Human Labour and Green Manure, Two Overlooked Factors for Energy Analysis in Agriculture

Wu, Juying; Martinov, Milan; Sardo, V.

doi:10.1007/978-94-007-1521-9_7

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…The energetics of human labor is not included in the overall energy calculations. Its inclusion is still highly debated in literature and varies greatly depending on system boundaries and users' criteria (Aguilera et al, 2015; Giampietro et al, 2006; Hercher‐Pasteur et al, 2020; Patzek, 2004; Rugani et al, 2012; Wu et al, 2011). Methods for assessing the energy embedded in human labor vary from quantifying endosomatic energy requirements (i.e., metabolized food energy) and exosomatic energy requirements (i.e., energy needed to produce the food consumed by labor or, even more broadly, to sustain the worker's life pattern) (Aguilera et al, 2015).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Resources for plant‐based food: Estimating resource use to meet the requirements of urban and peri‐urban diets

Righini

Stanghellini

Hemming

et al. 2023

Food and Energy Security

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The rapid urban growth seen globally in recent years has not been supported by a simultaneous increase in agricultural land and/or crop productivity. Producing crops in (peri‐)urban areas shows good potential to provide the vegetable products for a healthy and balanced diet for the growing population, but it has to deal with the local availability of resources. Thus, meeting the food requirements of the urban population as efficiently and robustly as possible is a challenge. This study developed a methodology to estimate the use of resources of urban farming systems to produce energy‐ and nutrient‐dense vegetables capable of meeting human dietary needs. The method was applied to two extremely different cultivation systems (an open field farm and a plant factory with artificial lighting) for the production of seven crops. The results on the resource efficiencies to meet the annual per‐capita vegetable requirements are discussed in relation to crop type, local climate and cultivation system. The application of this methodology can support farmers' decisions on the choice of crops and the type of urban farming systems that are most efficient in contributing to a plant‐based diet. The results can also be translated into water, energy, and surface area needed to meet the nutritional requirements at a city‐regional level.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Resources for plant‐based food: Estimating resource use to meet the requirements of urban and peri‐urban diets

Righini

Stanghellini

Hemming

et al. 2023

Food and Energy Security

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“…Measuring the energetics of human labor is highly controversial (Wu et al 2011) and varies widely depending on system boundaries (Aguilera et al 2015). The most notable works on the energy of human labor are probably the hierarchical Fluck (1992) review, the Jones (1989) thought process, the Aguilera et al (2015) analysis, and also the work of Giampietro and Pimentel (1990).…”

Section: Human Labormentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The last has been disapproved by Wu et al (2011) who considered that by only accounting metabolic requirements, human labor is underestimated. The embodied energy related to production of food for laborers is mostly not accounted and can generate double counting issues (Aguilera et al 2015).…”

Section: Human Labormentioning

confidence: 99%

Energetic assessment of the agricultural production system. A review

Hercher-Pasteur

Loiseau

Sinfort

et al. 2020

Agron. Sustain. Dev.

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Energy holds a key role in farm systems. Cultivation is based on the conversion of solar energy into biomass of interest. Fossil energy allows mechanized and high-yield agricultural production system, but has a strong impact on climate change, and its supply is compromised in the next decades. Energy flows stand between two worlds: while energy is a strategic component of the economy, it is also a thermodynamic state variable for describing ecosystems. This situation reemphasizes the need for energy flow analysis in farm systems. There is a great variety in the approaches used to compute energy flows at farm scales. Yet, their main characteristics and the ways they handle farm sustainability issues need to be clarified. This review identifies ten kinds of energetic approaches, i.e., (i) conventional energy analysis, (ii) pluri-energy analysis, (iii) agroecological energy analysis, (iv) exergy analysis, (v) cumulative exergy consumption, (vi) extended exergy account, (vii) cumulative exergy extraction from the natural environment, (viii) eco-exergy, (ix) cosmic exergy analysis, and (x) emergy assessment. These approaches are analyzed through key features to discuss their ability to address resources' efficiency issues and identify promising outcomes for energy assessment of farms. This analysis emphasizes the lack of clear definition of system boundaries in farm-scale studies. In addition, most of the studies mainly focus on socio-economic flows through a sectoral perspective. Yet, internal biomass flows that play a role in maintaining agroecosystem functionality can also be considered according to a circular/systemic perspective. Then, integration of soil organic matter in the energy balance leads to significant changes in energy efficiency evaluation playing a function of biotic energy storage in the farm system. Hence, some recommendations are provided to perform an exhaustive energetic assessment of farm systems as well as future lines of research to be investigated.

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