Towards an optimal coverage of ecosystem services in LCA

Alejandre, Elizabeth M.; Bodegom, Peter M. van; Guinée, Jeroen B.

doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.05.284

Cited by 40 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…7(a), (b)) could improve the function of the agricultural ecosystem over the long term. Such effects are critical for food system sustainability but are often poorly represented in life cycle assessment studies 46, 47 that are increasing used to benchmark environmental efficiency (e.g., Hu et al 12 …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The sustainability of rice‐crayfish coculture systems: a mini review of evidence from Jianghan plain in China

et al. 2021

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BACKGROUND Rice‐crayfish coculture (RC) uses 10% of the paddy field area for crayfish ditches, with rice cultivated in the remaining area, providing staple carbohydrates alongside fish rich in protein and essential oils. These systems rely on complex interactions, involving nutrient cycling, fish feeding, soil physicochemical modification, and insect‐pest predation, and have important socio‐economic effects. Past studies have considered only one or a few of these aspects pertinent to food system sustainability, and there remains a need for an integrated assessment of RC systems. In this mini‐review, we collate data from two field experiments and three field surveys published across eight papers to synthesize the overall sustainability of RC systems in Jianghan Plain in China. RESULTS In deep groundwater fields, the RC rice yield was 30–55% lower than for typical rice‐rapeseed (RR) rotations, while CH4 emission and pesticide use were 41–96% and 50% lower, respectively. In shallow groundwater fields, RC rice yield was similar to typical rice monoculture (RM) cultivation, while CH4 emission and pesticide use were 28–41% and 17% lower for RC cultivation. Field survey data indicated that RC can improve soil nutrient and organic matter content significantly compared with RM cultivation, and also increase the diversity of fauna and flora in the paddy field whilst reducing the incidence of chilo suppressalis (a major rice pest). Feed inputs to RC systems increased crayfish yield by 31–71% and reduced the fraction of N inputs lost to the environment from 71% to 41%. CONCLUSION We conclude that RC systems with feed inputs in areas with shallow groundwater can deliver improved food security, sustainability, and resilience through ecological intensification. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The sustainability of rice‐crayfish coculture systems: a mini review of evidence from Jianghan plain in China

et al. 2021

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“…However, the quantification of some ecosystem services is beyond the traditional scope of LCAs, particularly those of soil quality and biodiversity [273,274]. A comprehensive evaluation of MECSs in comparison to conventional and organic cropping systems must consider the latest developments in methodology.…”

Section: Mineral-ecological Cropping Systems From the Perspective Of Ecosystem Servicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mineral-Ecological Cropping Systems—A New Approach to Improve Ecosystem Services by Farming without Chemical Synthetic Plant Protection

et al. 2021

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The search for approaches to a holistic sustainable agriculture requires the development of new cropping systems that provide additional ecosystem services beyond biomass supply for food, feed, material, and energy use. The reduction of chemical synthetic plant protection products is a key instrument to protect vulnerable natural resources such as groundwater and biodiversity. Together with an optimal use of mineral fertilizer, agroecological practices, and precision agriculture technologies, a complete elimination of chemical synthetic plant protection in mineral-ecological cropping systems (MECSs) may not only improve the environmental performance of agroecosystems, but also ensure their yield performance. Therefore, the development of MECSs aims to improve the overall ecosystem services of agricultural landscapes by (i) improving the provision of regulating ecosystem services compared to conventional cropping systems and (ii) improving the supply of provisioning ecosystem services compared to organic cropping systems. In the present review, all relevant research levels and aspects of this new farming concept are outlined and discussed based on a comprehensive literature review and the ongoing research project “Agriculture 4.0 without Chemical-Synthetic Plant Protection”.

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“…Ecosystem services (ES) have also been integrated in LCA studies because of their importance for the sustainable circular bioeconomy not only in terms of ecological sustainability and the intrinsic value of biodiversity, but also in ensuring high productivity, maintaining regenerative capacity and ensuring the resilience of biobased production systems [9,[48][49][50][51][52].…”

Section: (B) Spatial Differentiation and Ecosystem Services In Life Cycle Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Life cycle assessment (LCA): informing the development of a sustainable circular bioeconomy?

Sevigné‐Itoiz

Mwabonje

Panoutsou

et al. 2021

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A.

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The role of life cycle assessment (LCA) in informing the development of a sustainable and circular bioeconomy is discussed. We analyse the critical challenges remaining in using LCA and propose improvements needed to resolve future development challenges. Biobased systems are often complex combinations of technologies and practices that are geographically dispersed over long distances and with heterogeneous and uncertain sets of indicators and impacts. Recent studies have provided methodological suggestions on how LCA can be improved for evaluating the sustainability of biobased systems with a new focus on emerging systems, helping to identify environmental and social opportunities prior to large R&D investments. However, accessing economies of scale and improved conversion efficiencies while maintaining compatibility across broad ranges of sustainability indicators and public acceptability remain key challenges for the bioeconomy. LCA can inform, but not by itself resolve this complex dimension of sustainability. Future policy interventions that aim to promote the bioeconomy and support strategic value chains will benefit from the systematic use of LCA. However, the LCA community needs to develop the mechanisms and tools needed to generate agreement and coordinate the standards and incentives that will underpin a successful biobased transition. Systematic stakeholder engagement and the use of multidisciplinary analysis in combination with LCA are essential components of emergent LCA methods. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Bio-derived and bioinspired sustainable advanced materials for emerging technologies (part 1)’.

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Towards an optimal coverage of ecosystem services in LCA

Cited by 40 publications

References 42 publications

The sustainability of rice‐crayfish coculture systems: a mini review of evidence from Jianghan plain in China

The sustainability of rice‐crayfish coculture systems: a mini review of evidence from Jianghan plain in China

Mineral-Ecological Cropping Systems—A New Approach to Improve Ecosystem Services by Farming without Chemical Synthetic Plant Protection

Life cycle assessment (LCA): informing the development of a sustainable circular bioeconomy?

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