Measuring environmental impacts of Potato-maize-rice and potato-maize-maize cropping systems of Pakistan using carbon footprint and life cycle assessment approach

Abstract

To meet the world's food demand agriculture sector must maximize the utilization of resources. However, it has been observed that agriculture sector contributes a substantial amount of GHGs. To mitigate climate change, global agriculture is under the face of huge social and economic challenges. That is why nations must find out the most suitable cropping systems in terms of their environmental impacts and contribution towards food security. Thus, to identify the most efficient and sustainable farming systems in Pakistan, here we used a life cycle assessment (LCA) approach. The Potato-Maize-Rice (PMR) and Potato-Maize-Maize (PMM) cropping systems are prevalent in Punjab Pakistan, however, the studies on their environmental impacts are seldom. Here we measured the environmental impacts of two cropping systems by using Life Cycle Assessment approach. Additionally, the financial aspect is taken into consideration together with the environmental assessment. The assessment reflects the guidelines set forth by the CML baseline, and it uses the OpenLCA software to analyze the data. Global Warming (Kg CO2-eq), Human toxicity (K1, 4-DCB-eq), Ionizing radiation (DALYs), Eutrophication (Kg NO-eq), Photochemical oxidation (kg formed ozone), Ozone depletion (kg CHC-11 eq) and Land use (m2a) are the impact categories to construct the difference between PMR and PMM cropping system. The results signify that PMR has significantly higher negative impacts on the environment than PMM cropping system. The PMM system outperforms the PMR system in terms of economic profitability. The economic viability emphasizes that how crucial it is to choose crops that are sustainable for agricultural systems, while keeping in view the environmental impacts. Overall, this study highlights the importance of using an extensive LCA framework when assessing the effects of agricultural practices on the environment. The findings support the preference for the PMM cropping system compared to PMR cropping system in terms of minimizing environmental impact and increasing economic viability. This study contributes to continuing discussion about sustainable agriculture systems and provides insightful information for farmers, researchers, and policy makers working for environmental sustainability and food security.