Energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions during transition to organic and reduced-input practices: Student farm case study

Clark, Sean; Khoshnevisan, Benyamin; Sefeedpari, Paria

doi:10.1016/j.ecoleng.2015.12.036

Cited by 42 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…Although organic yields typically lag behind conventional yields [42], in drought years the opposite has been shown, which is attributed to the higher water holding capacity of soils under organic management [43,44]. Overall, organic production uses less energy per production unit due to the high energy costs of conventional fertilizer and pesticides [39,44,45].…”

Section: The Rise Of Organic Farmingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Agroforestry—The Next Step in Sustainable and Resilient Agriculture

2016

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Agriculture faces the unprecedented task of feeding a world population of 9 billion people by 2050 while simultaneously avoiding harmful environmental and social effects. One effort to meet this challenge has been organic farming, with outcomes that are generally positive. However, a number of challenges remain. Organic yields lag behind those in conventional agriculture, and greenhouse gas emissions and nutrient leaching remain somewhat problematic. In this paper, we examine current organic and conventional agriculture systems and suggest that agroforestry, which is the intentional combination of trees and shrubs with crops or livestock, could be the next step in sustainable agriculture. By implementing systems that mimic nature's functions, agroforestry has the potential to remain productive while supporting a range of ecosystem services. In this paper, we outline the common practices and products of agroforestry as well as beneficial environmental and social effects. We address barriers to agroforestry and explore potential options to alter policies and increase adoption by farmers. We conclude that agroforestry is one of the best land use strategies to contribute to food security while simultaneously limiting environmental degradation.

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Section: The Rise Of Organic Farmingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Agroforestry—The Next Step in Sustainable and Resilient Agriculture

2016

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“…In 2010, worldwide emissions from road traffic accounted for 16.4% of the total CO 2 emission. Several countries made efforts to reduce emission of greenhouse gases such as, carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), methane (CH 4 ), nitrous oxide (N 2 O) and ozone (O 3 ), which have been considered a major cause of global warming and climate change (Seo and Kim, 2013;Clark et al, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental analysis of organic waste treatment focusing on composting scenarios

Oliveira

Bezerra

et al. 2017

Journal of Cleaner Production

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The correct disposal of the waste generated by human activities is one of the prevalent challenges that the world faces towards a sustainable development. The lack of suitable sites and the high cost of waste treatment have persuaded many municipalities to implement a policy for integrated waste management, which includes measures such as, source reduction, reuse, recycling, composting and final disposal in landfill. This study examined the alternatives for composting of the organic waste generated in the city of Bauru, in the state of São Paulo, which does not have a composting plant, and analyzed the environmental impacts of seven scenarios: current situation, in which all organic waste is disposed at the landfill; dispatch of the organic waste generated in the city to the closest municipality having a composting plant; construction of a composting plant in Bauru; use of home composting for 10%, 25%, 60% and 90% of organic waste. The method consisted of literature review, data collection among the company responsible for the waste management in the municipality, and the Life Cycle Assessment of the scenarios through the software IWM-2 for the Life Cycle Inventory and Recipe2008 conversion factors for the following impact categories: climate change, ozone depletion, particulate matter formation, and human and freshwater toxicity. The results showed that home composting must be followed by a reduction in the organic waste collection days, in order to have a positive effect in the greenhouse emissions derived from transportation and collection. Also home composting has a greater potential to reduce carbon dioxide equivalent emissions per mass of waste composted in comparison with composting plants. The use of transfer station can have a positive effect on composting plants that are located in other municipalities.

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“…The important aspects of Table 7 and Figure 10 are the way in which non-renewable resources are managed. Ecological conservation works [6,16,45] allow for a more efficient use of fossil fuels. The focus on efficiency and profitability is effective, resulting in an 84.2% decrease in fuel in 12 years.…”

Section: Use Of Fuels and Energy Reduction In Greenhousesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Murcia's economic dynamics are largely driven by the farming sector, the food industry is one of the key development forces and one of the main pillars which contributes the most to GDP and regional equilibrium. Murcia is the Autonomous Community with the largest area dedicated to EA in Spain [45] with an area of 58,820 hectares (10% of the regional agricultural area and 3.7% of the national agricultural area). According to the latest official figures from 2015, the area being studied covers 95% (205.68 has) of the 216 hectares of ecologically certified greenhouses in Spain.…”

Section: Rethink Organic Production In Spain: Cooperate To Innovatementioning

confidence: 99%

“…As stated by Wood et al [26], the practice of EA reduces the use of energy involved in the production of food, stimulating the metabolism of the soil, water and wind Energies 2016, 9, 866 4 of 23 system (the elimination of chemical products, incorporation of crop remains and livestock activity within the soil, increases organic matter, reduces soil, water contamination and reduces greenhouse gas emissions). As well as reducing energy usage, EA also improves the soil's fertility, which contributes to an improvement in the surrounding environment [45]. The integration of organized groups facilitates social learning for innovation based on various strategies for the sustainability and implementation of conservation tasks in EA [43,[46][47][48][49][50].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Energy Efficiency Strategies for Ecological Greenhouses: Experiences from Murcia (Spain)

Becerril

Ríos

2016

Energies

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There has been a continuous growth in ecological agriculture (EA) in recent years. It is recognized as a production system with rational energy use and low demand for fossil fuels. There are many studies relating to this subject, in contrast to the few studies regarding the use of energy and its impact on the environment in ecological greenhouses. This article analyzes the strategies adopted by a Transformational Agricultural Society (Sociedad Agraria de Transformación) in order to improve energy efficiency in ecological greenhouses, with regards to the use of fossil fuels. The methodology is based on the Working With People (WWP) Model, which involves social learning processes over 30 years in one of the largest regions of ecological crops in Spain. The results show that the measures taken to manage the greenhouses have achieved a decrease of over 80% in terms of fossil fuel consumption. The experience demonstrates that EA, as opposed to conventional agriculture (CA), is a system with great potential when it comes to reducing energy consumption and environmental improvements through various strategies.

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Energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions during transition to organic and reduced-input practices: Student farm case study

Cited by 42 publications

References 29 publications

Agroforestry—The Next Step in Sustainable and Resilient Agriculture

Agroforestry—The Next Step in Sustainable and Resilient Agriculture

Environmental analysis of organic waste treatment focusing on composting scenarios

Energy Efficiency Strategies for Ecological Greenhouses: Experiences from Murcia (Spain)

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