively. In addition, a reduction rate of 52% was also observed in the water use impact category due to the optimal irrigation frequencies, i.e., 1–3 times. Moreover, diesel fuel and fertilizers are the primary sources of environmental damage. Eventually, tillage optimization and fertilization should be first taken into account in order to produce larger amounts of healthier food by bridging the YG.Graphical Abstract[graphic not available: see fulltext]

Journal

Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy – Springer Journals

Published: Oct 1, 2023

Keywords: Boundary line analysis; Eutrophication; Global warming; Life cycle assessment; Optimization; Yield

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